How the crash will reshape America

[TheBostonian]

This article in the Atlantic by Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class, predicts that some cities will fare much better than others through the economic crisis. NY, Boston, San Fran and DC win. Phoenix and Las Vegas lose. He thinks Charlotte might be ok.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/meltdown-geography

[Neo]

Cities are rarely the same before and after a crash as it requires the city to rethink how it does business and to diversify. I look forward to seeing how this country is reshaped by the current crisis but it won't last forever. Cities begin to take their economy for granted and when something happens in a specific sector or several sectors they find themselves in hard times.

Just take a look at cities like Detroit that were built around the auto industry. What was once a great city is now rarely mentioned unless you're discussing doom and gloom. Detroit has become a poster child for meltdown at the expense of the greatness of other cities like Charlotte. Hopefully Charlotte (and other cities) will take a queue from history and spread out their liability to recovery more quickly and lessen the impact of a future crisis.

[The Voice of Reason]

I think in this crash there are some major differences from past major crashes.

One example would be architecture and quality of buildings.

when companies come and go the only thing left is the built environment and the secondary effects on the community.

If bank of America went the way of the Hula Hoop, there would be some large office buildings, and the effects of donations and cultural institurions that benefited from the companies success.

Back in the day manufacturing towns built factories that were attractive and have become much sought after housing conversions in recent history.

The factories that were built in the South and West during the last 30 or so years have no such re-use.

I am not sure what this means, but the big box stores and factories of the 30 years will need to be re-invented for any benefit to come of them. The old brick storefronts from the last century have a retained value.

Skyscrapers from the 1980s are viable as offices, but they kill the street activity due to the design philosophy of that era.

Any city that just went through boom times in terms of construction is likely to recover from this crash much better than cities that did not boom, or cities that boomed in the 1980s only.

All modern highrises are much more street friendly(unless your planning department has its head in the ground)

if these buildings are built, you city is nicer for it. regardless if a major company fails is bought or moves away, you city still will attract jobs because it is attractive...

I hope that makes sense.

[Rural King]

Just take a look at cities like Detroit that were built around the auto industry. What was once a great city is now rarely mentioned unless you're discussing doom and gloom. Detroit has become a poster child for meltdown at the expense of the greatness of other cities like Charlotte. Hopefully Charlotte (and other cities) will take a queue from history and spread out their liability to recovery more quickly and lessen the impact of a future crisis.

[CorgiMatt]

The article attached is about the suburbs, once the symbol of the American dream, being fast on their way to becoming tomorrow's slums, from Charlotte to Sacramento......

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-...7&GT1=35000