SAINT LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - One lasting impact of the pandemic has been the emptying out of urban cores, as cities from New York, to Nashville to St. Louis have lost population. What can be done to reverse the trend?
In a recent article on Governing.com, researcher and journalist Aaron Ren suggests that instead of focusing on offices, which may never be filled again, downtowns need to focus on residential development along with institutional integration of universities and healthcare facilities.
Ren adds that political leaders need to stop calling for 'defunding the police.' He tells KMOX, he believes that has people fleeing to the suburbs. "There's been too little willingness on the part of establishment civic leaders to just say 'no, we're not going to defund the police' and push back against some of these more, I call, radical rhetoric that I think is unrepresentative even of people on the general center left."
Ren says it's also vital for cities to use federal recovery act funds to make a transformational impact. "Whether it be some sort of blitzkrieg on potholes and fixing streets, whether it be a focus on crime, whether it be neighborhood redevelopment, whatever you choose to do, you have to find ways to make this money count."
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