Constructing the ‘Genuine American City’: neo-traditionalism,New Urbanism and neo-liberalism in the remaking of downtown Milwaukee

Abstract

In this era of competitive capitalism, American cities have sought to orchestrate strategies of both image and material regeneration. The recent revival of central Milwaukee demonstrates the convergence of three discourses in the city’s image-making and redevelopment schemes. These three are the cultural discourse of neo-traditionalism, the planning discourse of the New Urbanism, and neo-liberalism in the arena of public policy. This paper examines the convergence of these three as a case study of the role of culture in contemporary urban development. We structure our argument in three parts. First, we give attention to a campaign designed to promote metropolitan Milwaukee, reflecting its most recent incarnation as a city that nostalgically embraces its industrial past. The promotional image includes the city’s grounding in traditional Midwestern values, the cultural capital represented by its late nineteenth-century industrial landscape, and its claim to the title ‘Genuine American City’. This reflection on ‘genuineness’ and ‘tradition’ reveals nostalgia for an earlier era that appeals to a significant segment of the population. The second portion of the paper examines the links between Milwaukee’s ‘traditional’ urban form, its design and investment strategies, and the city’s evolving New Urbanist landscape. The third section addresses the mayor’s neo-liberal views as they relate to his particular vision of Milwaukee. We conclude our exploration by examining the potential consequences of such neo-traditional ideologies for various communities within the city.