Terra Incognita

by Bowman, Ann O'm; Pagano, Michael A.

• ISBN13: 9781589010079
• ISBN10: 1589010078
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Georgetown Univ Pr

Summary

Boon or blight? Ann Bowman and Michael Pagano define "vacant land" broadly, to include everything from brownfields (environmentally contaminated land) through trashed lots and abandoned buildings to greenspace (parks, community gardens, etc.).Terra Incognita takes a fresh look at what they believe can be the ultimate urban resource. Beyond the common studies of the influence of market forces, it explores how these areas are affected by the decisions of local governments, and then shows how vacant land can be a valuable strategic asset for localities.Terra Incognita derives from what -- until now -- has been the lack of substantial information about the amount and the diversity of urban vacant land. This book is based on an unprecedented survey sent to all U.S. towns with a population greater than 50,000, and contains data previously unavailable. Three cities were studied in greater depth for detailed case studies: the greater Phoenix and Seattle areas and Philadelphia-Camden. A number of other cities are cited frequently, including Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma City, among many others.Identifying the fiscal, social, and development imperatives that drive the decisions local officials make about using vacant land, Bowman and Pagano pay particular attention to the varying dynamics of sales, property, and income taxes, and conclude with a model for making strategic decisions about land use based on a city's priorities.

Author Biography

Ann O'M. Bowman is James F. and Maude B. Byrnes Professor of Government at the University of South Carolina Michael A. Pagano is director, Graduate Program in Public Administration, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix
List of Tables	xii
Preface	xiii
1 The Different Contexts of Vacant Urban Land	1	(22)
Vacant Land: Negative and Positive
Defining Vacant Land
Describing Vacant Land in U.S. Cities
Context Matters: Vacant Land in Three Metropolitan Areas
Conclusion
Notes
2 Cities and Vacant Land: Data and a Model	23	(26)
The Amount of Vacant Land in U.S. Cities
Terra Incognita: Understanding City Actions
The Three Imperatives and Vacant Land
Conclusion
Notes
3 City Policymaking: Exploring the Land-Tax Dynamic	49	(40)
Constraints and Opportunities of General Taxing Authority
The Strategic Behavior of Property Tax Cities
The Strategic Behavior of Sales Tax Cities
The Strategic Behavior of Income Tax Cities
Reflections on the Land-Tax Dynamic
Notes
4 The Social Value of Vacant Land	89	(36)
Mental Maps
Infilling as a Social Strategy
Vacant Land as Open Space
Conclusion
Notes
5 The Development Potential of Vacant Land	125	(38)
Economic Development in Metropolitan Areas
Capturing Land
Recapturing and Recycling Vacant Land
Constraining Land Use
Conclusion
Notes
6 Strategic Uses of Vacant Land	163	(32)
A Spatial Model of Vacant Land
Putting Vacant Land to Use
Approaches to Reusing Vacant Land
Strategic Thinking and Vacant Land
Notes
Appendix A: Methodology	195	(12)
Appendix B: Demographic, Economic, and Political Data for the Three Site-Visit Metropolitan Areas	207	(4)
Appendix C: Data on Vacant Land and Abandoned Structures from the Survey and Data on Population and Area from the Census	211	(6)
Bibliography	217	(9)
Index	226