Growth Machine

Abstract

The growth machine concept first appeared in 1976 in an article published in the American Journal of Sociology (Molotch 1976). It describes how in America city politics is generally a politics of growth. Although the concept in fact explains the systemic properties of cities, it has also been interpreted as referring to the presence in almost every American city of property‐dependent business interests actively engaged in local politics and civic affairs. This is so much so that the city itself can be seen, in its very essence, to be an instrument of profit for land‐based interests. Moreover, those involved frequently form coalitions with other players likewise dependent on local development, and mobilize to shape the policies and institutions of local government in a fashion such that future urban growth patterns and land use policies profit all participants; in this way, the city building process operates like a growth machine. Growth machine actors promulgate an ideology of growth, which often proves a potent force to such an extent that all other interests either become incorporated within the essential logic of the machine or face defeat.