The Growth Machine versus the Antigrowth Coalition

Abstract

In 1987, in their book Urban Fortune: The Political Economy of Place, Logan and Molotch argued that growth is not usually in the community interest. They proposed a strategy to alter the ability of business to force cities to compete for capital. This strategy depends upon the antigrowth coalition winning its struggle against the growth machine in individual communities. But the issue of growth is more complex than suggested by a growth/no growth dichotomy. The real issue facing localities is how to attract, direct, or repel growth to serve the community interest. In this article, we consider (1) whether growth management can resolve the power struggle between pro- and antigrowth forces and (2) whether growth management can encourage communities to undertake a search for the public interest.