Through the 1970s and 1990s virtually all central cities and many larger suburban and edge communities focused downtown economic development efforts on some aspect of the hospitality sector. Associated with this trend, the building of facilities for professional sports teams has been a cornerstone of redevelopment programs for almost 30 years. Smaller cities that watched the efforts of Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, and Phoenix have now focused their attention on minor league teams and``second tier sports.'' Cities rely on sports facilities for redevelopment strategies even though numerous independent analyses indicate that these structures and teams are not correlated with regional economic development. If sports facilities shift economic activity to an area that needs redevelopment, then the issue is not whether overall economic activity increased or decreased, but whether the vitality or centrality of the downtown area was enhanced or sustained. Through an examination of outcomes for four cities, the ability of a sports strategy to affect development patterns is assessed.For the past 30 years most central cities and larger suburban and edge communities have focused on sports and entertainment to revitalize aging downtown areas. A cornerstone of this development trend has been the building of facilities for professional sports teams (Rosentraub, 1999(Rosentraub, , 2000 in the belief that these facilities would resurrect the historical association between business, recreation, tourism, and downtown areas (Newman, 2002). Prior to the expansion of suburbs and the building of recreation centers in ex-urban areas, people in large and smaller cities visited downtown areas for work, entertainment, retail shopping, and tourist activities. Civic leaders across North America have hoped that sports facilities would halt or retard decentralization trends so evident in most regions.Prior to a focus on sports facilities, several cities built festival marketplaces to respond to suburban malls that were redirecting retail activities. The building of convention centers
This article highlights the use of qualitative data as methodological tools in cluster analysis, following the identification of the cluster through a quantitative analysis. The qualitative methodological tools surveyed include a detailed interview protocol, an interview analysis, a cluster map to describe the cluster structure, and a briefing paper. A cluster map is a visual schematic that describes the different components of a cluster and how the components relate to each other. The cluster map illustrates the cluster's structure, shapes the way in which the cluster is perceived, and can guide new economic development strategies that take into account the synergies between the cluster's different components. The article reviews several types of cluster maps and recommends an improved version that combines elements from several of the maps.The use of industrial cluster analysis, a relatively new tool in economic development, is expanding. Clusters have been used to guide economic development strategies in several states and metropolitan areas in the United States as well as in other countries and regions throughout the world.A cluster analysis provides researchers and policy decision makers with a new way in which to understand the economy and, thus, a new approach to form economic development policies. This article is based on research and experience gathered during a year-long study of clusters in northeast Ohio.1 The Northeast Ohio Cluster Project was designed to have three phases: the analytical phase, the case studies phase, and the implementation phase. The first two phases were completed in the spring, and the third phase began during the summer of 1998. The analytical phase took 9 months to complete, and the case studies were accomplished during a 4-month period. During the analytical phase (described in detail in the Hill & Brennan [2000] article in this issue), industrial clusters were identified using a newly developed mathematical/statistical model that identified clusters based on their competitive advantage. During the case studies phase, several of the clusters identified during the first phase were examined in greater depth using qualitative analytical tools to better understand the relationships between the different components of a cluster and the factors that affect the cluster's evolution and competitiveness. The implementation phase currently is under way and focuses on the engagement of several clusters, where some of each cluster's firms and organizations are collaborating on developing a plan to address the cluster's specific barriers and identify opportunities to increase its competitiveness.This article focuses on the use of qualitative methodologies in cluster analysis. It describes the steps that need to be taken to gain knowledge and insight into the clusters'character, their structure, what drives their economic performance, and the key barriers and opportunities that affect the competitiveness of each one. The qualitative analysis and methodological tools discussed here include t...
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