Cities

Wanted: A Plan for the Cities to Save Themselves from Corporazi Capital
18-Aug-03
Cities

From the Black Commentator: "The revitalization 'strategy' -- if it can be called a strategy -- was, essentially, to give away the public's assets... direct gifts of land and structures, plus tax abatements stretching into future generations, an array of federal and state programs evolved to subsidize the return of private capital and affluent populations. Municipal powers of eminent domain were made available to condemn, clear and shape the economic and physical contours of the city to capital's specifications, all wrapped up in a bright, freshly cut ribbon. Typically, City Hall asks only that some portion of jobs and contracts go to the locals. Big city mayors have been reduced to a bizarre class of beggars, lining up at corporate doorsteps with gifts of public resources. Urban executives...rarely have anything resembling a plan of their own, beyond a firm determination to accept whatever capital offers, and a willingness to out-grovel the next mayor in line."