PROBLEMS IN POLICY ANALYSIS AND URBAN GOVERNMENT

Malcolm C. Getz, The Economics of the Urban Fire Department
Robert K. Yin, Changing Urban Bureaucracies
Pietro S. Nivola, The Urban Service Problem     

RURAL–URBAN MIGRATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT: THEORY AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS*

ABSTRACT We develop a regional model where, in the city, unemployment prevails because of too high (efficiency) wages, while, in the rural area, workers are paid at their marginal productivity. We characterize the steady‐state equilibrium and show that it is unique. We then consider two policies: decreasing urban unemployment benefits and subsidizing urban employment. We find that decreasing the unemployment benefit in the city creates urban jobs and reduces rural–urban migration since new migrants have to spend some time unemployed before they can find a job in the city. On the other hand, raising employment subsidies increases urban employment but may also increase urban unemployment because it triggers more rural–urban migration. In this respect, the employment subsidy policy can backfire by raising rather than reducing urban unemployment.     

AMERICAN POLICY FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: A COMPARATIVE EXAMINATION

The United States and the major northern European countries all have developed a variety of strategies for governmental intervention in housing and urban development. These include rent supplements, subsidized mortgages, incentives to homeownership, land clearance, and construction and management of housing by public authorities. Despite similarities in the types of programs offered, the countries vary markedly in levels of public expenditure, consistency of policy, and institutional structure of the housing market. Differences in housing policies and institutions produce different outcomes. Settlement patterns, housing costs, level of home-ownership, and availability of housing for different income groups can be traced to these varying contexts for housing investment. Explanation of national differences lies in the differing organization of economic interests through the respective political systems.     

西方城市更新发展历程和政策演变

西方城市更新大致经历了"清除贫民窟-福利色彩社区更新-市场导向旧城再开发-社区综合复兴"四个发展阶段,各阶段更新政策的历史发展背景、参与对象、更新途径和更新结果各异。通过比较不同阶段城市更新特征看出,西方城市更新理论实现从形体主义规划思想向人本主义规划思想的转变,城市更新发展理念在问题导向下不断发展成熟,城市更新运作模式体现政府、私有部门和社区居民的多方参与倾向。对我国城市更新的启示包括:城市更新政策演变与城市发展过程的关系,城市更新关注对象的讨论,以及政府作用和城市更新多方参与者的利益制衡。     

旅游区与城市控制性详细规划比较研究

目前实践中我国旅游区控规较多地套用城市控规的标准,导致问题层出不穷。因此指导旅游区控规的规范和标准亟待完善。本文首先对旅游区和城市控规进行了比较研究,分析出旅游区控规相对于城市控规的独特性,指出旅游区控规不能照搬照抄城市控规标准。同时又综合考虑规划管理、资源开发和环境保护三者之间的关系,创造性地构建了适合一般旅游区控制性详细规划的控制体系图。最后,针对旅游区与城市控规控制体系图之间的主要指标差异,进行更深入地比较研究,试图引起国内规划专家及学者的关注和讨论,以进一步规范和促进我国旅游区控规理论有时间的科学与健康发展。     

QUESTIONING A NEOLIBERAL URBAN REGENERATION POLICY

The present study traces recent trends in cultural policy concerning “cities of culture” in South Korea. The paper is a case study of the city of Gwangju, known as the birthplace of modern democracy in Korea. Currently, public input from below into the urban regeneration project for Gwangju is almost nonexistent, while most urban regeneration policies have been implemented from the top by elites who enjoy exhibiting their performances through constructing massive edifices rather than encouraging the preservation of such intangibles as historical significance through cultural participation from below. The government’s policy of promoting Gwangju as the “city of culture” in order to make it a hub of Asian cultural industry and tourism in the global economy is closely allied to its policy of economic reductionism of culture. The study suggests that Gwangju and its unique heritage would instead benefit from an urban regeneration policy aimed at establishing it as the city of art and culture for human rights and democracy and as part of a collaborative network with the heritage initiatives of international bodies.