Urban Development Legislation for Cities, by Cities

Abstract

This essay connects the legacy of Senator Muskie, and specifically, his work on urban development and Model Cities, to contemporary urban development legislation, by considering how the Model Cities legacy is both a foundation for and a counterpoint to contemporary urban development policies and programs. This essay discusses three specific current models of urban development legislation and considers how the legacy of the federal Model Cities program has shaped today's efforts. The essay concludes that there are advantages in terms of both efficiency and responsiveness to today's approach of local governments taking the lead on urban development legislation, rather than modeling the top-down, federally driven, comprehensive approach envisioned by the Model Cities legislation. However, there remains an important role for the federal government to play as well: To borrow the phrase used by my co-panelist, Don Nicoll, "creative federalism" can enable local governments to implement programs like the ones discussed herein by enabling local governments to navigate potential fiscal and structural hurdles at the state level.

Keywords: urban development, urban planning, land use, local government law, federalism, state and local government, political economy