Legacy Cities

Baltimore Rowhouses

'Supporting Shrinkage': Lessons for U.S. Cities

An excerpt from "Supporting Shrinkage: Better Planning and Decision-Making for Legacy Cities," written by Michael P. Johnson, Justin B. Hollander, Eliza W. Kinsey, and George R. Chichirau and published by SUNY Press.

November 22, 2021 - Michael P. Johnson

Detroit

How Legacy Cities Can Leverage Federal Funds for 'Transformative' Projects

Now is the time for cities to make strategic investments to scale up existing revitalization efforts.

October 21, 2021 - The Brookings Institiution

Q Arena

How Legacy Cities Can Support Equitable Development

A new report outlines seven strategies for balancing economic development and equity specifically aimed at smaller, post-industrial cities.

June 8, 2021 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Green Stormwater Infrastructure

FYI about GSI: The Recipe for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Success

New research highlights some of the ways planners can increase the social benefits and public acceptance of green stormwater infrastructure.

May 20, 2021 - Christopher Tirri

Suburban Homes

Dan Gilbert Announces $500 Million Investment in Detroit Neighborhoods

Dan Gilbert, the billionaire credited with the revitalization of development interest in and around Downtown Detroit, made a bombshell announcement in his first in-depth interview since suffering a stroke in 2019.

March 26, 2021 - The Detroit News

irishtown bend

Legacy Cities, Post-Pandemic

The question of how the pandemic and all of its corresponding crises will alter the future of cities and planning has persisted since March. This article rightfully focuses those large, challenging questions of the Legacy Cities of the United States.

September 24, 2020 - Economic Innovation Group

Akron, Ohio

New Legacy Cities Initiative Announced

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is launching the Legacy Cities Initiative to provide a network of support for cities of the country's industrial past.

September 18, 2020 - Lincoln Institue of Land Policy

Michigan Central Deport

Economic Recovery in Legacy Cities

Americans living in legacy cities face a unique set of challenges and opportunities in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Several local, state, and federal support strategies could aid these cities in recouping losses.

August 19, 2020 - Brookings

Youngstown, Ohio

How Shrinking Cities Are 'Right Sizing'

Case studies in dealing with population loss from Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

March 2, 2020 - The Guardian

Connecticut

Hartford Facing Tough Choices About Downtown Highway

The Interstate 84 viaduct in Hartford, Connecticut, is past due for major updates, and a variety of very different possibilities are on the table.

January 15, 2020 - CityLab

irishtown bend

Review: The Divided City

In the Rust Belt, neighborhood decline is much more significant than gentrification.

August 27, 2018 - Michael Lewyn

4 abandoned homes in St. Louis's Greater Ville neighborhood

Book Review: The Divided City, by Alan Mallach

Jason Segedy's review of a must-read for all planners interested in the subject of "Legacy Cities."

June 17, 2018 - Notes from the Underground

Detroit Vacant Properties

The Vacancy Epidemic

A new report uses terms like epidemic and hyper-vacancy to drive home the point about the effects of vacancies on communities like Cleveland, Gary, Toledo, and Detroit.

June 8, 2018 - Curbed

Vacant Lot in Detroit

Where Vacant Properties Are Still Increasing in Number

In some cities and neighborhoods, the number of vacant properties is the only thing growing.

May 20, 2018 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Main Street bridge crossing the St. Joseph's River

New Revitalization Toolkit for Smaller Legacy Cities

Not every Legacy City has the size and cultural cache of a Pittsburgh or a New Orleans to aid in its recovery, but there are resources available for smaller cities examining pragmatic revitalization strategies.

May 8, 2018 - Greater Ohio Policy Center

Detroit - Renaissance Center

'Detroit Future City' Enters a New Stage

The Detroit Future City Implementation Office has completed a new strategic plan that will redirect the organizations revitalization efforts, four years after the city adopted the largely successful Detroit Future City framework.

November 10, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

Seattle Sailboats

Could Seattle Be the U.S. Vancouver?

Seattle appears to be following the Vancouver, B.C. model by increasing population and residential density while investing in transit. If it works, traffic congestion will not deteriorate, and vehicle trips should drop.

September 29, 2017 - Governing

Downtown Flint Michigan along Saginaw Street

Strategies for Revitalizing Smaller Post-Industrial Cities

For every Pittsburgh or Cleveland success story, there's a story waiting to be told in smaller cities like Gary and Lowell.

September 8, 2017 - At Lincoln House

South Bend

South Bend Has Big Innovation District Plans

Public Radio International (PRI) surveys the keys to an ambitious plan to restore the industrial "temples" of South Bend, Indiana.

August 30, 2017 - Public Radio International

Akron, Ohio

A New Housing Strategy for Akron, Ohio

The city of Akron has lost 93,000 residents since 1960, so it has room to grow. Now it has a draft housing plan that uses a tax abatement program modeled on examples in Cleveland and Cuyahoga Falls.

February 6, 2017 - Akron Beacon Journal

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Call for Speakers

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.