Casino Development and the Right to the City PDF Download
Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Casino Development and the Right to the City PDF full book. Access full book title Casino Development and the Right to the City by John Edward Balzarini. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: John Edward Balzarini Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 322
Book Description
ABSTRACT Casino Development and the Right to the City: Conflict and Community Place-Making in Philadelphia John E. Balzarini Temple University, 2013 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Anne Shlay This dissertation focuses on the right to the city and community conflict over casino development in Philadelphia. Community outrage erupted in 2006 following the selection of two casinos to be built in Philadelphia. Sugarhouse Casino was planned for construction in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood and Foxwoods Casino was planned for South Philadelphia neighboring the Society Hill, Queen Village and Pennsport communities. For a brief time between 2008 and 2009, plans to develop the Foxwoods Casino moved downtown to Philadelphia's Chinatown community. This dissertation explores the framing of community needs, vulnerabilities and conflict over casino development in each of these three communities and how these framing strategies were used as a foundation for expressing community power. I use a variety of data in this dissertation including in-depth content analysis of the local Philadelphia media, sight observations of casinos, anti-casino actions and town hall meetings. The most important data for this research comes from twenty-nine, one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with a variety of people involved with or knowledgeable about casino development in Philadelphia including anti-casino activists and community members, pro-casino community members, local political officials and their aides, and casino advisors and representatives. A number of ideas and themes are explored in this dissertation dealing with casino development, neighborhood power and the different ways in which community members framed casino development. In chapter three I analyze the debate between casino supporters and casino opponents over the outcomes of casino development for urban regions and residents. If, as many casino supporters claim, casinos attract people from outside a region to spend their money, then I argue the casino has succeeded in attracting revenue to the region in a pattern of neoliberal revitalization. If, on the other hand, casino development fails to attract many visitors from outside a region and relies primarily on local consumers, I argue the casino operates as a form of accumulation by dispossession where wealth is diverted from the locality to the casino and the state. I argue that as more casinos are developed in Pennsylvania, and indeed across the country, the likelihood that a casino is reliant on a localized population increases. If casinos fail to attract consumers from outside a region then no new economic stimulation is achieved. Instead, consumer spending is diverted from other local businesses and directed to the casino. This coupled with increases in gambling addiction have the net effect of harming a regional economy. These new problems created by development of convenience casinos will create new social and economic crises that states and municipalities will need to deal with in the future. Chapters four and five analyze the framing of conflict and the right to the city in three Philadelphia communities where casinos were planned for development. Chapter four focuses on the framing of conflict in Fishtown over the development of the Sugarhouse Casino. In Fishtown, gentrification was an important factor explaining the division between long-time residents who largely supported casino construction and many newer residents who opposed the casino. Newer residents framed the casino as a negative addition to the community, one that would increase gambling addiction and crime, deteriorate the neighborhood and compete with local businesses. They framed the casino selection process as undemocratic, transpiring behind closed doors away from public input. Because of this, many newer residents believed the casino was an unjust form of development. On the other hand, long-time residents viewed the casino as a positive addition to the community. These people argued that SugarHouse would provide jobs to Fishtown residents, economic development, as well as direct monetary benefits to the community. Both long-time residents and newer residents framed the casino according to divergent place-based appraisal of needs and community authenticity. Newer residents argued that the casino was a predatory industry that would inhibit the improvements that were occurring in the community. Long-time residents argued that newer residents were not true and authentic members of the Fishtown community and did not have the right to dictate what Fishtown did or did not need. In this way, casino development became the event that exacerbated nascent tensions in the community over gentrification and community change. I argue that the divergent ways members of Fishtown framed their right to the city was based on different place-based histories and place identity, community needs and authenticity. Chapter five examines the framing of the right to the city in South Philadelphia and Chinatown. This chapter focuses on the different place-identities that led to the framing of opposition to the development of the Foxwoods Casino. The Foxwoods Casino was proposed for two communities, along the Delaware River waterfront in South Philadelphia and in Chinatown. Both of these communities rallied around the anti-casino position and fought to prevent the development of Foxwoods. Anti-casino residents in South Philadelphia framed their right to the city against casino development very similarly to newer residents of Fishtown. Residents who benefited from gentrification and lived in either gentrified or gentrifying communities tended toward an anti-casino position. This was the case in South Philadelphia