Empire on the Hudson

Erscheinungsjahr 2002
ISBN: 978-0-231-07677-7
Verlag: Columbia University Press

Buch, Englisch, 620 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 237 mm, Gewicht: 862 g

Reihe: Columbia History of Urban Life

Revered and reviled in almost equal amounts since its inception, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has been responsible for creating and maintaining much of New York and New Jersey's transportation infrastructure the things that make the region work. Doig traces the evolution of the Port Authority from the battles leading to its creation in 1921 through its conflicts with the railroads and its expansion to build bridges and tunnels for motor vehicles. Chronicling the adroit maneuvers that led the Port Authority to take control of the region's airports and seaport operations, build the largest bus terminal in the nation, and construct the World Trade Center, Doig reveals the rise to power of one of the world's largest specialized regional governments.

This definitive history of the Port Authority underscores the role of several key players Austin Tobin, the obscure lawyer who became Executive Director and a true "power broker" in the bi-state region, Julius Henry Cohen, general counsel of the Port Authority for its first twenty years, and Othmar H. Ammann, the Swiss engineer responsible for the George Washington Bridge, the Bayonne and Goethels bridges, the Outerbridge Crossing, and the Lincoln Tunnel.

Today, with public works projects stalled by community opposition in almost every village and city, the story of how the Port Authority managed to create an empire on the Hudson offers lessons for citizens and politicians everywhere.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Doig, Jameson W.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Kommunal-, Regional-, und Landesverwaltung
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Transport- und Verkehrswirtschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

ForewordList of IllustrationsElected and Appointed Officials: Years in OfficePreface: Hopes and Judgments1. A Wilsonian Hybrid: The Powers of Government and the Spirit of CapitalismPART 1. Creating a New Institution 2. The Tensions and Opportunities of Federalism: Commercial Conflict in the New York Region3. Designing a New Organization: An Uneasy Marriage of Planning and PoliticsPART 2. Failure and a New Beginning 4. Modernizing the Rail System: Competing Strategies for an Expanding Metropolis5. Negotiating with the Railroads: Regional Planning Confronts the Wary Capitalist6. Politics and Engineering Passion: Expanding the Port Authority's Dreams7. A Web of Bridges, Tunnels, and Political IntriguePART 3. Drift and teh Sources of Renewal 8. Near Bankruptcy and the Loss of Vision9. Federalism as a Lawyers' Playground10. The Threat to Municipal Bonds as Danger and OpportunityPART 4. Expanding Empire 11. To Claim the Skies and Seas12. Breaking an Airline Monopoly13. "A Humdrum Job of Engineering" and More: Creating a Giant Bus Terminal in ManhattanPART 5. Conclusions 14. A Regional Empire in American Politics: Local History and its Impact, Leadership Strategies, and Ethical DilemmasEpilogue: Triumps and Travails of an Aging EmpireAcknowledgementsAppendix: The Port Compact of 1921Index

Über Autor(innen)

Jameson W. Doig is professor of politics and public affairs in the Politics Department and Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. His previous books include New York: The Politics of Urban Regional Development (with Michael N. Danielson) and Leadership and Innovation: A Biographical Perspective on Entrepreneurs in Government (with Erwin C. Hargrove).