Innovative post-neoliberal policy as a way out of crisis? Another reflection on the case of urban decline in Detroit

Abstract

Introduction: Many scholars have discussed urban decline, and one of the emerging discourses has called for redefining the crisis as an opportunity to establish new urban governance models. This paper evaluates the outcomes of such innovative approaches to managing urban decline by identifying its major implementation challenges, effects and outcomes, and pointing out long-term development perspectives. Case description:The focus was on Detroit, the 'greatest failure' among the troubled large cities in the US, whose municipal government, policy makers and elites have invested a great deal of effort to stem the city's rapid decline. Discussion and evaluation:Of particular interest was the period since 2013 when the city government declared bankruptcy. An innovative strategy based on stabilisation, recovery, and irreversible degrowth was then embraced. The research method to investigate the efficiency of its implementation is centered on analysis of the secondary literature, strategies and official documents designed by the local government and private foundations in Detroit, as well as of supporting news reports. Conclusions:In conclusion, besides the importance of redefining approaches to urban policy-making in declining cities, the study illustrated the necessity of developing equally innovative alternative ways for their successful implementation.

Emerging policy responses in shrinking cities: Shifting policy agendas to align with growth machine politics

“…Recent literature highlighting the problems and failures of most growth-oriented policies in shrinking cities has introduced two contrasting perspectives. The first suggests that the "traditional growth-at-all-cost" (Audirac, 2018: 14) approach has been abandoned in several shrinking cities, interrogates the relevance of growth machine politics under changing circumstances, and considers emerging practices as a transformative shift that will lead to a more sustainable, equitable and socially just urbanisation (Camprag, 2018;Coppola, 2019;Parr, 2015;Schindler, 2016). In contrast, the second view suggests that the emerging policy agenda does not necessarily imply a complete divergence from growth machine politics (Akers, 2015;Audirac, 2018;Rhodes and Russo, 2013;Rosenthal, 2013).…”

“…These recent developments are important in that they do not befit the growth machine politics that have long driven urban policymaking in shrinking cities, leading researchers to interrogate the relevance of the past approach under the changing circumstances. Authors such as Coppola (2019) and Camprag (2018) view emerging responses as an alternative agenda, while Parr (2015) mentions the prospect of more sustainable, equitable and socially just urbanisation. At its most extreme, Schindler (2016) claims that this tendency has resulted in the emergence of "de-growth machine politics", which is important, in that it suggests a complete departure from growth machine politics propelled by the exigencies of shrinkage, crisis and austerity.…”