1. 10 Ways to Regenerate America’s Legacy Cities
by Alan Mallach and Lavea Brachman
Urban renaissance has touched many cities across America in the last two
decades, but there are many others – typically what we call “legacy cities” that are
still trying to find their footing a generation or two after experiencing drastic
manufacturing loss and population decline.
These 18 cities are:
-Akron, OH
-Baltimore, MD
-Buffalo, NY
-Camden, NJ
-Canton, OH
-Cincinnati, OH
-Dayton, OH
-Detroit, MI
-Flint, MI
-Milwaukee, WI
-Pittsburgh, PA
-Cleveland, OH
-Youngstown, Ohio
-Newark, NJ
-Philadelphia, PA
-Birmingham, AL
-St. Louis, MO
-Syracuse, NY
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2. 10 Ways to Regenerate America’s Legacy Cities
by Alan Mallach and Lavea Brachman
The truth is the silver-bullet syndrome can inhibit revitalization.
A mega-project can become an important asset, yet it is not a strategy for change
in itself, unless it is integrated into larger schemes to make a meaningful
contribution to the city’s future.
Also, it is usually a very costly undertaking that these cities can ill afford.
What’s needed: a more incremental approach built on collaboration and
partnerships, combined with a fresh appreciation of existing assets.
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3. Five Ways to Regenerate America’s Legacy Cities
1. Have faith in
downtowns
• A central core with
density, a walkable,
urban texture and
proximity to major
institutions and
employers, is a powerful
attraction for young
single people and
couples, and a strong
basis for residential
redevelopment
• Set a friendly regulatory
environment for infill
redevelopment, reinvent
public spaces, and
encourage private
market re-use of older
buildings
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4. 2. Sustain viable
neighborhoods
• Build partnerships with
neighborhood associations
and CDCs to implement
multifaceted
neighborhood strategies
that draw demand, rebuild
housing markets and
address destabilizing
elements such as crime,
foreclosure, and property
abandonment
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5. 3. Don’t be afraid to
demolish
• Repurposing large
inventories of vacant land
strategically is a major
springboard for change in
heavily disinvested areas
• Cities should explore
large-scale
reconfiguration of land
uses, including the use of
vacant land properties for
public open space, urban
agriculture, or storm
water management
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6. 4. Reinvent the economic
base
• Not every city can become
the next bio-tech capital
• Honest assessment of local
assets and regional
competitive advantages can
help build new exportoriented economies
• Partner with local
educational institutions
and major employers like
hospitals – “eds and meds”
– to build workforce
development and a
competitive regional labor
market
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7. 5. Make sure all city
residents benefit
from change
• Engaging residents,
and providing the
educational and
workforce
development systems
they need to become
competitive, can
build a stronger city
for everyone
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8. 6. Use economic
growth to increase
community and
resident well-being
• Build on the city’s human
capital by increasing
education
• Adding city residents to
the labor market will
demand greater regional
employment strategies,
which in turn creates more
job growth in the city
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9. 7. Build stronger local
governance and
partnerships
• Centralized leadership,
such as with a strong
mayor, is not the only
answer
• Look to other institutions,
such as nonprofit sectors
(eds or meds)
• Forge public-private
partnerships
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10. 8. Build stronger ties between
legacy cities and their regions
•
•
•
•
Consider rebalancing the
relationship between the city and
its region, perhaps through new
forms of governance
This has the potential to reduce
costs and leverage funds for
strategic investments
It also encourages jurisdictions to
bolster the wider economy
And it can level the playing field
and incentivize policy makers
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11. 9. Make change happen
through strategic
incrementalism
•
•
•
•
•
Avoid grandiose proposals that
fly in the face of what’s possible
Meld long-term strategic vision
with incremental process for
change
Don’t get stuck on creating a
formal plan, which could be a
diversion or impediment
Explore multiple, flexible
processes
Over time, incremental
improvements can become
transformational
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12. 10. Rethink state and federal
policy toward legacy cities
• State and federal
policies should not
favor suburban over
urban or one-size fits all
programs that can
hinder revitalization
• All levels of government
must rethink how they
address these cities
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13. America’s legacy cities
were once the great
economic engines of this
country. The right mixture
of new forms and
directions, fueled by their
powerful assets and
historic can-do culture of
achievement, can provide
the springboard for a new
era of prosperity.
All photos courtesy of iStock.
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