Richard Florida Tells Cities to Stop Shrinking

Richard Florida says that shrinking is not necessarily a good idea for cities like Detroit and Cleveland that are losing population, and that it could do "more harm than good."

1 minute read

March 29, 2011, 1:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Florida equates shrinking strategies with urban renewal, an idea he picked up from Roberta Brandes Gratz.

He writes:

"The record of schemes to revive cities by assembling and remaking neighborhoods is littered with disastrous unintended consequences. People thrown of out their homes, neighborhoods destroyed, historic structures leveled, and the community fabric of too many once great cities ripped to shreds."

He expresses the concern that emptying neighborhoods could end up relocating people from their homes only to hand that land over to developers for mega-projects.

FULL STORY: How Not to 'Save' a City

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 in The New York Times

Community / Economic Development United States Shrinking Cities Richard Florida

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