#shrinking cities

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How America's shrinking cities can 'rightsize'

At least 80 US cities are shrinking in population but some have found strategies to still improve the quality of life for those who stayed

“A community never wants to be known as a “shrinking city” these days, no matter what the numbers say about how many people have moved away and how many old factories or homes are vacant, weeds and trash having taken over properties that once marked important industrial centers.

“Although most US cities in that predicament have gone to great lengths to avoid admitting shrinkage publicly, with many branding themselves as “legacy cities”, some have taken innovative steps to accept the new reality: that they will never return to their former glory and need to adapt to their smaller size.

“’We cannot go back to where we were,' said Ivonne Audirac, an associate professor of planning and landscape architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington who has studied shrinking cities. 'Let’s accept that.’”

(continued at the link above)

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Only a couple of days ago I shared links about Kingston, New York and its plan to reinvent its downtown core.  It’s not hard to find cities of all sizes faced with similar situations.  Although the problems seem to center in the northeast US and in the Rust Belt, cities outside those regions have smilar challenges too.  Certainly a big part of the problem is an ongoing population loss to surrounding suburbs.  Some cities, in Texas for example, have simply annexed their suburbs and maintained their population level and residential tax base.  But they’re the exceptions, by far.

I recently read a book called Reimagining Detroit by local journalist John Gallagher.  Subtitled “Opportunities for Redefining an American City“ it turned out to be a very interesting & informative look at ways cities have addressed consequences of shrinking population to make themselves into something new.

Of course there are all kinds of dynamics unique to each city that impact its ability to reinvent itself--these factors aren’t ignored in the book--but overall it’s a worthwhile & educational look at options that go much deeper that this article.  Worth a read if you’re at all  interested to the topic.  I got my copy at Thriftbooks for about $4 btw.

[glasauge]

[livefromyoungstownohio]

How America's shrinking cities can 'rightsize'

At least 80 US cities are shrinking in population but some have found strategies to still improve the quality of life for those who stayed

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Do you have a vision for transforming vacant land in your neighborhood into a community asset? So does Detroit Future City-- Let’s work together! The Detroit Future City Implementation Office (DFC) is pleased to announce a new and exciting project funding opportunity. This program will award grants of up to $6,500 to 10 Detroit based applicants in January 2017. Through this grant opportunity DFC encourages the implementation of Field Guide designs by bringing community groups together to build their skills and transform their vacant lot(s) into an asset. The Field Guide Mini-Grant of up to $6,500 will be divided into two portions: up to $5,000 will be utilized towards the implementation of designing the vacant space and the remaining $1500 will be dedicated towards the maintenance of the lot, programming and educational materials expenses.INFORMATION SESSIONS:10/19/16: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm DFC Implementation Office 2990 W. Grand Boulevard, Suite 2, Detroit, MI 4821510/25/16: 3:00 pm -5:00 pm DFC Implementation Office 2990 W. Grand Boulevard, Suite 2, Detroit, MI 48215*To register for a session, please visit www.detroitfuturecity.com/events. Both sessions will provide interested applicants with the opportunity to share ideas of what they would like to see in their community, gain insight on the qualifications needed to complete a successful application and gain an understanding of how the grant funding should be utilized. OFFICE HOURS11/4/16: 10am-1pm @ Grand River Work Place, 19120 Grand River, Detroit, MI 4822311/11/16: 10am-1pm @ MASH Detroit, 14711 Mack Ave., Ste. B, Detroit, MI 4821411/17/16: 5pm-8pm @ DFC Implementation Office, 2990 W. Grand Blvd., Ste. #2, Detroit, MI 48215*Office Hours will provide an opportunity for applicants to ask questions of all of the partnersApplications for the Detroit Future City Field Guide to Working with Lots Min-Grant will be available at http://detroitfuturecity.com/tools/a-field-guide and in paper form at our office. The completed application and attachments can be submitted in one of the following ways: 1. Filled in online via submittable: https://detroitfuturecity.submittable.com/submit 2. Via postal mail or in person: Detroit Future City Implementation Office, 2990 West Grand Blvd., Suite #2 Detroit, MI 48202 Deadline to Apply: Monday, 12/5/16 at noon.DETROIT FUTURE CITY AND THE FIELD GUIDE TO WORKING WITH LOTSThe Detroit Future City Implementation Office is a non-profit that advances the quality of life for Detroiters. It catalyzes strategies to promote innovative land use, sustainable infrastructure and the economic growth and vibrancy of Detroit’s neighborhoods. The purpose of the DFC Field Guide to Working with Lots is to connect Detroit residents, community groups, businesses, and institutions to resources- and each other-in order to learn, collaborate, and practice enhanced land stewardship in Detroit. For a copy of the DFC Field Guide to Working with Lots workbook, visit the DFC Implementation Office, 2990 W. Grand Blvd., Suite #2, Detroit, MI 48202 or download it at www.dfc-lots.com. PARTICIPATING PARTNERS: Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) is a public authority dedicated to returning Detroit’s vacant, abandoned, and foreclosed property to productive use. DLBA will be helping applicants with land issues related to DLBA-owned properties and assisting interested applicants in becoming a member of the Community Partner program. ioby (in our back yard) helps residents implement great ideas through crowdfunding (the pooling of small online donations for a project) and resource organizing, which helps activists and advocates ensure the success and long-term stewardship of a project. ioby will be working with grantees to help them successfully crowdfund components the mini-grant program does not resource. For more information, visit: https://www.ioby.org/about. Keep Growing Detroit (KGD) offers a number of established programs that promote healthy relationships to food, build capacity of the local food and farming community and nurture community connections. KGD will be providing technical assistance to grantees through all stages of lot design implementation and connecting grantees to other assistance to help them recognize the full vision for their lot. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FIELD GUIDE MINI-GRANT, APPLICANTS MUST: Provide evidence that you own, or have written permission from the owner, to use the land where you will implement the lot design. The lot must be located within the city of Detroit. The ownership process with Detroit Land Bank, or other entities, must be completed before grant is awarded. Be a community-based group that is already working in the area you are proposing to implement a lot design. Groups registered with the Detroit Land Bank as a Community Partner are highly encouraged to apply. Be a 501c-3, have a fiduciary, or start a crowdraising campaign with ioby so they can serve as fiduciary. Submit a photo of the lot where the design will be constructed, in its current condition. Submit a detailed budget for the implementation, maintenance and programming. GRANTEES ARE REQUIRED TO:Complete construction by June 2017. Use funds for project cost and materials, fiduciary fees, hiring an independent contractor for the installation, or other costs associated with implementing a lot design, including refreshments and/or stipends for volunteers. Document project outcomes, including before-and-after photographs, keep account of expenses, and be prepared to share lessons learned. Accept all responsibility for the project and release DFC and its partners from all liability associated with the construction, implementation, and maintenance of the project. Commit to individual technical assistance provided by ioby and Keep Growing Detroit, as well as cohort trainings and convenings. SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS WILL:Demonstrate use of the Field Guide to describe your initial plans (www.dfc-lots.com and the Field Guide Workbook are required resources) Show how you will connect and engage neighborhood residents around the use of the Field Guide to Working with Lots as a resource for transforming vacant land in the community. Express your interest in shared learning opportunities among grantees and with the technical assistance partners: ioby and Keep Growing Detroit Explain your capacity to execute your Field Guide design and animate it with educational resources and programming. Please ensure that you have all of the following materials and attachments listed below included in your submission501c-3’s (or fiduciary’s) board list501-3’s (or fiduciary’s) current fiscal year operating budget (includes revenue and expense line items) 501c-3’s (or fiduciary’s) IRS determination letterDated photo of lot in its current conditionsProof of ownership (Paid tax receipt or a Letter of Support from Property Owner, if applicable)Project budget sheet (see fillable pdf at detroitfuturecity.com/tools/a-fieldguide)Project Budget:Please list all expected project costs associated with implementing a lot design on your property. Allowable expenses for Lot Design Implementation include: project cost and materials, fiduciary fees, hiring an independent contractor, and other cost associated with implementing a lot design, including food and/or stipends for volunteers. Maintenance expenses include: necessary tools, replacement plants, and stipends. Programming and educational materials allowable expenses include: printing, content creation, construction costs, food, entertainment and stipends for production. *Reminder: The Field Guide Mini-Grant of up to $6,500 will be divided into two portions: up to $5,000 will be utilized towards the implementation of designing the vacant space and the remaining $1500 will be dedicated towards the maintenance of the lot, programming and educational materials expenses.

[cityideas]

A decision in the next month could put the two on a path to regional cooperation. Here's what's in it for them.

[urbangeographies]

SHRINKING CITIES:  Buffalo NY, Youngstown OH, and of course Detroit MI are three textbook examples of contracting cities in America. Much of their populations emigrated, due to the collapse or outsourcing of a key local industries. As noted by Johnny Magdaleno in his recent article in Next City (23 September 2016), planners are still figuring out how to reverse the outflow or at least dull its economic impact on those who’ve stayed behind.

For her co-authored new book Shrinking Cities: Understanding Urban Design in the United States, Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen, a geography professor at University at Buffalo, and three other geographers spent two years researching the phenomenon. They combed through census data on population demographics across the country from 1970 to 2010, and hundreds of academic and research sources on American cities in decline.

The Rust Belt (particularly Michigan and Ohio) is the epicenter of cities in decline, but it’s not the sole region, as more and more cities west of the Mississippi River report dwindling populations. And the communities who still call these census tracts home were more likely to be impacted by poverty, unemployment and other crippling socioeconomic issues.

On a numbers level, there were 7,386 U.S. census tracts that saw their populations drop by 25 percent over the 40-year census period they examined — a benchmark indicator of a shrinking city. But these areas also saw median per capita incomes drop at an average of $2,334 when adjusted for inflation, confirming the unsurprising correlation that as people flee a city, so goes economic potential.

The book gauges how severe a city is shrinking not just by comparing population levels from year to year but marking some of the key indicators and knock-on effects that come with said decline. On top of shrinking per capita income, that means unemployment, vacant homes, child poverty, lack of access to plumbing — all issues that set the stage for further shrinkage, if not addressed. A city like Youngstown, Ohio, for example, had upward of 6,000 vacant buildings as recently as 2010.

Shrinking Cities juxtaposes the complex and numerous processes that contribute to these patterns with broader policy frameworks that have been under consideration to address shrinkage in U.S. cities. A range of methods are employed to answer theoretically-grounded questions about patterns of shrinkage and decline, the relationships between the two, and the empirical associations among shrinkage, decline, and several socio-economic variables.

Read the full story in Next City (23 September 2016),

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Article / The time has come, get me out of here

German city Dessau has lost a quarter of its population since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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Photographie / La ville de Detroit vue par la photographe Jennifer Garza-Cuen - Journal du Design

Detroit était autrefois une métropole prospère et le cœur de l'économie de l'industrie automobile dans le monde. Au cours des dernières décennies, la ville