Community asset building in rural development : an analysis of military-base redevelopment in rural host communities
Name
50815011-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
16.58 MB
Format
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Checksum (MD5)
96022e2a0989f1b375f0bd941a19eb1e
Author(s)
Stanley, Lois A., 1961-
Advisor(s)
Karen R. Polenske.
Date Issued
2002
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This dissertation is about opportunities in rural development. Often we think of development as a function of location. In the pursuit of economic development, analysts and practitioners tend to consider the advantages--economic, geographic, and institutional--of one location over another. Rural areas often weigh in toward the bottom of such analyses because they enjoy few of the traditional, i.e., location-dependent, resources for development. The general question underlying this dissertation is: How do rural communities find opportunities for economic development without the traditional resources to serve as stimuli? Local responses to air force bases closures during the 1990s are examined, first, through a comparative analysis between the groups of six rural and 26 metropolitan host communities of closed bases and, second, through case studies of four host communities--three rural and one metropolitan. Principle findings included:
(cont.) *Surprisingly, the rural host communities achieved success in base redevelopment comparable to metropolitan host communities despite significant economic, geographic, and institutional gaps between the two groups in the study. *Residents mobilized in response to base-closure crises in every community. Through participation in base reuse planning activities, residents grew knowledgeable in base-related issues that, ultimately, aided redevelopment and compensated for the lack of more formal local development expertise. *Host communities capitalized upon much-needed development assets they derived from federal resources--grants, technical assistance, and base property. *By the end of the study period, the rural host communities, in particular, had improved their capacity to plan and manage future development through the accumulation and capitalization of assets derived from local and federal resources in base redevelopment.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-164).
Subjects
Urban Studies and Planning.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
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