Current Events > Fixing post-industrial cities

(+) Yeah! (+)

Let me preface by saying that I am not trying to "gotcha" anyone here. So let's go:

We all know that trickle down economics is a sham. We all know that giving companies money just boosts their bottom line and doesn't actually help people in the long run.

That said, however, I can understand why this is a thing when many cities (i.e. Detroit, MI, Rochester, NY, and so on) built around one industry struggle once that industry dies or moves elsewhere. We all know that auto companies leaving Detroit certainly played a role in the city's downturn, and I don't think anyone would disagree that quality of life in these cities has plummeted since these industries left. So I understand the appeal to try to bring them back, and many people in these cities and areas voted for Donald Trump specifically because they bought into his bullshit of trying to bring them back.

Now, obviously simply giving more tax breaks to auto companies so they stay in these cities is not the answer - for what it's worth, we know that the companies can just take this money and then move anyway, so it's not like giving them a tax break will actually keep them there. But what, then, is the answer for these struggling cities?

Would love to just have a discussion (again, no agenda, not trying to prove anyone wrong or anything like that) about it.

Rochester doesnt need much fixing imo. Great city with some of the most affordable housing in the country with plenty of tech jobs.

I realize thats not the point of your topic but if you want an open discussion youd have to be more specific about the problem youre trying to solve.

You need to fix two things at once that are dependent on each other. You need to bring in industry, but cities that have fallen into disrepair also have populations with some of the worst education in the country. Take baltimore, where in 40% of all of the high schools in the city not a single student scored as proficient in math.

The problem is that those students who aren't learning anything become your workforce for the industries you're trying to bring in. You can't import an educated workforce because then everyone screams gentrification and tries to stop it, but you can't bring in high-skilled jobs either when nobody in the area has any skill. On paper you could do apprenticeships and training, but again we're adding that burden on to people who are bombing out of basic education.

A few states have had success with avoiding the "projects" problem of concentrated poverty by simply spreading the population out across the surrounding area. I feel like you would have to do something with cities as well. You need to clear out sections to make room for people to come in with a higher skill set so businesses actually want to be there, but that means finding an appropriate place for the people who are currently there that also gives them an opportunity.

If the people currently living there refused to move, then ultimately there's very little that can be done, since the sad reality is people with no money and no skills sitting around just waiting for the government or somebody else to make their area nice is never going to fix it. The best you can do is to try and improve education in the area and hope the next generation is willing to try, but places like Camden New Jersey have tried throwing more money per student at the problem than anywhere else in the country and it still doesn't fix the problem if the students are growing up in a household where the parent(s) don't value education. Ultimately, though, it has to start with education.

boomgetchopped3 posted...

Rochester doesnt need much fixing imo. Great city with some of the most affordable housing in the country with plenty of tech jobs.

I realize thats not the point of your topic but if you want an open discussion youd have to be more specific about the problem youre trying to solve.

It's just a general discussion on how to revitalize struggling areas, which we all agree do exist

Some of this was attempted in Biden's inflation reduction act, an attempt to build up industries in those cities and States. It's just that it takes time