Smaller Industrial Cities Offer Walkable Haven for Families, New Report Says

OAKLAND, Calif., July 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Families looking for
walkable and vibrant hometowns could help lead the nation's smaller industrial
cities toward a just and fair economic renewal, according to a report released
today by PolicyLink, a national urban policy organization.

Cities like Scranton, Pa., Kalamazoo, Mich., and Youngstown, Ohio, are
increasingly seen as the "best of both worlds" -- simultaneously offering many
of the amenities of big cities and the community-spirit of small-towns,
according to the report, To Be Strong Again: Renewing the Promise of Smaller
Industrial Cities (available at
http://www.policylink.org/ToBeStrongAgain.pdf).

Environmental awareness and sky-high gas prices are fueling growing interest
in our nation's urban centers -- a recent Coldwell-Banker survey showed 80
percent of respondents were thinking about moving into an urban area for a
shorter commute. Home to nearly 7.5 million people -- more than Los Angeles
and Chicago combined -- the 151 smaller industrial cities identified
nationwide have many of the assets and amenities to capitalize on this trend:
walkable downtowns, historic architecture, unparalleled waterfronts and parks,
colleges and universities, and grand cultural institutions.

"These cities are right out of Goldilocks -- not too big, not too small, just
right," said Radhika Fox, PolicyLink associate director and the report's
co-author. "Smaller industrial cities once powered the America's economy,
growing and sustaining a stable middle class in our nation. But with the right
mix of public and private investment, these cities can once again be hometowns
for all people."

Smart and bold local leadership in these cities have made them incubators of
some of the nation's most innovative public policy ideas, bringing opportunity
and hope to all their residents. Unlike fast-gentrifying cities like San
Francisco, New York and Washington, these cities are well-positioned to be
places of shared prosperity for families of all income levels.

To make this opportunity real, however, these cities will need some state and
federal help, the report finds. Decades of economic disinvestment and a lack
of national attention have left many of these cities blighted and their
residents disconnected from true opportunity -- particularly those from
low-income communities and communities of color. Some local leaders, though,
have already shown tremendous progress:

-- In Kalamazoo, Mich., the Kalamazoo Promise is promoting economic recovery
and educational equity by providing guaranteed college scholarships to all
graduates of the city's public school system.

-- In Youngstown, Ohio, the Business Incubator gives home-grown, young
innovators and entrepreneurs--focused on business-to-business software--the
support and mentorship they need to succeed.

-- In Scranton, Penn., blighted parks have been reclaimed to offer beautiful
civic gathering places, improve surrounding property values, and draw families
seeking a sense of community in traditional neighborhoods. .

"America cannot afford to leave our cities in the shadows," said Mayor
Christopher Doherty of Scranton, Penn. "Our people have the skills, the tools
and the drive to serve as beacons for just, fair and equitable redevelopment.
We will be strong again."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Cities prominently highlighted in the report include
Youngstown, Ohio; Flint and Kalamazoo, Mich.; Binghamton, Albany, Schenectady,
Troy, Utica and Syracuse, NY; Scranton, Allentown and Reading, Pa.; and Fall
River, New Bedford and Lawrence, Mass.

PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing economic and
social equity by Lifting Up What Works. Our work is guided by the belief that
those closest to the nation's challenges are central to the search for
solutions. With offices in Oakland, New York, New Orleans and Los Angeles,
PolicyLink is a leader in the national equity movement. For more information,
please visit www.policylink.org.

SOURCE PolicyLink

Dan Lavoie of PolicyLink, Cell: +1-510-418-1208, dan@policylink.org