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Just because these cities were not developed mainly on the model of Northeastern type cities ,does not mean they are not now developing strategies to urbanized in a positive manner for their futures.Hence why manny of them are gaining population again.
I applaud those efforts you mentioned, but they are pretty minor. The Atlanta Beltline is not designed for mass transit. The MARTA is very far from comprehensive. Atlanta and Kansas City remain just as car-dependent as Detroit. The cities I mentioned are gaining population because of jobs, not urban planning projects. Investment in infrastructure has occurred only recently. In some places, like Austin, the response to growth has been incredibly slow. I'm not sure the minimal investment in infrastructure can be sustained in many of these places, since they are in conservative states where people are hostile to government-subsidized projects, especially now.
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Originally Posted by afonega1
I just don't see what you mentioned as an major issue
You don't see urban planning as a major issue when it comes to a city's future?
This question is impossible to answer without first knowing (in depth) each city's finances. I'm not sure the methodology used by the OP for their poll choices in the first place.
The next Detroit will likely be a sunbelt/southern city. I doubt the conditions will be as extreme though. Detroit's collapse had to do with a lack of economic diversity, decades of racial discrimination that culminated in the second riots of '67, and urban sprawl.
Detroit was an urban planning mess in the 1950s. Back then Jane Jacobs, the founder of modern urban studies, decried the relentless construction of bland purely residential neighborhoods throughout the city. Detroit was the first sprawling, car-oriented major American city. It never developed a robust public transit system like other northern industrial cities. It lacks distinct neighborhoods and enclaves (Palmer Woods, Boston-Edison, and Indian Village are exceptions). In other words, it doesn't have a lot of the assets that are now drawing some young people back into old industrial cities.
So, in my opinion, the places that should really pay attention to Detroit's shortcomings are the cities that have been built in a similar way: Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Birmingham, Austin, Memphis, Dallas, Raleigh-Durham, Nashville, Louisville, Kansas City, and Oklahoma City. From a planning perspective, these places are even worse than Detroit. Sprawling, car-dependent cities are not built to last. Cities have to invest in forms of infrastructure and street design that foster a strong sense of community and high levels of human interaction. Tract housing and freeways won't cut it.
I believe Chicago or the Bay Area may be next. According to the Chicago Tribune, "Detroit's bankruptcy was years in the making, a result of severe financial mismanagement and a unique decline in Detroit's population triggered by job losses in the auto and other manufacturing industries, and the exodus of many residents to neighboring areas as the crime rate soared.
The ranks of retirees outnumber the city's active workers by more than a 2-1 ratio. With so many retirees receiving pension benefits as the population shrinks, the city is caught in a perpetual knot, one that other cities with high retiree costs relative to revenues - such as Chicago - might have to face in coming years as well.
"This could be kind of a precedent for other municipalities. Anyone concerned about some other cities like Chicago, cities in California, what this could do is accelerate a trend where states begin to withdraw their support for cities," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank in Chicago." Also, "Chicago for example, has to comply with a state law that requires the city to set aside more funding for pension obligations, a key reason for a recent downgrade by Moody's Investors Service, but it cannot cut retiree benefits" (Analysis: Detroit filing sends benefits warning to other cities - Chicago Tribune).
So everyone just naming random cities in the South or Sunbelt need to re-examine their thinking process. This is way deeper than what most people even think/know on C-D.
Last edited by BeyondInfinity; 07-21-2013 at 10:38 AM..
for those who don't believe detroit's failings are america's failings obviously have never played a role in a team effort. rule number one on the greenvillebuckeye coaching list of rules "we're only as good as a weakest link".
Chicago is nothing like Detroit. It has a diverse economy and many vibrant neighborhoods. Have you ever actually been to either of these cities? As for the S.F. Bay area, it is one of the wealthiest areas in the country. It is also one of the most expensive areas in the country. Again, nothing like Detroit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BeyondInfinity
So everyone just naming random cities in the South or Sunbelt need to re-examine their thinking process.
The largest municipal bankruptcy before Detroit was in the sunbelt.
.This is not the shame of Detroit but the shame of America.This is why we need to pay attention as this could possibly happen to another major city.But which one?
No, this is not the shame of America. It is the shame of unions and big, corrupt one party govt. The "blue" model is broken. From Detroit to Argentina, it just does not work and never will.
The state of Illinois is the next giant to fall. They had chance after chance to fix pensions and lower taxes, but they keep doing the opposite.
Im not a fan of Unions but you do realize that they were needed and came into power with the helped of crazy racist and multi millionaire Henry Ford?
Unions came about to keep the cheaper southern blacks from working in northern factories. Unions were evil then just as they are now. They and the political party they own are the ones that killed Detroit, and all Americans need to be honest about this fact.
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