Midwest Metro Musings #1

I’ve said for years that the issues that plague Midwestern cities, and the successful strategies they’ve employed, have gone unnoticed as the cities of the east and west coasts have pulled away economically and culturally. What’s hurting Midwestern cities isn’t always the same thing that’s hurting coastal cities; what works in the Midwest isn’t always what could or would work on the coasts, either.

In my last post on Christmas Eve, I said I would endeavor to produce more content on activities in the major metros throughout the Midwest. I want to draw attention to what’s happening the region that is America’s middle ground.

Today, I’m starting a new series I’m calling Midwest Metro Musings. It’s the start of my focus on what’s going on in the 17 largest combined statistical areas (CSAs) with more than one million people in the Midwest. This isn’t intended to be comprehensive; it’s a glimpse, a snapshot of things happening in so-called flyover country. This piece will cover the nine smallest of the 17 major metros I’ll cover. This weekend I’ll highlight the eight largest, in ascending order: Columbus, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cleveland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit and Chicago.

Please offer your comments on these musings. Are they representative of what’s going on in your metro? Please let me know. Here we go.

Omaha: A spurt in the development of arts, entertainment and recreational activities in downtown Omaha is leading to better post-pandemic recovery than many of its peer Midwestern cities:

“O)verall, Omaha’s downtown has bounced back better than most others since the pandemic, according to a University of Toronto study of 55 American downtowns.

“What’s leading its recovery is actually this nighttime weekend activity … arts, entertainment, restaurants, residents,” said Karen Chapple, director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto.

Local officials and researchers credit ongoing development with aiding Omaha’s post-pandemic resurgence, even as some have raised concerns about the incentives used to spur much of that redevelopment.

In the past three years, downtown has welcomed a new concert venue, a state-of-the-art science center and three renovated parks spanning 72 acres between the riverfront and historic Old Market. Once dormant office buildings are becoming condos and several massive development projects are underway.”

Dayton: Dayton (and its neighbor Cincinnati) are seeking ways to add to the housing inventory they’ll need to support an expected population growth of 500,000 over the next 25 years. Addressing blighted and abandoned structures is a big part of Dayton’s strategy:

Read the rest of this piece at The Corner Side Yard.

Pete Saunders is a writer and researcher whose work focuses on urbanism and public policy. Pete has been the editor/publisher of the Corner Side Yard, an urbanist blog, since 2012. Pete is also an urban affairs contributor to Forbes Magazine's online platform. Pete's writings have been published widely in traditional and internet media outlets, including the feature article in the December 2018 issue of Planning Magazine. Pete has more than twenty years' experience in planning, economic development, and community development, with stops in the public, private and non-profit sectors. He lives in Chicago.

Photo:Cincinnati Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, via Wikimedia under CC 4.0 License