John R Mullin Copyright (c) 2011 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin Recent documents in John R Mullin en-us Fri, 25 Nov 2011 02:00:55 PST 3600 The Revitalization of New England's Small Town Mills: Breathing New Life into Old Places http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/68 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/68 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:40:04 PST This paper describes and analyzes the recent experience of communities in the six New England states concerning the revitalization of their 19th century mills and mill yards. It begins with an examination of the importance of these complexes to the economy of New England in the 19th and early 20th centuries and the slow decline of the mills into the present. It then identifies the factors that are now stimulating their revitalization and provides myriad examples of where success has occurred. This is followed by a section on 'Lessons Learned' from the experience, and a closing comment concerning future actions.

]]> John Mullin et al. Revitalization Strategies Revitalization of Mills Partnerships and the Fiscal Implications of Planning and Development: A Case Study of Maynard, Massachusetts http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/67 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/67 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 05:44:21 PDT Redevelopment of urban sites is an ongoing concern for many communities in the industrial Northeast United States. While many mill sites still languish, examples of successful revitalization can be found. Most of these efforts require more than market conditions to make them viable. Partnerships between developers and the community and state are seen to be crucial. These public-private partnerships come in many forms, not always monetary.

The detail and effectiveness of these partnerships often depend on the experience and expertise of developers and community professionals. Given that many of these communities have limited staff, agreements are often made quickly with a rather short-term perspective. This often leads to either side (most often the municipal side) not fully benefiting in terms of long-term impacts. Longitudinal studies to examine impacts over time are helping understand the complexities of these agreements and offer transferable lessons.

This paper, a case study of public-private investment in an old mill complex located in Maynard, Massachusetts that was vacated in 1993, is intended to help communities consider those costs and benefits. It discusses the historical significance of the mill to the town, examines the rationale for investors to purchase the mill and their intentions in revitalizing the structures, describes the public-private agreements that were undertaken, analyzes the immediate impact of the resulting agreements, and examines the impact over the years.

]]> John Mullin et al. Maynard (Mass.) Book Review of Toward the Planned City: Germany, Britain, The United States and France, 1780-1914 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/66 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/66 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:39:57 PDT City planning professionals and academics have long understood that the roots of North American planning practice were formulated in Europe. Yet until now there has been no comprehensive study of how these roots were formed and how they were transferred. Anthony Sutcliffe's new book, Toward The Planned City: Germany, Britain, The United States and France, 1780-1914, represents a major contribution in correcting this shortcoming.

]]> John Mullin Planned City Book review of Local Economic Development: A Guide to Practice http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/65 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/65 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:18:36 PDT In community after community the local planner is becoming increasingly involved in the economic problems facing our cities and towns, with at least partial responsibility for guiding the retention, enhancement, and expansion of the community's economic base. At times he or she takes the lead, serves on economic development committees, or merely provides the data for other organizations. In most cases, however, the planner is being asked for answers to questions that he or she is ill prepared to answer. How many planning directors or senior staff planners are formally trained in, for example, proforma analysis, marketing evaluation, job retraining, real estate feasibility, and project leveraging? The answer is very few. Indeed, both university-based planning programs and the American Planning Association-sponsored short courses are regularly filled wityh planners attempting to develop these new skills. The materials used in these courses are usually borrowed from real estate sources or case examples. For too long there has been no basic introductory, comprehensive text that is designed to educate and train planning practitioners, board members, and students involved in local economic development. Emil E. Malizia's book Local Economic Development: A Guide to Practice makes a solid contribution to that end.

]]> John Mullin Economic Development The Role of Incubator Industries in the Local Economy: The Westfield, Massachusetts Experience http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/64 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/64 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:45:20 PDT This study offers an analysis of the role of incubator industries in the local economy of Westfield, Massachusetts. It presents the results of a survey of 25 owners of small firms which have been in business for less than 10 years, have fewer than 20 employees, manufacture a product, and are registered as doing business in Westfield. The sample size represents approximately 90 percent of all firms in the City which fit the criteria noted above. It is recognized that the sample is quite small and that great care must be used in applying the recommendations to other communities. Yet, while this is simply a case study, it nevertheless serves to identify critical problems and to show how institutional and governmental actions can help to correct these problems. In terms of a contribution toward helping smaller municipalities to understand the needs of small businesses, this must be considered as a first step.

]]> John Mullin et al. Incubator Industries National Industrial Policy and the Local Planner http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/63 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/63 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:20:53 PDT This article analyzes the debate concerning the problems, approaches, and intent of industrial policy as it relates to the working planner. It begins with a search for a definition. From there the authors set forth a rationale for such a policy and lay out the key characteristics typically proposed by its advocates. The critical dimensions in the debate are then reviewed. Finally, the potential impacts of various policy options upon local planners are discussed.

