3 ms·

> the industries that made these cities what they are are mostly gone now These cities often have attractive qualities for other industries, and with enough for

> the industries that made these cities what they are are mostly gone now These cities often have attractive qualities for other industries, and with enough foresight these cities can position themselves well to succeed in the future. Many have been; e.g. Pittsburgh shed its steel roots and now is home of a leading health care industry, and a burgeoning tech one.

magduf 8y ago
You mean that some (or perhaps, "a few") have been. I'd say that Pittsburgh is more the exception than the rule. Also, Pittsburgh is probably a little unique: they have multiple universities there, including UPittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and Duquesne, so they were in a good position to move on to other industries. Also, I'm thinking the weather there is a good bit better than in Detroit or Flint or Buffalo or Toledo, which get lake-effect weather giving them very cold winters. I'm guessing that if you want to predict a city's ability to transform to a haven for new industries (like tech), you need to look at how much of a college town it is. Carnegie Mellon is a top-ranked private university with 13,500 students (so not a tiny place), and just one of many large universities there. They also have a lot of nice cultural stuff there, largely thanks to Mr. Carnegie, such as the museums. Most other rust-belt cities can't boast these features. Cleveland has CWRU (11,300 students), but I can't think of a whole lot of academia in cities like Detroit, Buffalo, and definitely not Toledo or Flint.
- afuchs 8y ago
  Both Detroit and Buffalo both have large public research universities along with many smaller public and private institutions. Detroit has the University of Michigan with 44,700 students nearby (about the same distance as my unfortunately long commute). Buffalo has the University of Buffalo with 30,600 students. Both universities are among the largest employers in their metro areas. Both metros have tried to diversify their economies, as have Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The health care industry is a large source of jobs for all of them.

magduf 8y ago

You mean that some (or perhaps, "a few") have been. I'd say that Pittsburgh is more the exception than the rule. Also, Pittsburgh is probably a little unique: they have multiple universities there, including UPittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and Duquesne, so they were in a good position to move on to other industries. Also, I'm thinking the weather there is a good bit better than in Detroit or Flint or Buffalo or Toledo, which get lake-effect weather giving them very cold winters. I'm guessing that if you want to predict a city's ability to transform to a haven for new industries (like tech), you need to look at how much of a college town it is. Carnegie Mellon is a top-ranked private university with 13,500 students (so not a tiny place), and just one of many large universities there. They also have a lot of nice cultural stuff there, largely thanks to Mr. Carnegie, such as the museums. Most other rust-belt cities can't boast these features. Cleveland has CWRU (11,300 students), but I can't think of a whole lot of academia in cities like Detroit, Buffalo, and definitely not Toledo or Flint.

afuchs 8y ago
Both Detroit and Buffalo both have large public research universities along with many smaller public and private institutions. Detroit has the University of Michigan with 44,700 students nearby (about the same distance as my unfortunately long commute). Buffalo has the University of Buffalo with 30,600 students. Both universities are among the largest employers in their metro areas. Both metros have tried to diversify their economies, as have Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The health care industry is a large source of jobs for all of them.