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02 Dec 08

"Broken Windows Matter," CEOs for Cities :: Blog, View Entry

Carol Coletta points to The Economist article that featured new research in Holland which showed that low-level social disorder provides a breeding ground for creating more of the same. Based on the "broken windows" theory, it gives back some statistical relevance to a theory that has been falling out of favour. (Why it fell out of favour is a mystery to me, but there you have it...)
QUOTE
The "broken windows" theory had its day in the sun during the "zero tolerance" policies of the Giuliani adminsitration in New York. Petty crime, such as graffiti and subway turnstile jumping, were not to be tolerated because, according to the theory, observing disorder has a psychological effect on people.

The theory later fell out of favor. But new research out of the Netherlands bolsters the belief that tolerance of low level crime matters. According to the new research, it actually doubles the number of people willing to litter and steal.
UNQUOTE

Coletta brings the issue back to city budget slashing, and how this will affect the climate for social disorder.

www.ceosforcities.org/...1996 - Preview

ceos_for_cities carol_coletta cities social_disorder broken_window_theory

The "broken windows" theory had its day in the sun during the "zero tolerance" policies of the Giuliani adminsitration in New York. Petty crime, such as graffiti and subway turnstile jumping, were not to be tolerated because, according to the theory, observing disorder has a psychological effect on people.

The theory later fell out of favor. But new research out of the Netherlands bolsters the belief that tolerance of low level crime matters. According to the new research, it actually doubles the number of people willing to litter and steal.

Read the story in the Economist. Then contemplate what city budget slashing will do to enforcement.

22 Nov 08

Building an Obama urban agenda - PD Opinion - cleveland.com

Cleveland Plain Dealer blog entry about Carol Coletta's visit to Cleveland to speak at the annual meeting of University Circle, Inc.

blog.cleveland.com/...ing_an_obama_urban_agenda.html - Preview

cleveland.com carol_coletta ceos_for_cities cities urbanism

she thinks Barack Obama will be good for urban America.

"I think he has an urban sensitivity -- an urban sensitivity based on working to make things happen in some of the most devastated neighborhoods in Chicago," said Coletta. "He knows what works. He understands the scams. He's no bleeding heart."
Coletta said she's hoping for three pillars to an Obama urban agenda:
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- Infrastructure. A hot item because it can be the centerpiece of a stimulus package, Coletta hopes the emphasis of any spending on roads, bridges and sewers would be "fix it first." That is, repair what already exists in cities rather than build new or wider expressways out of town. "We need to extract value out of what we've already invested in," said Coletta.
- Transportation policy. Coletta hopes Washington will emphasize mass transit, encourage wiser land use and stop urban sprawl. And with her, it's not simply about the environment. Density, Coletta says, drives productivity. That's because modern knowledge economies thrive when creative people, the types who tend to congregate in cities, effortlessly interact and share ideas. "You need to think about how to enable those happy accidents," she said.
- Education. There's no better predictor of a city's or a region's economic performance than its level of educational attainment, in particular its percentage of college graduates. That's a lesson Cleveland has learned the hard way. Obama, during his campaign, called for a $4,000 college tuition tax credit. That would help open college doors to thousands of extra students, and cities would disproportionately benefit. "If you're trying to encourage economic development," said Coletta, "that's the lowest hanging fruit."
- Coletta says it's important that when urban leaders nudge the White House, they go with solutions in hand -- not with hands out.

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