ABSTRACT
In 1981 Paul Peterson published an important analysis of urban politics, in which he argued that "the primary interest of cities" was "the maintenance and enhancement of their productivity." 1 He believed that goal to be so central that it dominated the urban policymaking process. "As policy alternatives are proposed, each is evaluated according to how well it will help to achieve this objective . . . policy choices over time will be limited to those few which can plausibly be shown to be conducive to the community's economic prosperity." 2 He referred to these policies as developmental.