where the casino was framed as a negative addition to the community and residents fought to prevent Foxwoods from being developed. In Chinatown, the anti-casino frames originated from an experience of perceived threat. The threat to Chinatown residents came from continual attempts by powerful actors to displace the community through new development. They argued that casino development was another in a long line of attempts to develop Chinatown out of existence. In addition, members of the Chinatown community argued that many Asian Americans are extremely susceptible to gambling addiction and the attempt to locate the casino in their community was a crass form of cultural exploitation. In both South Philadelphia and Chinatown, anti-casino residents framed their opposition from their place-based appraisals of community vulnerability. But the frames utilized by the two communities exemplified the differences between the two places and the people who lived there. South Philadelphia framed casino development as bad development unfit for the community, while Chinatown argued that a casino would contribute to both displacement and cultural exploitation. In this way the framing of the right to the city took on a desperate tone for anti-casino residents of Chinatown. The right to prevent a casino in Chinatown was about the right of survival for this ethnic enclave. Chapter six examines the role of social capital in the successful development of the SugarHouse Casino in Fishtown. In this chapter I review the work of Richard Florida who suggests that social capital, as exhibited by strong community ties, is a negative feature of many cities and communities. Florida argues that strong social capital perpetuates powerlessness and isolation in such places. As a result these places are unable to contribute to patterns of urban economic development, growth or change. I contest Florida's arguments regarding the inherent disadvantage of places with strong social capital and tight community bonds. Using Fishtown as an example, I argue that the strong community bonds were a powerful resource for long-time residents who supported SugarHouse. These people used their social capital ties with other long-time residents to generate support for the casino, challenge the credibility of anti-casino claims and negotiate with the casino the drafting of a Community Benefits Agreement. I argue that social capital was an important source of power for long-time residents of Fishtown.
Author: John Edward Balzarini Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 322
Book Description
ABSTRACT Casino Development and the Right to the City: Conflict and Community Place-Making in Philadelphia John E. Balzarini Temple University, 2013 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Anne Shlay This dissertation focuses on the right to the city and community conflict over casino development in Philadelphia. Community outrage erupted in 2006 following the selection of two casinos to be built in Philadelphia. Sugarhouse Casino was planned for construction in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood and Foxwoods Casino was planned for South Philadelphia neighboring the Society Hill, Queen Village and Pennsport communities. For a brief time between 2008 and 2009, plans to develop the Foxwoods Casino moved downtown to Philadelphia's Chinatown community. This dissertation explores the framing of community needs, vulnerabilities and conflict over casino development in each of these three communities and how these framing strategies were used as a foundation for expressing community power. I use a variety of data in this dissertation including in-depth content analysis of the local Philadelphia media, sight observations of casinos, anti-casino actions and town hall meetings. The most important data for this research comes from twenty-nine, one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with a variety of people involved with or knowledgeable about casino development in Philadelphia including anti-casino activists and community members, pro-casino community members, local political officials and their aides, and casino advisors and representatives. A number of ideas and themes are explored in this dissertation dealing with casino development, neighborhood power and the different ways in which community members framed casino development. In chapter three I analyze the debate between casino supporters and casino opponents over the outcomes of casino development for urban regions and residents. If, as many casino supporters claim, casinos attract people from outside a region to spend their money, then I argue the casino has succeeded in attracting revenue to the region in a pattern of neoliberal revitalization. If, on the other hand, casino development fails to attract many visitors from outside a region and relies primarily on local consumers, I argue the casino operates as a form of accumulation by dispossession where wealth is diverted from the locality to the casino and the state. I argue that as more casinos are developed in Pennsylvania, and indeed across the country, the likelihood that a casino is reliant on a localized population increases. If casinos fail to attract consumers from outside a region then no new economic stimulation is achieved. Instead, consumer spending is diverted from other local businesses and directed to the casino. This coupled with increases in gambling addiction have the net effect of harming a regional economy. These new problems created by development of convenience casinos will create new social and economic crises that states and municipalities will need to deal with in the future. Chapters four and five analyze the framing of conflict and the right to the city in three Philadelphia communities where casinos were planned for development. Chapter four focuses on the framing of conflict in Fishtown over the development of the Sugarhouse Casino. In Fishtown, gentrification was an important factor explaining the division between long-time residents who largely supported casino construction and many newer residents who opposed the casino. Newer residents framed the casino as a negative addition to