#BUCPUA Faculty Practitioners Lead Seminar, Offer Fresh Insight on Economic Strategies
BU City Planning and Urban Affairs adjunct faculty members, Anne Gatling Haynes and Lily Song, led an economic seminar entitled, “Economic Development in Cities: Understanding the Urban Economic Development Gap.” Across Massachusetts and the United States, specialized economic development strategies have produced uneven success in light of varying socioeconomic contexts. The impact of these development strategies, however, must continually be assessed to gauge their impact upon residents.
On October 25, students, academics, and business leaders from across the Greater Boston area gathered at the Boston University Initiative on Cities to better understand why some cities recover more quickly and experience sustained prosperity following an economic recession, especially when considering the unique challenges faced by Gateway and Legacy cities. Moderated by Robert Margo, Professor of Economics at Boston University, the seminar first took participants through the fascinating history of economic development in urban areas.
At #BUCPUA, Master of City Planning and Master of Urban Affairs degree candidates unpack the complex web of economic development strategies applicable in varying social and political contexts. Relevant courses include UA 704: Economic Issues in Urban Affairs, UA 509: Urban Finance and Budgeting, UA 503: Housing and Community Development, and UA 664: Planning and the Development Process. Today, planners must analyze and synthesize the economic and social attributes in a city before delivering comprehensive development plans that fully address the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats confronting a city’s quest for long-term prosperity.
26 Gateway or Legacy cities have been designated in Massachusetts, making these cities ripe for equity investment. Haynes, Director of the Transformative Development Initiative at MassDevelopment, explained that economic woes in these struggling cities can be reversed by building strong networks between small businesses and anchor institutions, such as hospitals and universities. Haynes holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and is highly active on the #BUCPUA Advisory Board.
“Cross-sector planning creates a more dynamic process which supports peer-to-peer networks and brings influential people to the table. These business and institutional leaders can work together to envision new ways to use downtown areas that support small business growth,” shared Haynes. With a focus on place-based planning, disparate groups can join together and implement sustainable systems that positively impact equity, the economy, and the environment. Through the #BUCPUA Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability, students learn how to apply action-oriented tools to immediately generate sustainability solutions in their own neighborhoods.
Panelist Lily Song holds a PhD from MIT and is a Senior Research Advocate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Song asked, “Are existing templates of economic urban development serving residents of the city? How do you change things more intentionally in the future?”
Song elaborated that development mechanisms, such as land banks, can flourish in a cooperative, business friendly development structure. To kick start local employment, workers in the Service Employees International Union can become apprentices in the building and trades sector and follow a green construction career path. Success of these development strategies underscores social growth by improving the living standard in inner cities or other vulnerable areas.
After discussing their research findings and development recommendations, Haynes and Song answered questions placed by both the audience and moderator, Robert Margo. Haynes pointed out that Gateway or Legacy Cities are much more politically active than more economically stable areas, and strong civic engagement is a critical foundation for catalyzing economic and community development. Haynes also commented that increased decentralization could create micro-level decisions that don’t provide the needed changes to meet overarching equity, economic, and social justice goals. Song cautioned against the nuanced impacts of tax incentives for small businesses, which can create unexpected consequences by further marginalizing certain populations during the advent of gentrification. Overall, stronger horizontal networks can support creative place making, social justice, and economic development to best revitalize Gateway cities.
– Courtney Thraen (MET ’17)