Remains of the Progressive City? First Source Hiring in Portland and Chicago

Abstract

Within urban scholarship, there is an ongoing interest in the potential for progressive alternatives to growth-oriented economic development. This article examines the experience of two U.S. cities, Portland (Oregon) and Chicago, in the use of “First Source Hiring” policies from the late 1970s through the 1990s. Although Portland’s policy endured over a long period of time, it has fallen into obscurity, while Chicago’s program was short lived but stimulated a period of significant innovation within the workforce development field in its wake. I conclude that their respective experiences illustrate why and when history matters, calling attention to the importance of institutionalization of progressive policies and practices.