the community, one that would increase gambling addiction and crime, deteriorate the neighborhood and compete with local businesses. They framed the casino selection process as undemocratic, transpiring behind closed doors away from public input. Because of this, many newer residents believed the casino was an unjust form of development. On the other hand, long-time residents viewed the casino as a positive addition to the community. These people argued that SugarHouse would provide jobs to Fishtown residents, economic development, as well as direct monetary benefits to the community. Both long-time residents and newer residents framed the casino according to divergent place-based appraisal of needs and community authenticity. Newer residents argued that the casino was a predatory industry that would inhibit the improvements that were occurring in the community. Long-time residents argued that newer residents were not true and authentic members of the Fishtown community and did not have the right to dictate what Fishtown did or did not need. In this way, casino development became the event that exacerbated nascent tensions in the community over gentrification and community change. I argue that the divergent ways members of Fishtown framed their right to the city was based on different place-based histories and place identity, community needs and authenticity. Chapter five examines the framing of the right to the city in South Philadelphia and Chinatown. This chapter focuses on the different place-identities that led to the framing of opposition to the development of the Foxwoods Casino. The Foxwoods Casino was proposed for two communities, along the Delaware River waterfront in South Philadelphia and in Chinatown. Both of these communities rallied around the anti-casino position and fought to prevent the development of Foxwoods. Anti-casino residents in South Philadelphia framed their right to the city against casino development very similarly to newer residents of Fishtown. Residents who benefited from gentrification and lived in either gentrified or gentrifying communities tended toward an anti-casino position. This was the case in South Philadelphia where the casino was framed as a negative addition to the community and residents fought to prevent Foxwoods from being developed. In Chinatown, the anti-casino frames originated from an experience of perceived threat. The threat to Chinatown residents came from continual attempts by powerful actors to displace the community through new development. They argued that casino development was another in a long line of attempts to develop Chinatown out of existence. In addition, members of the Chinatown community argued that many Asian Americans are extremely susceptible to gambling addiction and the attempt to locate the casino in their community was a crass form of cultural exploitation. In both South Philadelphia and Chinatown, anti-casino residents framed their opposition from their place-based appraisals of community vulnerability. But the frames utilized by the two communities exemplified the differences between the two places and the people who lived there. South Philadelphia framed casino development as bad development unfit for the community, while Chinatown argued that a casino would contribute to both displacement and cultural exploitation. In this way the framing of the right to the city took on a desperate tone for anti-casino residents of Chinatown. The right to prevent a casino in Chinatown was about the right of survival for this ethnic enclave. Chapter six examines the role of social capital in the successful development of the SugarHouse Casino in Fishtown. In this chapter I review the work of Richard Florida who suggests that social capital, as exhibited by strong community ties, is a negative feature of many cities and communities. Florida argues that strong social capital perpetuates powerlessness and isolation in such places. As a result these places are unable to contribute to patterns of urban economic development, growth or change. I contest Florida's arguments regarding the inherent disadvantage of places with strong social capital and tight community bonds. Using Fishtown as an example, I argue that the strong community bonds were a powerful resource for long-time residents who supported SugarHouse. These people used their social capital ties with other long-time residents to generate support for the casino, challenge the credibility of anti-casino claims and negotiate with the casino the drafting of a Community Benefits Agreement. I argue that social capital was an important source of power for long-time residents of Fishtown.
Author: Stephen Danley Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP ISBN: 0773555900 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 201
Book Description
The steep rise in neighborhood associations in post-Katrina New Orleans is commonly presented in starkly positive or negative terms – either romanticized narratives of community influence or dismissals of false consciousness and powerlessness to elite interests. In A Neighborhood Politics of Last Resort Stephen Danley offers a messier and ultimately more complete picture of these groups as simultaneously crucial but tenuous social actors. Through a comparative case study based on extensive fieldwork in post-Katrina New Orleans, Danley follows activists in their efforts to rebuild their communities, while also examining the dark underbelly of NIMBYism ("not in my backyard"), characterized by racism and classism. He elucidates how neighborhood activists were tremendously inspired in their defense of their communities, at times outwitting developers or other perceived threats to neighborhood life, but they could be equally creative in discriminating against potential neighbors and fighting to keep others out of their communities. Considering the plight of grassroots activism in the context of national and global urban challenges, A Neighborhood Politics of Last Resort immerses the reader in the daily minutiae of post-Katrina life to reveal how multiple groups responded to the same crisis with inconsistent and often ad-hoc approaches, visions, and results.
