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

According to an article on the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog, "from Gary, Indiana, to Lowell, Massachusetts, smaller post-industrial cities are taking strategic steps to regenerate."
The path taken by such small "Legacy Cities" is the subject of a new report from the Lincoln Institute and the Greater Ohio Policy Center.
"The report, Revitalizing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities, by Torey Hollingsworth and Alison Goebel, examines at 24 cities with populations of 30,000 to 200,000 across seven midwestern and northeastern states: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts."
According to the post, each of the stories are unique, but they also share some common traits. The report also suggests eight strategies for revitalization, with more detail in the article and, obviously, the report:
- Build civic capacity and talent
- Encourage a shared public- and private-sector vision.
- Expand opportunities for low-income workers
- Build on an authentic sense of place
- Focus regional efforts on rebuilding a strong downtown
- Engage in community and strategic planning
- Stabilize distressed neighborhoods
- Strategically leverage state policies
FULL STORY: Revitalizing smaller legacy cities, from Gary to Lowell

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

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

Seattle Safe Parking Site to Close, Relocate
A nonprofit leases lots during permitting stages to erect tiny homes and RV safe parking sites for unhoused residents. But the model means constant uncertainty and displacement.

LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants
The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.

Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding
In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions