Restorative Revitalization in Inner-Ring Suburban Communities: Lessons from Maple Heights, OH

Abstract

Suburban revitalization efforts can remain ineffective when they do not adequately address the historic harm done to minority, low-income communities via economic, housing, public finance, banking, and urban planning practices. To determine an alternative approach, I use a process tracing method to study the efforts of a Midwestern inner-ring, minority-majority suburban community, returning from the edge of collapse after decades of disinvestment and crises. The findings reveal a significant change in revitalization efforts following the election of the first Black and first woman mayor; driven by justice-centered partnerships and justice-centered language. In my analysis, I argue that though the policy efforts do not vary significantly from standard redevelopment practices, the administration’s emphasis on resolving historic harm added an important restorative justice lens, making the effort more fruitful and far-reaching. I conclude with recommendations to enhance the study and application of restorative justice themes in urban research.

Legitimation Processes for a Branch Museum Development in a Post-Industrial City: The Louvre-Lens Museum in France

“…Since the beginning of the Louvre-Lens project in 2004, the French government and the city of Lens have used the city's industrial past to legitimate the museum's creation. They presented the Louvre-Lens as a tool of restorative justice (Lebovits 2023;Simpson 2009) and "payback" (L'Humanité, 16 March 2005) for a city that had contributed to the wealth of the nation in the past and was now hit by economic and social deprivation. The concept of restorative justice, characterized by the sentiment that it "has suffered from a lack of sharing" (Guy Delcourt, mayor of Lens, in La Voix du Nord, 25 June 2004), found support among the local population.…”

State of Urbanization in Nepal: The Official Definition and Reality

“…Neighbors seem to have an interest in directly reaping the "gains of densification" (Alster, 2023:1) that often provide bigger markets, business and employment opportunities, and economies of scale from infrastructure and social amenities. With the annexation of nearby rural areas, existing cities have undergone a significant shift, especially after each periodic election like that often happens in some developed countries like the U. S. (Lebovits, 2023) and developing countries like Mexico and Argentia (Aguilar, 1999;Michelini and Pintos, 2016) and India (Basu et al, 2023). These urbanization efforts have been clearly tracked through federal, provincial, and local governments to amalgamate more rural settlements into the urban system.…”

“…These urbanization efforts have been clearly tracked through federal, provincial, and local governments to amalgamate more rural settlements into the urban system. The resulting massive suburbanization efforts give the impression of the post-World War II era (Lebovits, 2023) of many Western European countries where several high-income families also started developing neighborhoods in the newly developed areas for renting and business purposes. We have observed similar trends in Nepal's metropolises such as Pokhara and sub-metropolises such as Dharan, Butwan, and Dhangadhi.…”