The LA Times is reporting on just what it takes to make a Rust Belt turnaround. Reporter Alana Semuels talks about the ability for a city to diversify into multiple industries, something that she says Buffalo is doing with its medical industry, and Detroit is having a hard time doing mostly because of it past over-reliance on the auto industry.
The article suggests that Detroit might be alright if it can be content as a shadow of its former industrial self – something a bit more grassroots. Even now the city is preparing for an event in September called “The Detroit Homecoming”. Sound familiar? Think back to Buffalo Old Home Week (now Citybration).
The author points to cities such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland that are retooling their core missions and attracting younger, educated people with the help of progressive education institutions. Even the advent of the internet has allowed people to work far away from centralized industries… in the past there was no option but to move to where the jobs were located.
Click here to see the article.