A Good Place to Do Business: The Politics of Downtown Renewal since 1945 will be the topic of our May 9 author talk by historians Roger Biles and Mark Rose. It is rescheduled from last spring. Their book chronicles efforts to reinvigorate the downtowns of major American cities in order to reverse the process of urban decline. Commencing with Pittsburgh’s efforts, they explore how these urban “makeovers” promised to increase tourism and generate shopping districts by building sports stadiums, convention centers, downtown parks, and more. As city officials and business elites determined to reorganize their downtowns, a deeply racialized politics sacrificed neighborhoods and the livelihoods of those pushed out. Yet, as A Good Place to Do Business demonstrates, more often than not costly efforts to bring about the hoped-for improvements failed to revitalize those cities, or even their downtowns. It is a telling story, one with relevance for those living and working in Northern Delaware.

Mark Rose is Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University and Roger Biles is professor emeritus of history at Illinois State University. They have published more than a dozen books. A Good Place to Do Business will be available for sale and signing by the authors.