Bloomberg’s Place in Urban Theory and in the City’s History

Abstract

This chapter highlights an urban political theory in order to provide an analytical perspective to view the leadership strategies and tactics of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It reviews the perspective of the history of mayors in New York City to give a gauge to measure Bloomberg's successes and failures. It also mentions classic pluralist studies, such as Edward Banfield's Political Influences and Robert Dahl's Who Governs, that focus on interest group analysis. The chapter analyzes Michael Bloomberg's policies that fall within the polity approach as he is well-known within a long line of pro-growth reformers. It emphasizes Bloomberg's belief in the power of elected officials to improve citizens' lives and promotion of economic growth that can be achieved by the local government working side by side with the private sector.