JHU’s Mac McComas on Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities

Baltimore

Event details:

Start
1:00pm EST on Wednesday, November 17, 2021
End
2:30pm EST on Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Schedule

12 - 12:30 p.m. Virtual networking

12:30 p.m. Zoom presentation begins

Location:
Zoom
,
Attendees
This event is open to All LAI members globally.
Registration
Registration for this event has closed.

Please join Lambda Alpha International’s Baltimore Chapter for our November 17th Virtual Presentation: Mac McComas, 21st Century Cities Initiative Johns Hopkins University will discuss his new book, Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities.

When: November 17 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

12 - 12:30 p.m. Virtual networking. We will have two breakout rooms for networking and socialization

12:30 p.m. Zoom presentation begins

In February 2021, Johns Hopkins University Press published Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities, a new book by Matthew E. Kahn and Mac McComas at JHU’s 21st Century Cities Initiative. The book explores synergistic investments in people, businesses, neighborhoods, and government in post-industrial cities including Baltimore.

The urban centers of New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco have enjoyed tremendous economic success and population growth in recent years. At the same time, cities like Baltimore and Detroit have experienced population loss and economic decline. People living in these cities are not enjoying the American Dream of upward mobility. How can post-industrial cities struggling with crime, pollution, poverty, and economic decline make a comeback?

In Unlocking the Economic Potential of Post-Industrial Cities, Matthew E. Kahn and Mac McComas explore why some people and places thrive during a time of growing economic inequality and polarization—and some don’t. They examine six underperforming cities—Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis—that have struggled from 1970 to present. Drawing from the field of urban economics, Kahn and McComas ask how the public and private sectors can craft policies and make investments that create safe, green cities where young people reach their full potential. The authors analyze long-run economic and demographic trends. They also highlight recent lessons from urban economics in labor market demand and supply, neighborhood quality of life, and local governance while scrutinizing strategies to lift people out of poverty.

These cities are all at a fork in the road. Depending on choices made today, they could enjoy a significant comeback—but only if local leaders are open to experimentation and innovation while being honest about failure and constructive evaluation. Unlocking the Economic Potential of Post-Industrial Cities provides a roadmap for how urban policy makers, community members, and practitioners in the public and private sector can work together with researchers to discover how all cities can solve the most pressing modern urban challenges.

Mac McComas is the senior program manager of Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, a research center focused on economic opportunity, inequality, and quality of life in cities. His research focuses on business dynamics, access to capital for small businesses and minority entrepreneurs, and neighborhood quality of life in cities. Mr. McComas received his MA in Scottish History from the University of Edinburgh and his MLitt in Scottish Historical Studies from the University of St. Andrews. He is the co-author (joint with Dr. Matthew Kahn) of Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities (JHU Press 2021). He serves on the board of WYPR and The Friends of the Jones Falls.