Author: Luke Joseph Schray Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 176
Book Description
As the stigma of gambling fades and governments seek more sources of revenue the urban casino is becoming more common. Many of these are legalized to operate with limited competition in their state, standing alone in their respective city. while the general, diffuse impacts of casinos have been well studied, the paucity of casinos in urban settings has left a gap in the understanding of how stand-alone casinos affect their urban context. This thesis seeks to fill this gap by analyzing three of the oldest stand-alone urban casinos in the United States: Harrah's Casino in Joliet, Harrah's Casino in New Orleans, and Greektown Casino in Detroit. The thesis analyzes the impact of each of these casinos through the lens of five categories of impact: urban design of the neighborhood, city investment, real estate development, street-level commerce, and the residential community. The resulting analysis finds that casinos tend to be insular entities that do not impact much outside their own footprint. Their greatest potential for external impacts is an ability to act as an anchor for street-level commerce in a neighborhood if designed properly, a trend that has been observed for some time in resort communities with fake interior streets. The essay concludes with recommendations on how a city might engender a similar phenomenon.
Author: Alissa Mazar Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1000196631 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 196
Book Description
As governments increasingly legalize and expand the availability of casinos, hoping to offset the impacts of manufacturing decline through the advancement of gambling commerce, this book examines what casinos do—and do not do—for host communities in terms of economic growth. Examining the case generally made by those seeking to establish casino developments—that they offer benefits for the "public good"—the author draws on a case study of Canada’s automotive capital (Windsor, Ontario), which was a pilot site for potential further casino development in the region. The author asks whether casinos do, in fact, offer good jobs, revenue generation, and economic diversification. A study of the benefits of casino developments that considers the question of whether they constitute a ready answer to the problems of industrial and economic decline, this volume will appeal to scholars of sociology and urban studies, with interests in the gambling industry, economic sociology, the sociology of work, and urban regeneration.
Author: Chloe E. Taft Publisher: Harvard University Press ISBN: 0674970241 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 336
Book Description
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once synonymous with steel. But after the factories closed, the city bet its future on a new industry: casino gambling. On the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant, thousands of flashing slot machines and digital bells replaced the fires in the blast furnaces and the shift change whistles of the industrial workplace. From Steel to Slots tells the story of a city struggling to make sense of the ways in which local jobs, landscapes, and identities are transformed by global capitalism. Postindustrial redevelopment often makes a clean break with a city’s rusted past. In Bethlehem, where the new casino is industrial-themed, the city’s heritage continues to dominate the built environment and infuse everyday experiences. Through the voices of steelworkers, casino dealers, preservationists, immigrants, and executives, Chloe Taft examines the ongoing legacies of corporate presence and urban development in a small city—and their uneven effects. Today, multinational casino corporations increasingly act as urban planners, promising jobs and new tax revenues to ailing communities. Yet in an industry premised on risk and capital liquidity, short-term gains do not necessarily mean long-term commitments to local needs. While residents often have few cards to play in the face of global capital and private development, Taft argues that the shape economic progress takes is not inevitable, nor must it always look forward. Memories of corporations’ accountability to communities persist, and citizens see alternatives for more equitable futures in the layered landscapes all around them.
