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C H A P T E R 5 Lessons from Resurgent Mid-Sized Manufacturing Cities Yolanda K. Kodrzycki and Ana Patricia Muñoz Mid-sized manufacturing cities have struggled for decades, suffering the consequences of deindustrialization and suburbanization (Bluestone and Harrison 1982; Glaeser and Kahn 2001a; Krugman 1991). Some cities, however, have been able to reinvent themselves and are recognized as vital communities today. We call these “resurgent cities,” and they provide important lessons on the elements necessary to promote and sustain revitalization efforts. Learning from the path that resurgent cities have followed is of particular importance for cites like Springfield, Massachusetts, New England’s fourth-largest city. Known as the “City of Firsts,” Springfield was for many years the center of a prosperous 200-mile industrial corridor in the Connecticut River Valley (Forrant 2009). The Springfield Armory manufactured weaponry for the U.S. military from 1794 until its closure in 1968. A number of private metalworking firms made products for both commercial and defense applications. Although some of this activity survives in Springfield, the large American Bosch manufacturing facility closed in 1986, in the process eliminating more than 1,500 jobs. Although a significant number of medical establishments, a Fortune 500 financial services firm, and several higher education institutions remain, Springfield has one of the highest rates of concentrated poverty in the country. Five of the seventeen neighborhoods in the city have poverty rates that exceed 45 percent. To provide examples of the type of revitalization strategies that can help in Springfield and other struggling older industrial cities across the nation, 84 Yolanda K. Kodrzycki and Ana Patricia Muñoz we studied the economic development of a group of twenty-six mid-sized manufacturing-oriented peer cities over the past fifty years. We selected cities that were similar to each other in 1960 based on three criteria: population ranging from 100,000 to 250,000, share of manufacturing employment of at least 30 percent, and being the city center of their metropolitan areas. Although all of these municipalities have struggled as a result of factors outside their direct control, some have adapted to their economic challenges substantially better than others. Specifically, we identified a subset of ten “resurgent cities” based on broad indicators of the economic and social wellbeing of their residents: Evansville and Fort Wayne, Indiana; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Greensboro and Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Jersey City, New Jersey; New Haven, Connecticut; Peoria, Illinois; Providence, Rhode Island; and Worcester, Massachusetts. The economic development paths of these cities over the past five decades provide relevant, inspiring insights on development strategies for urban America. Confirming previous literature, we find that cities with an especially high reliance on manufacturing jobs at the beginning of the period (1960) tend to have lower median family income and higher poverty presently than others in the peer group. However, our research finds virtually no correlation between these cities’ current reliance on manufacturing and their current degree of economic prosperity. Going beyond the factors typically considered in statistical studies, our analysis is based heavily on both historical and more recent narratives. Our study reveals that the resurgent cities offer important lessons concerning the role of civic leadership and collaboration across spheres of influence, as well as the processes for producing economic transformation. These cities formed visions of the future that required them to break with their past identities as makers of items such as refrigerators, furniture, and tobacco products. Quite often, local institutions of higher learning were instrumental players in fostering an economic turnaround—either individually or as members of a larger partnership. The resurgent cities fostered better ties to other geographic areas through improvements in transportation and communication infrastructure. They also took steps to make their downtowns attractive draws for emerging businesses and new residents. Because the analysis spans five decades, it illustrates that the resurgent cities suffered periodic setbacks. These disruptions continue, most recently in the form of the Great Recession of 2007–2009. These repeated shocks have 18.117.186.92] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 11:06 GMT) Lessons from Resurgent Mid-Sized Cities 85 served to demonstrate the value of forming durable, wide-ranging, responsive collaborations to support economic development. The Decline of Mid-Sized Manufacturing Cities The early 1960s were good times for Springfield, then a municipality with nearly 175,000 residents. Median family income of city residents was slightly higher than the national median, and the city’s poverty rate was a little below the U.S. average. About...

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