Synopses & Reviews
When governments use eminent domain to transfer property between private owners, Americans are outraged-or so most media and academic accounts would have us believe. But these accounts obscure a much more complex reality in American conceptions of property.
In this book, Debbie Becher presents the first comprehensive study of a city's eminent domain acquisitions, exploring how and why the City of Philadelphia took properties between 1992 and 2007 and which takings led to protests. She uses original data-collected from city offices and interviews with over a hundred residents, business owners, community leaders, government representatives, attorneys, and appraisers-to explore how eminent domain really works.
Becher surprises readers by finding that the city took over 4,000 private properties, or one out of every hundred such properties in Philadelphia, during her study period. Furthermore, these takings only rarely provoked opposition-a fact that established views on property are ill-equipped to explain.
To investigate how Americans judge the legitimacy of eminent domain, Becher devotes several chapters to two highly controversial sets of takings for redevelopment projects. The American Street takings were intended to win popular support for redevelopment and initially succeeded in doing so, but it ended as a near total failure and embarrassment. The Jefferson Square takings initially faced vociferous opposition, but they eventually earned residents' approval and became a political showpiece.
Becher uncovers evidence that Americans judge eminent domain through a social conception of property as an investment of value, committed over time, that government is responsible for protecting. This conception has never been described in sociological, legal, political, or economic scholarship, and it stands in stark contrast to the arguments of libertarian and left-leaning activists and academics. But recognizing property as investment, Becher argues, may offer a firm new foundation for more progressive urban policies.
Review
"Property matters a great deal and getting it right is crucial. Debbie Becher nails it. Eschewing abstractions and the fulminations of libertarians and leftists alike, her excellent book captures how real people understand and evaluate government taking. The concept of investment that she develops offers important and challenging insights for policy makers and property theorists alike." --Nicholas Blomley, Professor of Geography, Simon Fraser University
"A powerful challenge to the conventional view of property in social science, Becher shows that people see property in a complex and social manner. This pioneering study demonstrates how -- rather than treat property solely as a container for economic value or as a bundle of rights -- people also invest their hopes, cares and emotions into it." --Richard Swedberg, Professor of Sociology, Cornell University
"How to respond to the problems posed by derelict lots and vacant buildings is a question with which almost every city government grapples. Becher's analysis cuts through the familiar ideological slogans about government and private property to provide a deeper understanding of the political, economic and social forces driving urban redevelopment efforts. The result is a challenging and unexpectedly hopeful story with lessons that extend well beyond Philadelphia." --Eduardo M. Peñalver, Allan R. Tessler Dean of the Cornell Law School
Synopsis
News media reports on eminent domain often highlight outrage and heated protest. But these accounts, Debbie Becher finds, obscure a much more complex reality of how Americans understand property. Private Property and Public Power presents the first comprehensive study of a city's acquisitions, exploring how and why Philadelphia took properties between 1992 and 2007 for private redevelopment. Becher uses original data-collected from city offices and interviews with over a hundred residents, business owners, community leaders, government representatives, attorneys, and appraisers-to explore how eminent domain really works. Surprisingly, the city took over 4,000 private properties, and these takings rarely provoked opposition. When conflicts did arise, community residents, businesses, and politicians all appealed to a shared notion of investment to justify their arguments about policy. It is this social conception of property as an investment of value, committed over time, that government is responsible for protecting. Becher's findings stand in stark contrast to the views of libertarian and left-leaning activists and academics, but recognizing property as investment, she argues, may offer a solid foundation for more progressive urban policies.
About the Author
Debbie Becher is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Barnard College, Columbia University.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Chapter 1. Investment and Government Legitimacy
Chapter 2. The Policy and Politics of Urban Redevelopment
Chapter 3. Rhetoric without a Cause: Beyond Libertarian and Left Cries of Abuse
Chapter 4. American Street I: From Badlands to Promised Lands
Chapter 5. American Street II: From Promises to Protests
Chapter 6. Jefferson Square I: Competing Visions of Investment Protection
Chapter 7. Jefferson Square II: Legitimacy through Reconciled Visions
Chapter 8. Compensating for Property by Recognizing Investments
Chapter 9. The Politics of Property
Bibliography
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Notes
Index