Will Generation Y Drive a Rust Belt Redux?

In search of cheap rent and an urban experience with some bona fide street cred, young people are making the move out to the Rust Belt, Will Doig reports.

1 minute read

May 17, 2012, 10:00 AM PDT

By Ryan Lue


Facing economic challenges of historic proportions, some youngsters are leading the move back to the old manufacturing powerhouses of the Midwest. Young people (anywhere between 18- and 34-years-old) have been bucking the trend of decline in Rust Belt cities from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, from St. Louis to Detroit.

Part of the shift, of course, has to do with affordability – in 2009, the median price of a home in Detroit was $7,500 – but for many, it has just as much to do with the edgy image of urban decay.

"I think there's a backlash in the American psyche that's longing for
that," says Cleveland native Richey Piiparinen. "Look at Miami. We've
learned that all that glitters isn't gold." 

But Doig warns that "Rust Belt Chic," as Piiparinen calls it, must be taken with a dose of realism: it's "at least partly a romantic fantasy, and that makes
it a risky way to try to revitalize. Last year, Guernica magazine ran a
withering critique of what it called 'Detroitism,'
the fetish for crumbling urban landscapes mixed with eccentric utopian
delusions, 'where bohemians from expensive coastal cities can have the
$100 house and community garden of their dreams.' What these dreams
seldom include, however, are the almost unimaginable systemic problems
many of these cities suffer from: failed schools, violent crime, the
threat of municipal bankruptcy."

Saturday, May 12, 2012 in Salon

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

1 hour ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

3 hours ago - InTransition Magazine

Row of older brick houses in Detroit with front porches and front lawns.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.

With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system.

5 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine