Activists in City Hall

Pierre Clavel is Professor of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. He is the author of The Progressive City, coauthor of Reinventing Cities, and coeditor of Harold Washington and the Neighborhoods.

• 1. The Progressive City: Concept and Context2. What the Progressive City Was3. The Movement Becomes Politics in Boston4. Flynn's City Hall and the Neighborhoods5. Neighborhood Background and the Campaign in Chicago6. Washington in City Hall7. Later Developments in Chicago8. Race, Class, and the Administrative StruggleNotesIndex

Based largely on interviews with municipal policymakers, progressive politicians, university intellectuals, and neighborhood activists, in addition to a bountiful social science literature on urban planning and governance, the book argues that progressive forces scored noteworthy successes at the local level at a time when like-minded activists failed to have their voices heard nationally. Clavel's research has enriched our understanding of politics and governance in two important cities during a time of conservative ascendance.(American Historical Review) In a sophisticated and approachable narrative, Clavel discusses how redistributive politics with a neighborhood focus triumphed—at least for a few years—in two of America's major cities. He does an especially skilled job of discussing what happens when the progressive dog actually catches the car of city government and becomes responsible for ruling.(Choice) The interlinked stories of social movement and progressive governance make for a fascinating read.... Some of the most engaging passages describe how various community leaders came together to generate innovative policy ideas that fed into the Flynn and Washington administrations.... What could Obama have learned (and could still learn) from these local leaders about staying in campaign mode while governing, continuing to organize, and having organizers among the inner circle? What could he have anticipated about the backlash that comes from breaking the race barrier? Clavel's stories of 1980s urban progressivism definitely still resonate today.- Lisa Ranghelli (Shelterforce)