The Role of Citizen Participation in Rightsizing Cities

Joongsub Kim Lawrence Technological University

Many cities are facing the phenomenon of a shrinking city. Although this trend is defined in various ways, it is often characterized by a decrease in population and the traditional industry base, and an increase in vacant properties. This phenomenon has been more prevalent in postindustrial cities such as Detroit. Detroit has suffered for years from unemployment, crime, vacant properties, foreclosures, environmental hazards, and neighborhood deterioration. In response, Detroit has been exploring “rightsizing the city” strategies. This effort, however, faces several challenges. Among the obstacles are how to decide which communities will be saved. While it is difficult to find a viable model of the rightsizing city in the empirical literature, there are some precedents. Even more difficult concerns, however, include how to address residents’ fears of forced relocations, and how to promote community participation and consensus. Time Magazine, The New York Times, and local Detroit newspapers have reported on residents’ fears and anger about not being kept informed, about not understanding the city’s intent, and the significant communication problems facing Detroit officials. The need to develop viable strategies for effective communication is, arguably, the most urgent and difficult challenge. Empirical literature on effective resident communication in the rightsizing cities is scant. My study addresses first steps for developing such strategies, i.e., understanding other rightsizing city models in terms of how well they promote effective community participation and communication. This research reports the outcomes of a case study on several cities (Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Cleveland) via a literature review, and interviews and site observations in those cities. The outcomes suggest that rightsizing city policies need to address economic opportunity, community health, social equity, and inclusive political process; and that civic engagement needs to effectively communicate the importance of equitable, grassroots-based, and human factor-focused developments.