Ground Zero In Urban Decline

A lengthy article in the November issue of Reason magazine examines themyriad problems of Cincinnati, finding in them a pattern of decline that maypredict the future of other U.S. cities. In his article, "Ground Zero inUrban Decline," Sam Staley, director of the Urban Futures Program at theReason Policy Institute, writes that the city has little to show formillions spent on renewal, "other than some white-elephant public worksprojects and the wreckage -- physical and emotional -- from this spring'sriots." Although Cincinnati is unique in its physical attributes, it's "avery generic place in today's America," Staley writes. "It's a city smackdab in the middle of a long, slow decline -- not just in population but inprospects for the future. Its story -- a sad one, though not without somemeasure of hope -- is one that is being played out in urban centersthroughout the country. The reasons for Cincinnati's decline and themisguided attempts to reverse it are all too representative of what'shappening throughout the U.S. today. For good and ill, what's happening inCincinnati may well be coming to a city near you. If, in fact, it's notalready there."