  Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 322 Registered: 07-2006 |
America's big cities are getting smaller Associated Press The nation's population has nearly doubled since 1950 — adding about 150 million people. But of the 20 largest cities at mid-century, all but four have shrunk, some by a lot. Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Buffalo, N.Y., have all lost more than half their population in the past half-century. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/big _cities;_ylt=AlAChKxM4Jjf8V2mrGzwH4oD W7oF I disagree with a comment made at the end of the article by an Ohio professor, who said the following: "I think they've lost about all the manufacturing they can lose. There's not a lot left." My sense is that, in the metro Detroit region, this is not necessarily true. The steady bleed of manufacturing jobs over the past fifty years has continually been a problem in the region. The metro area could still lose many more manufacturing jobs, which would have a very harmful effect. Do you agree? | ||
6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 349 Registered: 11-2006 |
I agree that Detroit could loose more. I think the headline is funny and miss leading. One could say big cities are getting bigger using New York City, Houston, Dallas, Anything in Florida, and LA as examples. Really its just shifting populations it always is an on going cycle in the world. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1090 Registered: 02-2006 |
Of the 25 fastest-growing cities in the US, which is the only ciy not in the South or West? Joliet, IL. Seriously. Between 2000 and 2006, Joliet added more than 35,000 residents. Pales in comparison to Phoenix's growth, but still. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1044 Registered: 04-2006 |
Wow, 1950s Phoenix was about the size of current day Ann Arbor. I wonder how much the population growth of the southwest is domestic migration vs. immigration? Also, will it be sustainable? Isn't L.A. shrinking? The most important thing Detroit can do right now is fix its transportation infrastructure, IMO. It is about the best hope the region has at stabilizing its population and becoming an attractive place again, other than the American manufacturing industry reviving itself (which currently has the same chance as a snowball in Hell... no matter how far Mr. Bush tries to let the value of the dollar fall). | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 311 Registered: 04-2006 |
^ Yes, but Ann Arbor isn't 600 square miles! ;) Michigan state policy needs to become a leader in national "growth" trends. We need to reconfigure the way in which we allow ourselves to grow. Western Livingston County will be the next "Macomb Township" during the 10 year period following the next census count. Eastern Livingston will be "ghetto" and "the big city" by then. Actually, I remember reading a report on sprawl a few years ago in which one of the newspapers interviewd a family from way out in rural western sprawlville. They considered Novi the big city in which they commute to (like a city/suburb relationship). The kids of the parents in the article hated it at first, but toward the end of the report, admitted that they liked being a suburb of the suburbs and didn't have to worry about "city issues". | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1045 Registered: 04-2006 |
It won't get that far. The economy of the state will have fallen straight through the floor by then... | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5397 Registered: 11-2003 |
This is excellent. Can you predict Detroit's population mid-census? 850,000 on a good day? jjaba. |
