Does a city have to growing to be considered vibrant? (live, better)

[kidphilly]

In another thread I saw a comment on Pittsbugh and it's transformation. There was a comment on how it basically collapsed and today is rediscovered, there was a reply that basically said but there is still no migration there (on a net basis) all paraphrased btw

So I guess my question is really:

Does a city have to be growing rapidly (or at all) to be considered relevant, vibrant, and attractive?

I am really talking about major cities and metros as opposed to smaller areas where this part to many would be the attraction.

So is a city like Austin better than a city Like Pittsburgh, both educated, good schools, somewhat tech friendly. One is growing one is not. This not an Austin vs Pittsburgh thread but just as an example. There are many aspects that compare well among these two so is the growth the most important component to a cities relevance or vibrancy when it comes to large or larger cities/metros?

[west336]

No. The first cities that come to mind are San Francisco, NYC, Chicago, Boston, Philly and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Although all are technically growing, none are exploding like other "vibrant" cities (like >15% annual pop. growth). In fact you could suggest stable cities can be more vibrant because they are older or more mature than fast-growth centers and have found newer ways to reinvent themselves without growth.

Just my thought...

[Aficionado]

No, not to me. As you know, New Orleans lost a large percentage of it's population via Katrina (plenty of them have moved back) but it's still not where it was prior. Having said that, it's extremely vibrant to me and always has been. I think it has more to do with culture than growth.

[tpk-nyc]

Raw population numbers don't say who is moving and why.

Many of the fastest growing cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas or Orlando are neither relevant, vibrant, nor attractive. Their main attributes are being cheap and warm. But as many have found out, that not enough if the jobs aren't there.

A more important indicator of a city's vibrancy is the influx of recent college graduates, although this may not reflect a net increase in total population. This is where Pittsburgh turned a corner. Educated young people are staying in or moving to Pittsburgh in a way they haven't in decades. It's not on the level of Austin or the Twin Cities, but the trend is moving in the right direction.

Northern cities will always have an outflow offsetting (canceling out?) inflow because because many people retire to the sunbelt. It's warm and pensions/social security go further. However, these people are no longer economically productive. Does it effect the vibrancy of a city if young people are moving in to take their place?

[DANNYY]

Yes/No.

It really depends on your city.

[tmac9wr]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

Raw population numbers don't say who is moving and why.

Many of the fastest growing cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas or Orlando are neither relevant, vibrant, nor attractive. Their main attributes are being cheap and warm. But as many have found out, that not enough if the jobs aren't there.

A more important indicator of a city's vibrancy is the influx of recent college graduates, although this may not reflect a net increase in total population. This is where Pittsburgh turned a corner. Educated young people are staying in or moving to Pittsburgh in a way they haven't in decades. It's not on the level of Austin or the Twin Cities, but the trend is moving in the right direction.

Northern cities will always have an outflow offsetting (canceling out?) inflow because because many people retire to the sunbelt. It's warm and pensions/social security go further. However, these people are no longer economically productive. Does it effect the vibrancy of a city if young people are moving in to take their place?

I tend to agree with this mindset. There are plenty of cities which aren't growing, or are growing very slowly in comparison to many of the Sunbelt cities, yet they would be considered much more vibrant in many cases.

I feel that vibrancy is more relative to how pedestrian-friendly an area can be. This doesn't necessarily mean just because something is dense it's vibrant. From what I can tell, lots of the condo development in Miami is very dense, but are not vibrant whatsoever. That's because the ground-level development isn't there. Everyone drives to where they need to be. To me, foot traffic = vibrancy. If I'm in Quincy Market, or on Friend St, Canal St, Hanover St, etc and there are thousands of people walking around around to/from different bars, clubs, restaurants, etc. then I would consider that vibrant. It has nothing to do with how fast the metro is growing.

Unfortunately many of the metros which are experiencing such incredible growth rely on a "drive til you qualify" style of development, which is the exact opposite of "vibrant".

[waronxmas]

There is no set rule for vibrancy, and it comes many varieties, so any city whether it's growing fast or not could be "vibrant". What is for sure though is that cities that are losing a large percentage of their people generally aren't. I'm not talking a few thousand here and there, but more like Gary, IN or Detroit type of losing people.

[jacq63]

No rules, and often it's down to personal choice. What some people call 'vibrant' I find to be crowded and noisy, yet lacking 'life'. There aren't any historical places in the area I'm thinking of, and the only noise is from traffic and people yelling.

I found a much smaller city (New Orleans) to have far more vibrancy. Sure it's noisy, but it's a 'life' kind of noise (usually music).

[LovinDecatur]

To me, 'vibrancy' would connote rapid development of new businesses, bustling streets, a general energy that onlookers would deem attractive. From this, I would have to infer population growth. What would the alternative to these factors be, population decline?

[Aficionado]

vi·brant 

–adjective

1. Pulsing or throbbing with energy or activity.
2. Vigorous, lively, and vital.
3. Exciting; stimulating; lively.