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This seems to be a big midwestern, plains state problem but any cities or towns contending with big increases as of late in boarded-up, vacant-lots and buildings.
In Lincoln, Nebraska there seems to be alot places that were for sale or for rent for so long that just fell into disrepair and now are being turned into vacant lots for the time being at least.
Its amazing it seems like in this town by the week though the number of vacant storefronts, abandoned buildings and for sale signs increases. There also seems to be a big increase in vacant land its almost like a doughnut hole is devoloping which shouldnt be happening considering there is a college with 20,000 students just a few miles away from these extremely run-down areas.
But then again I have heard Lansing, Michigan area which has a larger university contends with the same issue with not being as vibrant as some college towns are and having more blight.
Luckily, the one good thing about Lincoln is they keep the blocks and blocks of vacant lots close to downtown and the University of Nebraska mowed.
It seems like Des Moines has this same vacancy issue when I have been there in the past, just not enough demand to keep storefronts and neighborhoods filled up in their city.
Luckily, Omaha up the road from Lincoln which also has many blighted areas seems to be fairly stable and doesnt seem to be going down-hill in fact some of the inner-areas have been improved on alot. They really seem to be turning the corner up there even though they will probubly always have alot of blighted neighborhoods because of the low quality of alot of the older housing stock, but its a city that seems to do the best with what it has which is great.
Any other cities that are seeing a drastic increase in abandoned buildings homes and vacant storefronts and homes as of late?
Aren't many of the offices/warehouses moving to, or already located at, Lincoln airport? That explains why the city center is 'dying.'
Smaller midwestern cities can't afford to suburbanize, because their city centers will completely die off, and eventually the city-region will atrophy for lack of a focal center.
Its not just a Lincoln issue with increasing numbers of vacant storefronts, apartment buildings and businesses and a little bit of a hole forming in the center with vacant lots etc.
Alot of smaller midwestern places from 100,000-500,000 in their areas are not doing so well. Terre Haute, Cedar Rapids, Topeka even cities that economically increasingly in good shape in this part of the country like Sioux City and Sioux Falls seem to be have unpleasent vacancy problems in their centers and Fargo did also (at least they did last year, dont know about know). They just dont have impressive downtowns at all, especially compared to their western and eastern small city counterparts
It just seems like with-out about 500,000+ people plus in the metro area at least unless their is an attribute or demographic that really sets your place apart like (Iowa City) for example midwestern centers just tend to have alot of problems in the center. Alot of this is much more cultural then economical.
Smaller midwestern areas between 100,000-500,000 people are like havens for people from smaller towns who dream of large families in new devolopments with picket fences and lots of retail close by which isnt conducive to a strong center. So thus regionally it seems like most downtowns are in quite bad shape in comparison to other regions.
I havent been south, I would love to know what smaller (100 to 750,000 person metro) southern downtowns are like? Are they in good-shape like alot of western city downtowns or stagnant like alot of midwestern ones?
Luckily, Western cities seem to be alot with this because they are much more demographically diverse and attract a wider demographic group of people from different backgrounds. Colorado Springs and Boulder are smaller metropolitan areas one is 600,000 people other 300,000 and their downtowns are doing very well and expanding very fast and have lots of people because they have both worked very hard to attract both the younger single demographic and people in their 50s and senior-citizens to their centers especially.
All Midwestern cities sprawl to some degree. Champaign-Urbana has three Wal-Marts. Of course, the Urbana city council is anti-growth, which explains why downtown has a courthouse, but a lot of vacant buildings, including the dead Lincoln Square Mall. Iowa City's sprawl is largely contained within the suburb of Coralville. Ann Arbor is growing in every direction, but moreso to the south. Because of economic difficulties, Michigan cities aren't growing/sprawling like most others in the Midwest. The Lansing area is ringed by freeways that are largely unmolested by sprawl that you would see in other areas.
Southern and Appalachian cities always have a strip out of town with at least one Wal-Mart. Beckley, WV is my latest find ... DEAD downtown, but plenty of chain stores out near the freeway. Just follow the road "out of town" ... don't get too creative, because the roads aren't flat and straight like in the Midwest, and you don't want to get lost in them thar hills!
Colorado Springs and Boulder are smaller metropolitan areas one is 600,000 people other 300,000 and their downtowns are doing very well and expanding very fast and have lots of people because they have both worked very hard to attract both the younger single demographic and people in their 50s and senior-citizens to their centers especially.
Boulder is actually more like 100,000. Boulder County isn't quite 300,000 and believe me, in Boulder County, if you don't live in Boulder, you are usually not a big Boulder fan. Many people pride themselves on how little they go into Boulder.
Anyway, economically, Boulder was losing revenue to Louisville and Longmont until quite recently when it opened the 29th Street Mall with a home improvement store (Home Depot, I think) as its anchor. The Pearl St. Mall sells nothing useful, not even clothes most people would consider wearing outside of Halloween. Crossroads Mall was a shadow of its former self after FlatIron Crossing was built in Broomfield. Boulder rested on its laurels for so long that things just went downhill. It's true that tax receipts have picked up since 29th St. opened.
I have search the web and are finding that it is a lot of boared up houses throughtout the states. I am wondering if the fines is not stiff enough to limit the number of months a house can stay boarded. Input!!!
The Twin Cities metro has more sprawl than just about anywhere else.
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