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Full-Text Articles in Urban Studies and Planning
Revitalizing Maine’S Service Centers, John Melrose
Revitalizing Maine’S Service Centers, John Melrose
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s 77 “service center” municipalities account for a large proportion of all the state’s consumer retail sales, jobs, services, and tax revenues from income, sales and property taxes, and are home to most of the state’s higher education and health care institutions. However, John Melrose points out that Maine’s public policy turns “worse than a blind eye” to these communities. He presents the policy recommendations put forth in a strategic plan by the Maine Service Centers Coalition for supporting and strengthening service centers. These include leveling the financial playing field between service centers and other communities; improving local government administration …
Housing Policies In Maine: A Historical Overview, Frank O’Hara
Housing Policies In Maine: A Historical Overview, Frank O’Hara
Maine Policy Review
Frank O’Hara traces the evolution of Maine’s housing policies from Maine’s settlement after the Revolutionary War to the current era, where concerns about sprawl and the preservation of communities have come to the fore. In doing so, O’Hara points out that the approach to housing has always reflected more than a desire to ensure every person has adequate shelter. Rather, it reflects core values and beliefs about society, our sense of beauty, and our relationship to the environment and one another. O’Hara urges policymakers to keep these broader constructs in mind when addressing Maine’s future housing needs. As history shows, …