What do you think will happen to the Rust Belt cities? (crime rates, neighborhoods)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have done some research and I know about the Rust Belt cities in decline(Detroit, Flint, Cleveland, Gary, Camden, Paterson,etc.). They all have a similar history of attraction blue-collar labor and social turmoil. Now these cities are in decline with high poverty rates and high crime rates(particularly murder). What do you think will happen to these cities by the middle of the 21st century? Do these cities have a chance to turn around, or will they fade away?
I have done some research and I know about the Rust Belt cities in decline(Detroit, Flint, Cleveland, Gary, Camden, Paterson,etc.). They all have a similar history of attraction blue-collar labor and social turmoil. Now these cities are in decline with high poverty rates and high crime rates(particularly murder). What do you think will happen to these cities by the middle of the 21st century? Do these cities have a chance to turn around, or will they fade away?
Many are already turning around. Im not sure about some of their long-term chances, but some have showed many signs of revitilization. Im hoping they can get their act together and once again become desireable places to live.
All will be better than where they are now, but the larger cities will do far better. Large cities with good governemnt and better intact built environments will do even better. They may not turn into a Boston or San Francisco, but I predict that places like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee will be livable, dense and urban cities. Those cities are already making great headway into revitalization. Smaller cities with worse governments will not fare very well. They will improve, but not much. It will likely be limited to the downtown areas, over the smaller neighborhoods. You see this in cities like Flint, Gary, et. cetera. They don't particulary serve the needs of urbanistas, or families, or retirees, or any particular demographic. They fell harder, and have little to help them back. They depend on their surrounding cities to do well (Detroit, Chicago respectively). Large cities that have lost alot (even more than the remainder of the Rust Belt cities) of their housing, populations and jobs will have a hard time, regardless of their size advantages, Newark, Buffalo, Detroit fall into this category. The Rust Belt will never come back as one, cities will do amazing (perhaps even better than pre-"collapse"), some will be left behind, some will grow, some will not. Crime and poverty goes away when cities are cared for. It isn't the problem to focus on first. Hire a few coppers for good measure, a PR stunt. It cannot be looked at as a rigid region, there are too many other factors at play. A couple things would really help the area though...
-Transit, both between cities, and within them. There isn't alot of difference between the top echelon of cities and the better rust belt cities, besides their transportation options. If, say, Milwaukee built a light rail/streetcar downtown, and has a bullet train to reach Chicago in 30 minutes, there would be tremendous economic benefit to the region as a whole.
-Go green, if rural areas produce cellouse ethanol from grasses, and it is processed in the surrounding urban centers, both the rural farmer and the urban manufacturer benefit. The midwest is prime ag land, and grass ethanol can be grown environmentally friendly and easily. It can bring alot of jobs back. Hell, it may even get us off foreign oil.
-Stop giving water to Arizona, and don't give cheap jobs to people in Texas, et. cetera. - Our habitation of the Southwest is, well, artificial. It cannot be sustained. When Phoenix figures out that their sunny golf course is a desert needing water. Well, people will take back Cleveland before they let their yellow mellow or take their showers cold. I bet that is a good 20 million people who will learn to love snow. It's going to happen eventually anyway. Why not speed the process?
- Make the schools better in the city propers, people with kids (who want to) can begin to live comfortably in the city again, and a strong core city creates a strong metropolitan region. Get the equivalent of a suburb or two to move back to the city, it will be better for everyone.
- Invest in culture, arts, benefits that you can't get in other cities - Places like Cleveland and Pittsburgh just aren't built anymore. They also have things that aren't found in other places, especially newer cities. Capitalize on them. The old Art Museum in Toledo is nicer than anything in Tucson, make it great. The old buildings, an accessible lake/riverfront, historical sites, colleges/universities, et. cetera. It will pay off.
There are some ideas for people to chew on, if the mayor of Detroit is reading this, PM me.
---Minnehahapolitan
Well, people will take back Cleveland before they let their yellow mellow or take their showers cold.
Trust me, the water in AZ doesnt get that cold, even in fall/winter. In fact, the water was so warm everywhere you went (ie public drinking fountains, pools, showers, etc) that I was starting to get pissed off! Ill never figure out why they dont bury their pipes further underground down there in AZ. Nothing like taking a shower and having the faucet all the way on cold and the water is still warm. Ugh.
BTW, I agree with your viewpoints. The SW is in dire need of water, they cant support the growth and water requirements. The SE is experiencing a horrible drought, some places have less than 60 days worth of water (), and the west is risky also. Ill be interested to see what happens in the future.
Although I don't think the mid-sized or smaller cities have much hope in the immediate future, I will say that the larger cities have a decent shot at becoming thriving again even if they don't reach their past peak.
