From Small to Mega: Evaluating Urban Scale

Abstract

Scale is a significant although understudied dimension of cities. To better understand scale and flesh out the range of issues and debates involved in its conception, we conducted thirty-three in-depth interviews with a wide range of urban actors: developers, planners, policymakers, leaders of non-profit community organizations, and scholars. We wanted to know how contemporary urban actors in the U.S. conceive of scale as a factor in development? How is “small-scale” vs. “large-” or “mega-scale” differentiated, and are they inter-related? What are the pros and cons of both small- vs. large-scale projects? Four themes emerged from our interviews: scale definition, barriers to small-scale development, scale evaluation, and solutions for overcoming barriers to small-scale development. The point of this survey was to better understand possible responses and attitudes about scale among those involved in the urban development process.