Geographers Seek Patterns and Solutions to Help Declining American Cities

In a new book published this August, four geographers set out to investigate shrinking American cities. One of these professors, Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen, spoke to Johnny Magdaleno of Next City about project and its investigations of the different causes of decline and the efforts to stem the loss of people and resources from once thriving cities.

Magdaleno writes, "Two of the book’s key findings: The Rust Belt (particularly Michigan and Ohio) is the epicenter of cities in decline, but it’s not the sole region, as more and more cities west of the Mississippi River report dwindling populations. And the communities who still call these census tracts home were more likely to be impacted by poverty, unemployment and other crippling socioeconomic issues."

Beyond the locations and causes of urban blight, the author also looks at some of the strategies employed to stem these declines, particularly in cities like Youngstown, Detroit, and Buffalo, where Bagchi-Sen lives and teaches.