Two years ago, Steve Patterson suffered a stroke. As he goes through the process of recovery, he sees some lessons for struggling cities.
St. Louis and other cities have suffered similar "hemorrhaging" of people in recent decades. As a result, the jobs economy has dried up and limited the city's ability to develop -- not unlike a stroke-paralyzed body that is struggling to regain its motion and ability.
"Cities have been in the same situation, a stroke of massive population job losses. This lost left cities unable to function as they had before. But our therapy for cities has been hoping they'd regain lost function. As I know function does return. I can walk again but I can't run, skip or ride a bike - yet.
Cities need to start with the basics, one step at a time. Cities need to examine what no longer works and what can come back first. In stroke therapy they leg returns before the arm. Fingers come back very late. I can barely move my left ankle and I still can't move my toes on my left foot. Cities, I think, have been trying to move their big toe rather than get their leg back first."
FULL STORY: Stroke recovery as a model for cities
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A fun activity in city comparison.
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research