Don Lafreniere (SS/GLRC) along with colleagues Dayne Walling (U Minnesota) and Rick Sadler (Michigan State) presented a paper entitled “Rust Belt Cities as Exemplars for Urban Development Practice in a Low-Growth Future” at the International Seminar on Urban Form.
The paper outlines how slow- or no-growth communities in the American Rust Belt have responded to the socio-spatial processes shaping land use, development, and revitalization despite a long history of racial segregation and political fragmentation. The paper highlights the importance of community groups and civic networks in responding to these challenges in depopulating urban regions.