Are the nation’s smaller industrial cities — places like Youngstown, Ohio; Scranton, PA; and Schenectady, NY — poised for a comeback? A new PolicyLink report released today shows how smart, targeted and equitable investments are helping lead some of these cities toward a more just and fair renewal.

The report, “To Be Strong Again: Renewing the Promise of Smaller Industrial Cities,” lays out how the more than150 smaller, older industrial cities in America can create a path toward equitable revitalization.

Home to nearly 7.5 million people – more than Los Angeles and Chicago combined – these cities have many of the assets and amenities to capitalize on the national re-urbanization trend: walkable downtowns, historic architecture, unparalleled waterfronts and parks, colleges and universities, and grand cultural institutions.

In an op-ed in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mayor Jay Williams of Youngstown and Mayor Chris Doherty of Scranton wrote that cities like theirs are ready for renewal: “We can be strong again — and we know what it will take to get us there. We are blessed with rich legacies and the urban infrastructure that comes with it.”

Smart and bold local leadership in smaller cities have made them incubators of some of the nation’s most innovative public policy ideas, bringing opportunity and hope to all their residents. Unlike fast-gentrifying cities like San Francisco, New York and Washington, these cities are well-positioned to be places of shared prosperity for families of all income levels.

During the coming weeks, EquityBlog will be highlighting some of the success stories and innovative policy approaches happening in these cities.

Tags: industrial cities, pittsburgh, policylink, radhika fox, report, rust belt, scranton, smaller cities, youngstown

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