http://correspondents.theatlantic.co..._shrinkage.php

Richard Florida writes that cities--in this case, Pittsburgh--that succeed at "reinvention" and eventual prosperity are those in which the change comes from the grassroots.

His column seems to reveal a low opinion of massive, top-down urban renewal projects, but he favors initiatives that come from networks of people who live and work in aspiring communities/neighborhoods.

If Florida is correct, it accents the crisis Detroit faces in its neighborhoods. First, people are leaving the city as fast as they can, emptying neighborhoods of brains, hands, and hearts vital to renewal. Second, the foreclosure crisis and the proliferation of speculators buying Detroit homes in bulk further reinforces the transient nature of the city's population. Homeownership often encourages investment and stability. The housing crisis in our city undermines both. Third, as neighborhoods become increasingly sparse, it becomes harder to communicate and organize. Fourth, the Detroit diaspora may do more to increase city pride beyond Detroit [[those who used to live in the city) while diminishing the common sense of identity and unity in the neighborhoods themselves.