A long while back (one of my first posts, actually), I recommended the book Who’s Your City by Richard Florida which focused on the fact (and reality) that choosing where to live is just as important as any other major life decision. Throughout the book, Florida would continuously compare and contrast cities throughout the United States. And you know what one of the major findings was? There is a growing gap between the prosperous cities attracting today’s talented youth and culture and those that seem to be a continual deep decline. I was reminded of this today as I heard that the inevitable had finally happened: GM filed for bankruptcy. As sad it is to say, cities such as Detroit don’t seem to show much hope. Detroit was already the prime example of urban decay and I highly doubt this bankruptcy of one their main employers will do anything but continue this decay.
There is a major movement towards those cities which offer what today’s generations want. Of course, what people want today in a city is complex, but some major criteria include solid job prospects, a high degree of culture, a forward thinking government, a safe atmosphere and a diverse mix of people and cultures. What cities do these sound like and which ones do they sound the opposite of. Today’s group of highly educated young adults are less likely to settle for a place simply based off a single job. They want to go where they feel they’re needs and wants will be most met. The unfortunate thing is this creates a migration towards cities that meet these pieces of criteria which almost always in turn improves these standards even more which spurs even more of a migration and so on and so forth. This unfortunately leaves the have nots even farther behind than before.
So what can be done? First, I believe city planners should focus on what makes their city distinct and unique and use that as a way to attract new comers. Secondly, the city needs to shift more attention towards it’s student population which may not be able to give very much fiscally to the city, but can create a more energetic vibrancy. As well, this will also likely ensure that a larger number of this student population stays in the city and begins to establish a life there. Thirdly, the planners can ensure that the city’s varying neighbourhoods are established in such a way that a real sense of community results in each of them. A larger city entity can be built from a great number of strong neighbourgoods. Finally, increased money towards the arts and culture can be a huge boost to the city’s population as well as to it’s tourism industry.
It is certainly a hard road for any city that falls into the have not category and it’s very likely that the decline of places like Detroit could just continue, but with correct focus, these places can put up a fighting chance for their own survival.
