The Pentagon and the Cities

The U.S. military employs large numbers of people, consumes vast amounts of material, and is continually upgrading and changing to meet new strategic circumstances. This has a direct effect on those cities in which military bases and/or contractors are located. Andrew Kirby and the contributors to this provocative volume explore the significant role of federal defense spending--the military-industrial complex--in both regional and urban development. A controversial issue, especially during the military buildup of the Reagan administration, military spending has often been examined in the literature at a macroeconomic level, but seldom from the important perspective presented here of the relationship between the Pentagon and the residents and corporations of local economies. Well-written and expertly edited, The Pentagon and the Cities lays out basic perspectives on the influence of military activity on local economies, the ways in which urban elites have linked development to defense spending, and the growth of political coalitions that resist such expenditures. The contributors competently guide readers through an examination of the historic role of defense expenditure, patterns of regional change, restructuring the military-industrial complex, and the impact and transformation of regional economies. Particular empirical examples highlighted include the cycles of growth and decline of New England′s local economies, as well as the free enterprise cities of Houston and Las Vegas. This highly enlightening and stimulating volume is fascinating reading for advanced students and scholars in the areas of urban studies, policy studies, political science, and geography. "The principal purpose of this interesting book is to relate cities to defense and to explain the spatial development of the defense industry. It largely succeeds in both. . . . The book reinforces the perception that the military industry is enormously complex, and whether we build it up or tear it down, it will require a willingness to forgo simple solutions to what is obviously a very complex problem. . . . The book makes an important contribution to the study of the military and cities. It certainly explains much of the geography of defense spending, and it insists upon a connection between cities and defense." --Roger W. Lotchin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill "The strength of The Pentagon and the Cities, particularly in the last two chapters, is the ability to create...