Longread #137 -- Welcome to Your New Government -- 8/16/12

As with the previous two days posts, this longread focuses on how different groups are stepping into the void left by withering city services. In this case, nonprofit groups have taken on what are traditional municipal tasks in several neighborhoods of Detroit. As with the other cases, a situation like this one raises interesting questions about representation/democracy, equality, and efficiency in thinking about how cities are organized and run. Ultimately, I think that strong municipal governments are important to provide a floor for basic services, and nonprofit groups can play a vital role in expanding services and community-based resources above that floor. In any case, it is clear that in many places the traditional model of city planning is faltering, which has created a very dynamic and intriguing situation about what comes next.

"Welcome to Your New Government" by Anna Clark
Published in Forefront (by Next American City), July 9, 2012
http://americancity.org/forefront/view/welcome-to-your-new-government

Eric