]]> John Mullin et al. Industrial Policy Working paper of Fiscal Impact Analysis: Methods, Cases, and Intellectual Debate http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/61 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/61 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:46:51 PDT Fiscal impact analysis seeks to connect planning and local economics by estimating the public costs and revenues that result from property investments. This type of analysis enables the comparison of revenues to costs associated with new development indicating whether local government can meet new demands for services, or must raise taxes to meet new service demands. This paper is a comprehensive description and assessment of current methods for estimating fiscal impacts, it discusses the influence of local factors such as property tax structure and type of development or growth pattern on fiscal impacts and limitations of methods frequently used. It concludes with a discussion of alternate assessments and new approaches to assessing the fiscal and equity dimensions of growth and development.

]]> John Mullin et al. Fiscal Impact Analysis Book Review of America's Ailing Cities: Fiscal Health and the Design of Urban Policy http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/60 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/60 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:30:17 PDT Over the past decade it has become increasingly clear that many of our larger cities are slowly and steadily moving toward fiscal hard times. Often this trend has been hidden by the polish, glitter, and glitz of showplace downtowns, shopping plazas, and highrise office complexes. Other times it has been hidden by defrayed maintenance of infrastructure, a subtle erosion of services to specific sub-groups in the community, or the collapse of capital improvement planning.

]]> John Mullin City planning Book Review of Communities on the Way: "Rebuilding Local Economies in the United States and Canada http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/59 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/59 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:17:38 PDT Many planners caught up in the everyday struggle of preparing zoning bylaws, subdivision regulations, and goverment grants-in-aid often wonder what is happening with that dedicated group of what seem to be counter-culturists across town who are attempting to bring increased prosperity to the community through community-based economic development (CED) initiatives. Rarely communicating with them, perceiving them as outside the political mainstream, infrequently helping them, and often treating them with disdain, too many planners see them as little more than the last vestiges of the grassroots movements of the 1960's. That is a mistake for, as Stewart Perry, president of the Institute for New Enterprise Development, informs us, CEDs represent a critical strategy for bringing improved economic opportunity and stronger community cohesion to distressed areas.

]]> John Mullin Preserving and Enhancing Communities Book review of Deindustrialization and Plant Closure http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/58 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/58 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:06:55 PST Any planner assigned the responsibility of preparing a recovery plan for a community following a plant closing knows that frustration, heartbreak, and demoralization are all part of the process. The planner also knows that there is little comprehensive literature at either the national or regional levels to help guide the effort. Finding answers to such simple questions as (1) what do I do when the largest plant in town closes or, (2) what are the community's rights and obligations when a plant closes, often proves impossible. The answers to these questions are a bit closer thanks to the work of Paul Straudohar and Holly Brown, Deindustrialization and Plant Closure consists of 26 articles focusing on how the nation, states, and cities must come to grips with the problems of a rapidly changing industrial base.

]]> John Mullin Deindustrialization Book review of The United States in the Global Economy: Challenges and Policy Choices http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/57 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/57 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:28:51 PST Academics who teach either economic development or industrial policy courses struggle to find a core text to support their courses. Typically they borrow material from business, economics, political science, or public policy and blend articles into a reader that is rearely comprehensive and often lacks continuity. For this reason alone, these academics will be quite pleased to learn of John Accordino's new text, The United States in the Global Economy: Challenges and Policy Choices.

]]> John Mullin Global Economy Contemporary Music and the Manufacturing Region: Reflections on Reality http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/56 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/56 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:17:20 PST Despite long odds, some distressed, high unemployment regions in the United States survive, revitalize, and prosper. While there are many reasons for their success, we hypothesize that a strong sense of community helps make bearable the anger, frustration, despair, and irrationality that accompany high job losses in a region.

]]> John Mullin et al. Mills and mill-work A Top Down Perspective of the Pioneer Valley: The Future of our Industrial Base http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/55 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/55 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:30:34 PDT Over the past five years the Center for Economic Development has been actively involved in industrial planning activities in virtually every community in the Valley. At times our work has been as local as developing a zoning amendment for an industrial park or preparing an overall economic development program. At other times it has been focused on broad policy aspects such as Governor Weld's recent initiative on improving our economic posture, or participating in the recovery of the WestMass Development Corporation. Throughout our work on approximately 40 different projects, plans and studies, we have been consistently amazed at the degree of change that is occurring. The Valley certainly is not a stagnant place! At times it looks its age and well it should: it is one of the oldest industrial centers in the nation. At other times it is robust and innovative as the Millitechs, Eco Sciences, and National Evaluation Systems are nurtured and move into production. We are regularly asked what this change will mean to the Valley as we move toward the 21st century. It is a difficult question to answer. However, there are some indicators that we believe provide an accurate depiction of where the Valley is going.

