The Leader of the Pack in This League of Cities (extra cities)

[murksiderock]

Originally Posted by Heel82

The biggest difference between Richmond and the other 3 is perhaps not within the city limits. The other 3 all anchor much larger regions. As far as growth, Milwaukee remains the laggard with a dimmer future, with Richmond hitting average growth and Raleigh and SLC both growing considerably faster.

This is fair!

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Shakeesha

It was a very smart and progressive strategy. I wish Knoxville would do the same. Knoxville's strategy includes some nice renovations and residential dwellings in the core using TIF, but it is limited compared to even smaller cities. I think the city could do a better job at attracting more jobs downtown (medical, healthcare, biotech) especially considering UT's proximity. Commercial development is more risky, as I do not see a demand. Knoxville shoppers like local businesses downtown and chains in the suburbs. The metro has improved significantly since I was a student, so there is progress.

Given the strict limitations of annexation in SC, it was smart and progressive but for cities in other states with "normal" annexation laws that allow them to liberally expand their borders, that's the reasonable thing to do for practical reasons and for representation purposes. One of the downsides of Greenville's strategy is that a lot of property that would've normally been in the city and subject to better development standards and maintenance is instead unincorporated under county jurisdiction.