When Cities Borrow State Power

New York State's Empire State Development Corporation in New York City

Bibliographic Data

ID6404771
AuthorsElizabeth M Marcello (0000-0003-2668-7624, Hunter College, City University of New York, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume59
Issue2
Pages506-533
Publication date2023-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Affairs Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1078-0874 • E-ISSN: 1552-8332
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/10780874211067141
OpenAlexW4200170220
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

Since the late 1960's New York State's Urban Development Corporation (UDC), now operating as the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), has been leveraged by New York City government to pursue large-scale projects. This paper examines two cases from New York City in which the city borrowed a state-controlled public authority's power to accomplish projects initiated at the local level: the case of Queens West, a development in western Queens, proposed in the early 1980s, and the case of Columbia - Manhattanville, an expansion of the Columbia University campus into Harlem, announced in 2003. These cases highlight how cities might, at times, embrace state involvement rather than lament its restrictions or rue its indifference. The study concludes by suggesting a theoretical path for incorporating such a city-state dynamic

Corporation · Economic history · Economics · Empire · Government (linguistics · Local government · Political science · Power (physics · Sociology · State (computer science · Law · Public Administration · Urban Planning and Governance · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies · Urbanization and City Planning

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