Why the garden club couldn't save Youngstown

by Sean Safford

"In this book, Sean Safford compares the recent history of Allentown, Pennsylvania, with that of Youngstown, Ohio." "Challenging various theoretical perspectives on regional socioeconomic change, Why the Garden Club Couldn't Save Youngstown argues that the structure of social networks among the cities' economic, political, and civic leaders accounts for the divergent trajectories of postindustrial regions. It offers a probing historical explanation for the decline, fall, and unlikely rejuvenation of the Rust Belt. Emphasizing the power of social networks to shape action, determine access to and control over information and resources, define the contexts in which problems are viewed, and enable collective action in the face of externally generated crises, this book points toward present-day policy prescriptions for the ongoing plight of mature industrial regions in the U.S. and abroad."--Jacket.