There has been many posting about super fast rail and what this might do for or against communities along the potential route. There have also been posting for and again ways to contain sprawl. Integrated into these postings is the latest conversation occurring within urban planning--what ought to be done with shrinking cities and neighborhoods. Here is a posting that has been active on PLANETIZEN, a web site for urban planners.
Planetizen - July 9, 2009 "Next Steps for Shrinking Cities: Results of the Planetizen Brainstorm" http://www.planetizen.com/node/39619
Bulldoze? Densify? Walk away? There are many ways cities can react to shrinking populations and abandoned neighborhoods. Planetizen readers decide which ways are the best.
"Some say these neighborhoods will never recover, and it's time for cities to cut their losses. And when they say cities should 'cut their losses', they're really talking about bulldozers and widespread demolition."
"But some argue that the bulldozer doesn't have to be the only way to deal with these withering places."
The top five ideas for cities:
1. Infill the core. 2. Open vacant buildings to artists, nonprofits, etc. 3. Seize the day! Rebuild smart infrastructure (hub systems) restore nature, rebuild in zero footprint. 4. Establish land banking. Hold parcels with development potential, green & clean the rest. 5. Build bike paths and community gardens. I am interested in the comments of those who read Illinipundit. Pattsi Petrie
Flint, MI.
Landbanking and reducing city footprint.
Detroit, MI
Artists are paying $100/mo. rent for houses.
Yes, Flint is one of the first examples, next is Detroit, and look for this occurring in other cities within the months.
Pattsi Petrie
The following was posted on the academic urban planning listserv today. Pattsi Petrie
This morning, National Public Radio aired a story about Flint Michigan, and the potential interest of policy makers there in varieties of strategic decline. References were made to other cities facing similar challenges of depopulation, including Detroit. I found the call to challenge the "growth paradigm" of American urban developmental thinking especially interesting. Indeed, it would seem that insofar as situations such as Flint's have not been considered seriously by the planning community, perhaps it can be said that there has been a "growth paradigm" at work in our urban developmental culture which fails to be comprehensive of the American urban reality at critical points. Here's a link to the transcript and to an audio file of the broadcast. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106492824