Growth Machine

Abstract

In 1976, the American sociologist Harvey Molotch put forward the growth machine concept in an article published in the American Journal of Sociology (Molotch, 1976). The concept describes how growth systemically underpins the development of American cities. However, it has often been interpreted as referring to the presence in almost every 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 in promoting growth 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. However, urban growth is a zero‐sum game insofar as growth coalitions in different cities compete in the same national pool of jobs and investment. They therefore promulgate an ideology of growth, which often proves such a potent force that all other interests either become incorporated within the essential logic of the machine or face defeat.