SynergiCity: Reinventing the Postindustrial City

2. Why SynergiCity?

Figure 2.1. Rendering of proposed redevelopment of existing warehouses and new multiuse buildings along Adams Street in SynergiCity: Warehouse District, Peoria. (Illustration by Ryan Marshall. Courtesy of School of Architecture, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) For the past 15 years, manufacturing cities throughout the United States have experienced a significant decline. Manufacturing’s share of employment in the United States has been falling for at least 50 years (Bernard et al. 2002). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Establishment Survey, the share of manufacturing employment in 1950 was about 35% and in 2004 was about 13% (Fisher and Rupert 2005). The 2008–2009 recession , which accelerated with the financial collapse on September 15, 2008, has exacerbated this decline , forcing mass closings of manufacturing facilities and layoffs. Leading economists agree that the effects of this recession will be long-lasting and it will challenge the country to restructure the economy . Moreover, the recession emphasized the fact that the majority of the manufacturing base of the American economy is leaving the United States in order to capitalize on cheap labor in developing countries. The consequences of globalization are far-reaching and deep. The global economy will now compel all facets of the American economy to focus on what it has in the past done very well—innovation . In order for America to transform from an industry-based to an innovation-based economy, whole-scale changes will need to be made in every aspect of society. Changes will include the design of our cities as well. Larger American cities such as Detroit, New Orleans, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh have all experienced extreme economic calamities, significant population fluctuations, and drastic reduction in income and corporate tax receipts . As these cities continue to reassess their standing in a postindustrial age, their urban form will need to be assessed as well. Can these cities retain their current geographical size? Is the current urban form of these cities appropriate for the new economy? These are the fundamental questions facing American cities today. Former American manufacturing cities—particularly those located in the U.S. Rust Belt—are grappling with a large unemployed workforce, declining populations, a large inventory of unoccupied buildings, and a decaying infrastructure. Starting from this crisis, can we transform our industrial cities into centers of creativity and innovation ? Finally, can we use the current economic crisis to correct the environmental mistakes of the past in our cities? Paul Armstrong and Paul Kapp investigated these issues in two graduate architectural design studios at the School of Architecture, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, during the spring of 2009 and 2010. SynergiCity is a proposal addressed to this challenge in the postindustrial city. It promotes density in urban areas that have an established record of being viable both economically and environmentally , and it proposes to restore floodplain areas of cities that have been developed for other functions back into sustainable uses (fig. 2.1). Peoria, Illinois These issues are found not only in larger industrial cities; midsize cities such as Peoria, Illinois, have encountered the same challenges. Peoria is the quintessential midwestern postindustrial city. Because of its proximity to river transportation and access to corn for grain alcohol, Peoria was one of the largest manufacturers of distilled spirits and beer in the United States (Couri 1991). Peoria is also the headquarters of Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of earth-moving machinery (Funding Universe 2004). Caterpillar’s own manufacturing history offers a synopsis of the rise, decline, and redirection of manufacturing in the Chapter Two Why SynergiCity? Paul J. Armstrong Paul J. Armstrong 18 United States since World War II. In the postwar period, Caterpillar experienced enormous growth until 1983, when it announced its first annual loss in earnings in half a century. Sales slumped to a recent historic low of $5.4 billion, and the company was forced to lay off workers domestically and closed a plant in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. Caterpillar’s worst year came in 2002, when profits amounted to $798 million, which translated into a profit margin of just 4%. Under new leadership since 2003, the company has been targeting emerging markets, particularly China, India, and Russia, for future growth, with a goal of $30 billion in revenues by 2006. However, with the recession of 2008–2009, Caterpillar has been forced to lay off 20,000 employees and close plants once again. Peoria, which derives its name...