Author: Ian Thomas MacDonald Publisher: Cornell University Press ISBN: 1501712683 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 289
Book Description
Labor unions remain the largest membership-based organizations in major North American cities, even after years of decline. Labor continues to play a vital role in mobilizing urban residents, shaping urban conflict, and crafting the policies and regulations that are transforming our urban spaces. As unions become more involved in the daily life of the city, they find themselves confronting the familiar dilemma of how to fold union priorities into broader campaigns that address nonunion workers and the lives of union members beyond the workplace. If we are right to believe that the future of the labor movement is an urban one, union activists and staffers, urban policymakers, elected officials, and members of the public alike will require a fuller understanding of what impels unions to become involved in urban policy issues, what dilemmas structure the choices unions make, and what impact unions have on the lives of urban residents, beyond their members.Unions and the City serves as a road map toward both a stronger labor movement and a socially just urbanism. The book presents the findings of a collaborative project in which a team of labor researchers and labor geographers based in New York City and Toronto investigated how and why labor unions were becoming more involved in urban regulation and urban planning. The contributors assess the effectiveness of this involvement in terms of labor goals—such as protecting employment levels, retaining bargaining relationships with employers, and organizing new workforces—as well as broader social consequences of union strategies, such as expanding access to public services, improving employment equity, and making neighborhoods more affordable. Focusing on four key economic sectors (film, hospitality, green energy, and child care), this book reveals that unions can exert a surprising level of influence in various aspects of urban policymaking and that they can have a significant impact on how cities are changing and on the experiences of urban residents. Contributors Simon Black, Brock University; Maria Figueroa, Cornell University; Lois S. Gray, Cornell University; Ian Thomas MacDonald, University of Montreal; James Nugent, University of Toronto; Susanna F. Schaller, City College Center for Worker Education; Steven Tufts, York University; K. C. Wagner, Cornell University; Mildred Warner, Cornell University; Thorben Wieditz, York University
Author: Ellen Mutari Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 144223668X Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 281
Book Description
Just One More Hand tells a story that workers all over can relate to: an industry that promised a solid and stable livelihood is being transformed by competitive pressures, causing employees to lose their economic footing. What seemed like a good job one day becomes a bad job the next. Incorporating the real experiences of casino employees, the book demonstrates the difficulties for local communities that are building new casinos in the hopes of luring tourists. Local communities placing all their chips on casinos as an economic development strategy face increasingly long odds. Life stories of individual workers in Atlantic City are explored in the context of the history of the city and the now-global gaming industry. With more and more casinos competing for customers, employees are feeling the brunt of cost-cutting measures, including the wholesale closure of some casinos. While long-time employees are fighting against concessions and wage stagnation, younger workers juggle multiple part-time and seasonal jobs at several casinos. Policy makers hoping to offset these trends are trying to rebrand Atlantic City for a younger, hipper, and more well-to-do clientele using public-private partnerships. Unfortunately, scant attention is being paid to the core issue in economic development—the need for sustainable livelihoods and meaningful work. Here, Ellen Mutari and Deborah Figart explore the realities of the industry and the lives and challenges the workers within it are facing.
Author: Christopher Chadbourne Publisher: ISBN: Category : Architecture Languages : en Pages : 64
Book Description
Gambling can be a winning proposition for everyone--not just the lucky blackjack player holding a hand of 21. This report looks at what it takes to ensure gambling contributes to a community's overall well-being. Drawing on a review of current research, the report investigates the challenges that local officals, planners, and historic preservationists face when introducing casinos into a community. It examines ways to make sure that gambling operations contribute to the local economy and fit within the area's economic development and heritage tourism plans. Five case studies illustrate the dos and don'ts of establishing gambling operations.
Author: Tom Tresser Publisher: Taylor & Francis ISBN: 1040113656 Category : Architecture Languages : en Pages : 318
Book Description
Promoted as a prestigious economic opportunity and often aggressively sought by local leaders, hosting a modern Olympics can in fact be a “city-killer” that racks up billions of dollars in over-budget expenses, degrades the environment, and shreds civil liberties. This book recounts the successful efforts of grassroots organization No Games Chicago to derail Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics in an entertaining case study of local activism with international reach. The group’s detailed strategies and tactics provide a much-needed playbook for scholars, journalists, and activists seeking people-powered alternatives to megaprojects and other tourism-centric economic development schemes. In a time when vital public services are being cut and curtailed, public spaces diminished, and civil liberties threatened by the over-policing of protests, America continues to dedicate billions of public dollars to private development and sports facilities. The activists of No Games Chicago broke new ground in their fight to represent the voice of the people among established local political powers in the decision-making process for Chicago’s Olympic bid. Their story resonates both nationally and globally – over 15 cities around the world have said “No Thank You!” to the Olympics since the success of No Games Chicago. Relevant to students and chroniclers of deliberative democracy, public policy, media for social change, community organizing, and the economics of sport, No Games Chicago is an enjoyable, practical addition to the literature of citizen governance, urban planning, and economic development.
Author: John Edward Balzarini
Author: John Edward Balzarini
Author: Stephen Danley
Author: Luke Joseph Schray
Author: Alissa Mazar
Author: Chloe E. Taft
Author: Ian Thomas MacDonald
Author: Ellen Mutari
Author: New Jersey. Department of Community Affairs
Author: Christopher Chadbourne
Author: Tom Tresser