11/27/2006

Smart Decline


Was reminded Sunday afternoon of an article distributed a few weeks ago at the unveiling of Blueprint Buffalo by Michael Clarke and the folks at LISC - Buffalo.

In a recent issue of Governing Magazine writer Christopher Swope interviews elected officials and policy wonks about what's happening in Youngstown, OH. The result, a short article - Smart Decline - dealing with with various aspects of the planning/development conundrum confronting a shrinking city like Youngstown, OH.
If Youngstown has made peace with its smaller self, however, its policy makers are still grappling with the key question: What does it mean to manage shrinkage in an intelligent way? Volumes have been written about how to implement “smart growth.” But what about smart decline? read the rest
Two longer q&a's with the same article - one with Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and the other with Hunter Morrisson, Director of Urban and Regional Studies at Youngstown State University. While the site - Governing.com - is full of useful planning and development material, the associated blog - 13th Floor - is worth a closer look.
____________________________
See also - Getting Smarter about Decline...includes links to Blue Print Buffalo. For those of interested in issues involving "brownfield reclamation" see Learning from Others. Make sure to check out LISC - Buffalo and National Vacant Properties Campaign for addtional information regarding issues and major public policy initiatives involving abandondment, vacancy and the management of decline.
__________________________________________________________________________
Artspace ArchiveAnnals of NeglectBAVPAWhere is Perrysburg?Broken Promises...
Writing the CityWoodlawn Row HousesTour dé Neglect - 2006faqmy flickr
buffalo olmsted parks conservancy