ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews work assessing the linkage between urban containment and central city revitalization. It examines empirical evidence that the presence of regional urban containment is associated with the amount of development activity in central cities, and shows that central city revitalization does not have to come at the expense of foregone development opportunities in the remainder of the metropolitan area. The chapter compares development activity taking place in contained and uncontained urban areas, looking at variation in development across both market sectors and different types of containment programs. It also discusses new residential construction trends in the 50 largest metropolitan areas among those substantially contained and those that are not. Central city development activity was measured in absolute terms and relative to the surrounding metropolitan area. The chapter concludes with a look at the implications of the findings for public policy and future research.