St. Louis and Milwaukee are two rust belt cities that have been rebounding for awhile now. Although Detroit and Cleveland are experiencing population loss and their economies are suffering, my prediction is that they will eventually turn around as well. These cities are too large, well-known, and have too many great qualities to them to continue declining forever. As for the smaller cities like Gary and Flint, I wouldn't expect a rebound anytime soon. Unless Colts says otherwise, I would assume that Fort Wayne and Toledo have a fairly good chance.
St. Louis and Milwaukee are two rust belt cities that have been rebounding for awhile now. Although Detroit and Cleveland are experiencing population loss and their economies are suffering, my prediction is that they will eventually turn around as well. These cities are too large, well-known, and have too many great qualities to them to continue declining forever. As for the smaller cities like Gary and Flint, I wouldn't expect a rebound anytime soon. Unless Colts says otherwise, I would assume that Fort Wayne and Toledo have a fairly good chance.
They could come back. Milwaukee still has a chance, but what baffles me is that it is one of the poorest major cities in the USA. Milwaukee has potential. It just needs some changing and rearranging. From what I heard, Milwaukee's government was better than it is now. I just hope it can shake it's reputation as "hypersegregated"(hated to bring it up but you know what I mean). St. Louis has a chance too. What is need is good policing and more jobs to the area.
All will be better than where they are now, but the larger cities will do far better. Large cities with good governemnt and better intact built environments will do even better. They may not turn into a Boston or San Francisco, but I predict that places like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee will be livable, dense and urban cities. Those cities are already making great headway into revitalization. Smaller cities with worse governments will not fare very well. They will improve, but not much. It will likely be limited to the downtown areas, over the smaller neighborhoods. You see this in cities like Flint, Gary, et. cetera. They don't particulary serve the needs of urbanistas, or families, or retirees, or any particular demographic. They fell harder, and have little to help them back. They depend on their surrounding cities to do well (Detroit, Chicago respectively). Large cities that have lost alot (even more than the remainder of the Rust Belt cities) of their housing, populations and jobs will have a hard time, regardless of their size advantages, Newark, Buffalo, Detroit fall into this category. The Rust Belt will never come back as one, cities will do amazing (perhaps even better than pre-"collapse"), some will be left behind, some will grow, some will not. Crime and poverty goes away when cities are cared for. It isn't the problem to focus on first. Hire a few coppers for good measure, a PR stunt. It cannot be looked at as a rigid region, there are too many other factors at play. A couple things would really help the area though...
-Transit, both between cities, and within them. There isn't alot of difference between the top echelon of cities and the better rust belt cities, besides their transportation options. If, say, Milwaukee built a light rail/streetcar downtown, and has a bullet train to reach Chicago in 30 minutes, there would be tremendous economic benefit to the region as a whole.
-Go green, if rural areas produce cellouse ethanol from grasses, and it is processed in the surrounding urban centers, both the rural farmer and the urban manufacturer benefit. The midwest is prime ag land, and grass ethanol can be grown environmentally friendly and easily. It can bring alot of jobs back. Hell, it may even get us off foreign oil.
-Stop giving water to Arizona, and don't give cheap jobs to people in Texas, et. cetera. - Our habitation of the Southwest is, well, artificial. It cannot be sustained. When Phoenix figures out that their sunny golf course is a desert needing water. Well, people will take back Cleveland before they let their yellow mellow or take their showers cold. I bet that is a good 20 million people who will learn to love snow. It's going to happen eventually anyway. Why not speed the process?
- Make the schools better in the city propers, people with kids (who want to) can begin to live comfortably in the city again, and a strong core city creates a strong metropolitan region. Get the equivalent of a suburb or two to move back to the city, it will be better for everyone.
- Invest in culture, arts, benefits that you can't get in other cities - Places like Cleveland and Pittsburgh just aren't built anymore. They also have things that aren't found in other places, especially newer cities. Capitalize on them. The old Art Museum in Toledo is nicer than anything in Tucson, make it great. The old buildings, an accessible lake/riverfront, historical sites, colleges/universities, et. cetera. It will pay off.
There are some ideas for people to chew on, if the mayor of Detroit is reading this, PM me.
---Minnehahapolitan
That sound's like a plan. It sounds like there is hope for these old Midwestern cities. The thing is that one should look at the past and learn from it. The Midwest could become the new place to live again. Look at many of these places. Some of them could be cheaper than the Sunbelt. I know there are cultural things in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Cleveland that are hard to find in places like Atlanta, Charlotte,etc.
As for the mayor of Detroit, I don't think he is doing anything at all. What Detroit needs is a mayor who will actually do things.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In fact, the water was so warm everywhere you went (ie public drinking fountains, pools, showers, etc) that I was starting to get pissed off! 
), and the west is risky also. Ill be interested to see what happens in the future.
