ABSTRACT
Cities emerge out of the intricate coalitions people form with each other to achieve their own goals and respond to their own motivations. When these coalitions break down, any sense of common purpose disappears only to be replaced by conflict and instability. The technological advances of the last fifty years have drastically changed not only the goals of most members of society, but also the means they have to obtain them. Counteracting this phenomenon, new coalitions of local officials, business owners and concerned citizens have been formed since the early 1960s with the purpose to save and promote what is left of the cities. Miami Beach, Florida serves as a perfect case study of the role cultural coalitions have in economic redevelopment. The techniques used to evaluate this impact tend to ignore that the net economic benefits that trickle down from cultural strategies are minimal.