]]> John Mullin et al. Industrialization Pioneer Valley Bondi's Island: Its Everybody's Problem http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/54 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/54 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:20:42 PDT Bondi's Island is so pungently smelly that it is a negative influence on where we live, work, play and invest. If we do not correct the problem quickly, the image of our region as a special place will erode dramatically. Further, this problem does not belong to Springfield alone. It is one that requires strong regional and state participation.

]]> John Mullin Bondi's Island Book Review of Growth and Transformation of the Modern City http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/53 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/53 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:33:05 PDT The book consists of a group of papers developed for one of a series of symposia to celebrate the centennial birthday of the University of Stockholm. It was organized by the University's Departments of History, History of Art and Human Geography. Invitees included scholars from Sweden, Britain, Finland, Denmark and the United States.

]]> John Mullin City planning The Economic Impact of Housing in Massachusetts http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/52 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/52 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:53:05 PDT Home building generates substantial local economic activity, including income, jobs, and revenue for state and local governments. These far exceed the school costs-to-property-tax ratios. Furthermore, balanced growth, the availability of homes that match the character of the jobs, plays a significant role in attracting sustainable economic development.

]]> John Mullin et al. Housing in Massachusetts The New Economy: Thriving Amidst Change http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/51 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/51 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:29:13 PDT Communities increasingly see their economic development goal as one of attracting job-generating industrial development and face the need to develop a plan that will achieve this goal. Communities need to know a great deal to succeed at what has become a formidable task, and many have few resources to hire experienced planners to assist them. This chapter is intended to provide information to communities and others that may be embarking on just such planning. The consulting we have undertaken around the country has shown us firsthand the rapid changes that are taking place in the economy and how communities will need to be resourceful and creative if they are going to succeed at self-preservation while at the same time attracting new jobs.

]]> John Mullin et al. Preserving and Enhancing Communities The Value of Home-Grown Companies http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/50 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/50 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:51:12 PDT Over the past decade we have been involved in more than fifty economic development projects in cities and towns across the Pioneer Valley. These have ranged from the revitalization of older industrial areas in Springfield, the development of incubator facilities in Chicopee, the reuse of the Waverly Mill in Adams to the siting of a new industrial park in Deerfield. In each case we are almost always questioned about how a community could encourage the next Pratt and Whitney Digital or BMW plant to come to our region. Upon hearing the question, we point out that there are only 1200 major plant location decisions made in a typical year and that there are 20,000 industrial development commissions chasing these companies. We also point out, that all things considered, home-grown, home-owned businesses bring a comprehensive set of assets to a community that are most often of greater value than, for example, a branch plant of a multinational company. We base our perspective on the following six points:

]]> John Mullin et al. Home Grown Companies Cosmic Advice For the Young Planner http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/49 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/49 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:30:31 PDT Last fall, two of New England's oldest planners were sitting on the top of Mount Monadnock when they were approached by a group of graduate students. After a brief spell of friendly conversation, several students asked the wise ones for sage advice on the pitfalls of local planning. With a glint in their eyes and a sense of puckish humor they started to outline forty ways in which a newly minted planner could short circuit his/her career. And so, in what they hope will be taken with a great grain of salt, they listed the following.

]]> John Mullin et al. Local Planning - Humor The reconstruction of Lisbon following the earthquake of 1755: a study in despotic planning http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/48 http://works.bepress.com/john_mullin/48 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:18:59 PDT This paper is a description and analysis of the plan for the rebuilding of Lisbon following the earthquake of 1755. This tremor was so devastating that the entire city centre, the Baixa, ceased to exist. From this chaos emerged the Marques de Pombal who, with the approval of the King, immediately brought order and began to develop efforts to create the new Lisbon. The effort first focused upon the development of four options that included rebuilding the city as it was, reconstructing the city with minimal improvements to the street pattern, undertaking a total rebuilding effort or starting fresh on a new site. After considerable analysis, Pombal selected the option to build under the 'clean slate' option. After selection of this option, the planners created six detailed plans. After considerable review, the dos Santos concept was selected. These six plans, designed largely by military engineers, were created with the intent of furthering Pombal's goal of creating a city that reflected new values. The city was to reflect a society in which the citizen, the merchant and the bureaucrat took precedence over the crown, church and nobility. The results were indeed a new Lisbon.

]]> John R. Mullin Reconstruction of Lisbon