Testing the Elastic-Cities Concept within a Nonmetropolitan Environment: Evidence from British Columbia, Canada, 1971 to 2001

Abstract

In his popular book, Cities Without Suburbs, Rusk (2003) specifies that elastic cities use annexation to capture new suburban developments, increase population, create stronger tax bases, and improve fiscal health compared with nonannexing cities or cities with inelastic boundaries. Rusk claims that the elasticity of a city's boundary is strongly and positively correlated with better economic and regional planning. Rusk (1998; argues that annexation is important in consolidating the ruralû rban fringe area because it creates elastic cities which can expand to include the entire geographic sphere of influence for a city-region, that is, rural, urban, and fringe landscapes, under one political jurisdiction. This phenomenon produces what he terms`c ities without suburbs'', thereby solving problems of growth management, revenue, and political inequalities within a city-region. From this perspective, annexation is not just a process of ameliorative problem solving, with boundaries adjusted to gain better planning and control over fringe developments; annexation can also be a proactive policy of modernizing local governments.Yet Rusk (1998; does not provide much analytical testing to support his elasticity hypothesis. Published research has provided only limited empirical and conceptual appraisal of the robustness of the elasticity hypothesis (Aryeetey-Attoh et al, 1998;Blair et al, 1996;Liner and McGregor, 2002;Sancton, 2001). As well, the literature has virtually ignored municipal boundary extensions in nonmetropolitan areas (Bunch and Strauss, 1992;Diamant, 1996). Municipal boundary change is also largely seen as a methodological, rather than a conceptual problem (Singh, 1982). This approach also masks or diverts attention from the examination of the redrawing of local-government boundaries as a distinct research topic (Bennett, 1997). Overall, published studies provide scant and mixed empirical evidence on the benefits and costs that accrue to annexing municipalities. Given the complexity and scope of this phenomenon, a detailed analysis of municipal annexation activity is both warranted and overdue.

Understanding the Complexities of Annexation

“…Meligrana's (2007) results do not completely support the hypotheses of Rusk. Blair and Staley (1996) argue that empirical evidence supporting Rusk's prescriptions for central-city decline, including enhanced annexation powers, is weak.…”

Elasticity and urban vacancy: A longitudinal comparison of U.S. cities

“…Elastic cities have more space for new development on the periphery than do inelastic cities, but typically a lower population density (Aryeetey-Attoh, Costa, Morrow-Jones, Monroe, & Sommers, 1998). Over-aggressive expansion can contribute to urban sprawl rather than compact development (Meligrana, 2007). Changes to a municipality's density are therefore partly related to the amount of unincorporated fringe areas that are annexed over time.…”

“…Elastic cities employ aggressive expansion strategies in an effort to better control the city-region and seek (although not always achieve) higher population increases, stronger tax bases, and healthier urban-regional economies than non-elastic cities (Meligrana, 2007). The connection between territorial expansion and local economic change is inexact.…”

“…The basic needs of a city include dependable environmental quality (such as water and air), sufficient natural resources and civil infrastructure, reliable energy supply, and available land for future growth (Meligrana, 2007). Elastic cities tend acquire this land through the aggressive acquisition of new territory (Genske & Ruff, 2006).…”

“…Urban boundaries frame civic processes; their reconfigurations contribute to vacant land pattern changes. However, the effect of shifting urban boundaries through expansion (elasticity) or contraction/stability (inelasticity) on a city's supply of vacant space remains uncertain (Genske & Ruff, 2006;Rusk, 2006;Meligrana, 2007).…”