Collaborative Planning in the Context of Deindustrialization: A Qualitative Evaluation of Comparative Cases in Northeast Ohio

This article investigates whether and how the contexts of the Rust Belt decline extend collaborative planning theory. We evaluate two collaborative planning projects in Northeast Ohio: (1) the Cuyahoga Greenways (CG), a regional trails project and (2) the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative (MRCI), a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban affairs review (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Calif.), 2025-01, Vol.61 (1), p.189-220
Main Authors: Hilde, Thomas W., Ganning, Joanna P., Kellogg, Wendy A., Rubado, Meghan E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collaboration
Context
Deindustrialization
Environmental restoration
Industrial areas
Institutional change
Planning
Postindustrial societies
Qualitative analysis
Regional planning
Rivers
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Summary:This article investigates whether and how the contexts of the Rust Belt decline extend collaborative planning theory. We evaluate two collaborative planning projects in Northeast Ohio: (1) the Cuyahoga Greenways (CG), a regional trails project and (2) the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative (MRCI), a postindustrial river restoration project. Based on participant interviews and document analysis, we find that the projects are distinct in their contextual conditions and collaborative processes, with CG better aligning with common expectations found in the literature. MRCI deviates from normative theory pertaining to collaborative planning; we discuss how this might relate to processes of institutional change. Our results suggest that the collaborative planning literature is insufficiently tailored to assess collaborative projects in the context of decline—particularly where there is controversy around the project and where collaborative institutions and networks are weak.
ISSN:1078-0874
1552-8332
DOI:10.1177/10780874241243033