New York City as a Growth Machine: Understanding Historical Water Use to Expand Upon Environmental Theory

• In Event: 501 - Regular Session. Resource Use, Conflict, and Environmental Justice

Abstract

The current project focuses on urban-rural conflict involving struggles over water rights and management between New York City and the East of the Hudson and West of the Hudson communities that are part of the New York City Watershed. The study will work to address limitations in the Growth Machine Theory(Molotch 1976), using the global city of New York as the main case. Two overarching questions will help to frame this project. First, how does a historical understanding of land/water use enhance the Growth Machine theory. Second, what does the inclusion of water add to understanding city creation and urban growth, particularly in terms of Molotch’s theory. Preliminary findings show that to fully understand how New York City has been able to continuously grow while the rest of the state has remained relatively rural, we must recognize the fundamental importance of water for any type of growth and understand how the power of the City shaped State laws and land use outside of the City. These findings will help to expand upon Molotch’s original working of the theory to incorporate the role of water in a city’s ability for continued growth. It also incorporates a historical understanding of land use in NYC’s watershed areas which provides a more clear understanding of the power of the City over the rural areas. This project will provide a comprehensive understanding of rural land-use patterns of urban areas and the importance of water when analyzing urban growth patterns.

Author

• Sarah Elizabeth Blake, Washington State University