Title

Bringing the spatial in - The case of the 2002 Seattle Monorail referendum

Authors

Authors

A. F. Peterson; B. S. Kinsey; H. Bartling;B. Baybeck

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Urban Aff. Rev.

Keywords

cological inference; mass transit; public goods; referenda; Seattle; spatial analysis; voter behavior; ECOLOGICAL INFERENCE; GROWTH; Urban Studies

Abstract

Contests over public goods remain at the forefront of urban political battles in nearly every major city in the United States. The spatial location of the good can play an instrumental role in understanding the contours and outcomes of such conflicts. The authors explore a particular case-voting for a growth-related development project, the monorail, by referendum in the city of Seattle-and examine how a grassroots campaign successfully mobilized voters by targeting both their particularistic and collective interests. The authors conduct analysis at the precinct level and use spatial tools of analysis and ecological inference, finding that voter support for the monorail stemmed from the location of the proposed route and the campaign's progressive appeals to environmental, social justice, and high tech concerns. Although cost overruns ultimately derailed construction of the monorail in 2005, when passed in 2002, the monorail was the most expensive infrastructure project in Seattle's history.

Journal Title

Urban Affairs Review

Volume

43

Issue/Number

3

Publication Date

1-1-2008

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Language

English

First Page

403

Last Page

429

WOS Identifier

WOS:000251641800004

ISSN

1078-0874

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