Tuesdays at APA: The Great Recession, Municipal Budgets, and Land Development

According to annual surveys by the University of Illinois at
Chicago (UIC) and the National League of Cities (NLC), cities
have been eliminating jobs, decreasing infrastructure
investments, and scaling back services for more than a decade.
For many municipalities, the Great Recession has exacerbated
these trends, endangering these communities ability to invest in
future economic growth. Furthermore, the changing nature of
municipal revenue structures affects land-use policy and the
nature of future development projects.


In April 2012 UIC and NLC received a $950,000 grant from the John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to conduct a three-year
study of municipal responses to the Great Recession. Michael
Pagano from UIC shared some highlights of his research to date
with a special emphasis on the immediate, and likely lasting,
effects of the Great Recession on municipal revenue structures
and decision making regarding the type, timing, and location of
new development.