COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCKS GRANTS IN URBAN COUNTIES: THE CASE OF HAMILTON COUNTY,OHIO

Urban counties must struggle with metropolitan expansion in order to deliver vital urban services. With the passage of the Housing and Community Development Act, urban counties throughout the nation found it necessary to develop the administrative capacity and the intergovernmental network sufficient to implement the Act. Hamilton County, Ohio, offers a typical example of how an urban county implemented CDBG. The result was a small county community development staff that look a pragmatic approach and relied heavily on the recommendations of participating municipalities and townships. The funded projects were primarily oriented toward transportation and public works. These projects, widely dispersed throughout the county, rewarded diverse political interests, generated few political conflicts, and required minimal county staff resources.