News

Smart Growth: Education, Skilled Workers, & the Future of Cold-Weather Cities

The overall share of Americans
living in cities with more than
500,000 inhabitants fell in every
decade between 1950 and 1990,
until finally rising in the 1990s.
But the renaissance has been
uneven.

Cities such as St. Louis, Pittsburgh,
and Buffalo saw population
continue to decline through the
1980s and 1990s. In contrast,
while Boston’s population fell each
decade between 1950 and 1980, it
has risen for two decades, from a
low of 563,000 people in 1980 to
589,000 in 2000.

What distinguishes places like
Boston that have stemmed their
population decline? In a word:
education.

The residents of faster-growing
cities are better educated than their
counterparts in struggling urban
areas. The benefi ts of education
are even stronger for entire
regions. Education, moreover, is
particularly important for cities and
regions that have cold winters.
public schools, safe streets and
neighborhoods, and reasonably
priced housing in cost-effective and
equitable ways.

By Edward L. Glaeser, Harvard University

Full Report: http://www.matr.net/files/skilledcities.pdf

(Many thanks to Al Jones for sending this to MATR and adding his spot on comments. Russ)

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.