Population loss doesn't always equate to economic decline. Richard Florida discusses a study examining American metros that are retaining their economic vitality as they shrink.
"Population growth is a crude measure of prosperity: As long as a place attracts or retains specific talent, it can lose general population and still be prosperous," Richard Florida writes. As evidence, he points to a study by Cardiff University's Maxwell Hartt looking at the economic performance of shrinking cities.
While we often picture shrinking cities as economically bereft, "shrinking population and economic decline don’t always come hand-in-hand: A striking subset of cities with declining populations are in fact economically prosperous." Hartt finds that 27 percent of shrinking cities have economic indicators outperforming their regional average. Most of them are suburbs and outlying towns close to large, wealthy metro areas.
Florida speculates that what sets these places apart is their ability to retain educated residents, who may be professionally based in the corresponding big cities: "97 percent of prosperous shrinking cities had a higher proportion of college-educated individuals than their regional average."
Read the full story: How Some Shrinking Cities Are Still Prospering
The Midwest Paces the Nation in Population Loss
Two cities in Illinois are examined as case studies of population decline in the post-industrial economy.
The Urban Revival Is (Probably) Not Over
Critiquing Richard Florida's claim that "the urban revival is over."
Richard Florida on the Perils of Gentrification
Florida discusses a recent study that emphasizes how new the back-to-the-city movement is, how white it is, and what that means for the people it pushes out.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority