2010 in international spotlight

Youngstown — The city’s widely acclaimed urban plan, Youngstown 2010, appears to be generating a buzz overseas as well.

Planner Anthony Kobak announced Tuesday that the city’s “controlled shrinkage” efforts would be featured in a Dutch Public Broadcasting series, as well as in France’s largest business magazine, Challenges.

A Dutch journalist was to visit Youngstown Wednesday to conduct research for a series on urbanization to be aired on Dutch radio, television and the Internet, said Kobak.

Kobak and Community Development Director Bill D’Avignon will also be hosting a group of research professors from Japan during September. The group is studying smart decline policies, he said.