John Lindsay, the Association for a Better New York, and the privatization of New York City, 1969-1973

Merton, Joe (2018) John Lindsay, the Association for a Better New York, and the privatization of New York City, 1969-1973. Journal of Urban History, 45 (3). pp. 557-577. ISSN 1552-6771

[img]
Preview
PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (420kB) | Preview

Abstract

Focusing on the collaboration between Mayor John Lindsay and business advocacy group the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), this article illustrates the utility of public and elite anxieties over street crime in legitimizing new, privatized models of urban governance during the early 1970s. ABNY’s privatized crime-fighting initiatives signified a new direction in city law enforcement strategies, a new “common sense” regarding the efficacy and authority of private or voluntarist solutions to urban problems, and proved of lasting significance for labor relations, the regulation of urban space, and the role of the private sector in urban policy. It concludes that, despite their limitations, the visibility of ABNY’s initiatives, their ability to construct a pervasive sense of crisis, and their apparent demonstration of public and elite consent played a significant role in the transformation of New York into the “privatized” or “neoliberal” city of today.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Copyright © 2018, © SAGE Publications. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Arts > School of Humanities > Department of History
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144218765465
Depositing User: Eprints, Support
Date Deposited: 19 Mar 2018 10:35
Last Modified: 17 Apr 2019 12:35
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/50500

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View