Geography

From big to small cities: a qualitative analysis of the causes and outcomes of post-recession municipal bankruptcies

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Two cities loom large in the history of American urban restructuring. New York City's 1975 technical bankruptcy and Detroit's 2013 Chapter 9 bankruptcy have played an oversized role in urban theory. This is currently reflected in competing theories of post-recession urban restructuring. “Austerity urbanism” uses Detroit as an exemplar, whereas “pragmatic municipalism” adopts the converse position arguing post-recession reform is defined by local context. This paper draws on the small cities literature to generate a different account of recent municipal bankruptcies and their broader impacts. It uses qualitative methods to survey the causes and outcomes of all eight post-recession Chapter 9 bankruptcies. The research recognizes the potential nationwide significance of these extreme events but avoids focusing on big city examples. The paper's findings suggest small and medium sized cities play a significant role in shaping recession-related restructuring.

Publication Title

City and Community

Publication Date

2020

Volume

19

Issue

1

First Page

132

Last Page

152

ISSN

1535-6841

DOI

10.1111/cico.12449

Keywords

municipal bankruptcies, small cities, post-recession

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