The Reluctant Rise of an Urban Regime: The Exercise of Power in Fargo, North Dakota

Abstract

While most research on urban regimes examines cities with effective coalitions between business and government, there is growing recognition that such coalitions are not universal. Rast has suggested taking a multidimensional approach towards power, whereby the social-production model is best suited for understanding cities with strong regimes and the social-control model is more fitting for cities with weak or nonexistent regimes. This study illustrates how such an approach can be used to understand the postwar politics of Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo seemed to have all the components necessary for the creation of an urban regime, yet a coherent governing coalition was slow in forming despite the perceived need for downtown redevelopment. It took the prospect of federal urban renewal funds to change the power relationships within Fargo and allow regime formation. However, implementation of the urban renewal projects proved difficult and ultimately led to the regime’s collapse.