ABSTRACT
City and local government leaders have struggled to manage almost unprecedented long-term changes in population and economic structure. Chicago lost an estimated 6.9 percent of its population between 2000 and 2010 and St. Louis lost an estimated 8.3 percent. Detroit lost 25 percent as residents relocated to more favorable climates, suburbs, or other locations in search of better employment. Advances in technology brought productivity increases in manufacturing that translated into fewer employees needed. The decline in numbers of jobs often meant population losses as residents moved away in search of better employment opportunities. In some instances, those remaining in the community now work in jobs at lower wages and this reduces spending in local businesses. Improvements in communications made offshore locations with lower wage rates more attractive even for some service industries, which further aggravated the setbacks in older urban centers with aging infrastructures.
