Negotiating With the Growth Machine: Community Benefits Agreements and Value‐Conscious Growth

Abstract

Scholars have extended, challenged, and molded growth machine theory to examine growth—in terms of population, basic industry, labor force participation, commerce, financial activity, and land development—in a variety of contexts. The theory's core, however, has remained the same: cities are conceptualized as growth machines, which consist of unified and powerful growth coalitions. These coalitions pursue a pro‐growth agenda, seeking to enhance the exchange value of local land and property. They often face opposition from local residents, who are more oriented toward use values of land. Resident opposition, however, tends to be unsuccessful in the face of large‐scale commercial development. Aware of this, communities across the country are pursuing new strategies to address development projects in their backyards. In particular, some have formed coalitions to negotiate for benefits from developers through legally binding community benefits agreements (CBAs). Drawing from a case study of Pittsburgh's first CBA, this article analyzes the implications of CBAs for pro‐growth agendas. Pittsburgh's CBA surrounded the construction of a professional sports facility, a development project that presents an ideal example of growth processes in today's cities. Ultimately, CBAs can achieve “value‐conscious” growth, but they do not fundamentally alter dominant standards of growth or growth machine processes.