tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post17510058317383954..comments2023-10-11T05:46:26.432-05:00Comments on Where: The Upside of ShrinkingBrendan Crainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528698033763911972noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post-17289775169153257192011-07-19T13:00:25.339-05:002011-07-19T13:00:25.339-05:00That seems like a pretty broad generalization; the...That seems like a pretty broad generalization; there are a lot of cities that are starting to look proactively at population shrinkage. Youngstown and Detroit are probably the best examples stateside.<br /><br />Also, the fact that upsides aren't being taken advantage of doesn't mean that they aren't there...Brendan Crainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00528698033763911972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post-3259188593390176232011-07-19T11:49:52.925-05:002011-07-19T11:49:52.925-05:00Shrinking cities are in denial of their shift in p...Shrinking cities are in denial of their shift in population. There is little or no alignment in planning practices between downtowns and suburbs, triggering sprawl and creating unnecessary hardship on the center city. There may be inviduals within these cities dedicated to smart growth and preservation; however, many local governments collectively are hesitant to admit that their cities are indeed shrinking. A shift in their "growth is good" paradigm is necessary to faciliate innovative urban planning. Until these cities can overcome these barriers, there is little upside to shrinking cities.Samanthanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post-40842699340729691492011-07-18T17:15:19.957-05:002011-07-18T17:15:19.957-05:00Thanks for linking to Aaron's post -- I hadn&#...Thanks for linking to Aaron's post -- I hadn't read that one, and it's pretty great.<br /><br />In response to your comment, I think that there are different reasons that people choose to stay. Some do it out of a preference for the "devil they know," sure. But then there are those who stay because they really love their city, and they want to find a way to make it a better place against whatever odds may be in play.<br /><br />My point here wasn't so much about policy, as I won't pretend to be wonkish enough to make any sort of prescription for *how* we encourage the people who choose to stay to start businesses, much less how we help those businesses grow. My objective was merely to point out that, while the picture can look pretty dire at times for shrinking cities, there are unintended benefits to having a smaller population; managing those benefits will determine whether or not a city can turn itself around.<br /><br />I think that, when we use the old "is the glass half empty or half full" trope, we tend to forget that both answers to that question are right. It's all about perspective.Brendan Crainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00528698033763911972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post-1956338567646414382011-07-18T16:55:34.643-05:002011-07-18T16:55:34.643-05:00You seem to be arguing that risk takers are the en...You seem to be arguing that risk takers are the entrepreneurs that help grow an economy. I agree. However, who are the risk takers, those who leave or those who stay? <a href="http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/01/08/replay-the-giant-sucking-sound/" rel="nofollow">The Urbanophile has argued</a> that the risk takers are the ones who leave. On the other hand, I can see how staying in Cleveland or Detroit may feel riskier than leaving these days.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388615060405992105noreply@blogger.com