HELPING CITIES

HELPING CITIES

“Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America’s Older Industrial Cities” outlines how states can help cities such as Youngstown and Warren. Among the report’s suggestions:

States need to ensure older industrial cities are safe and fiscally healthy. States need to implement policies and programs to lower prison recidivism rates and reduce crime, improve schools, and create a competitive cost climate for families and businesses.

States must help cities understand and cultivate their economic attributes such as reinvigorating their downtowns, investing in industries that play to cities’ and metropolitan areas’ strengths, and support expanding transit links and regional cooperation.

States need to focus on upgrading crumbling infrastructure, provide support for major projects that have the potential to help the cities prosper.

States need to improve the economic condition of low-income residents by investing in vocational training and help low-income families build wealth.

States need to ensure cities have strong, healthy neighborhoods attractive to families with a range of incomes. This includes flexible state housing subsidies.

Source: The Brookings Institution