Book Review: Planning and Community Development: A Guide for the 21st Century

many today, then genuine opportunity does not exist. In fact, equality of opportunity, one of the pillars of American exceptionalism, is nonexistent. At the heart of the authors’ analysis is the fact they do not believe in the trickle-down economy. In other words, they suggest that making the rich richer will not lead to economic development. Growth will not lift all boats. In chapter six, the authors address the issue of urban sprawl and how it affects the quality of life. Their central thesis is that in addition to the benefits of economic growth, it also incurs unanticipated increases in both private and social costs. While much of the literature on economic development suggests that growth should generate enough revenue to cover these externalities, the authors suggest that it does not and that these externalities impose costs on both government and society. Chapter seven examines the effects of these additional costs on fiscal sustainability at the local level. While there are many reasons for the rapid rise in local expenditures, urban sprawl is one reason suggested by the authors. Unless the externalities of sprawl are internalized, local taxes will continue to increase. Chapter eight offers us a solution on how to better measure economic development. It defines what comprehensive indicators are and how they differ from traditional performance indicators used in economic development. Integrating quality of life and sustainability into measuring economic development requires incorporating them into the planning process of cities, counties, and states. Local government pays too much attention to what can be measured but needs new benchmarks. We need measures of education, health, housing and opportunity, environment, and cultural resources. Traditional measures do not work. The authors introduce six sets of comprehensive indicators of development: (1) supplementary economic indicators, (2) environment and land-use quality indicators, (3) health and public safety indicators, (4) civic and social participation indicators, (5) cultural and educational indicators, and (6) transportation and mobility indicators. The strengths of this book lie in the fact that the authors have brought the issue of growth and development front and center at a time when they are on the public agenda. The recent economic depression has forced society to question whether and if the model of liberal democracy is in fact still a model that is intact. Or, as some have argued, it is not an adequate tool to guide prosperity (Auerswald and Acs, 2009). In fact, if growth does not lead to prosperity, as some have argued, then this book offers us a framework for how to think about local economic development. On this count, the book is an outstanding piece of scholarship. While much of what is discussed in this book has been written elsewhere, bringing economic growth, local development, and the quality of life together under one cover makes an important contribution to the debate on economic development. The weaknesses of this book are at two levels. First, the book would have been greatly improved if it had an overarching concept to drive the story. For example, Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class introduces the three Ts: talent, technology, and tolerance. While the three Ts are not rocket science, they help us focus on what is important and how they are related. The second issue has to do with the measures of the comprehensive indicators used by the authors. I would have expected the obesity rate to be included in the health and public safety indicators. The obesity rate is one of the best measures of the lack of health and nutrition in a community and is negatively correlated with both income and education (Acs and Lyles, 2004). I am also surprised that under the civic and social participation indicators, the authors do not include any measure of philanthropy, as one of the main institutions in the “great American see-saw” between wealth and opportunity is philanthropy. It is wealth that drives opportunity in the long run. Either traditional measures of philanthropy or the more modern social entrepreneurship should have been included under the fourth indicator. I also think that measures of charity in some cases do more harm than good and should be also included. This book is an excellent treatment of the issues facing society in the twenty-first century. It is an important contribution to our knowledge of planning scholarship. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the future of our society, students and civil servants alike.