Dear Urbanists,

Now that the hyperventilating over Cincinnati’s latest population loss figures has died down a bit, it’s time for Urbanists to review the facts, figure out what they mean, and redouble our efforts to reinvent Cincinnati as one of America’s premier places to live.

To review quickly, the Census Bureau found that Cincinnati lost 6.8% of its population between 2000 and 2005 – the fastest population loss of any major American city.  In fact, the City of Cincinnati has lost about a third of its population since 1970. *

At the same time, our principal “competitor” cities in the region gained population, although modestly.  Lexington-Fayette County gained 2.9%, bringing its population to 268,080; Louisville-Jefferson County gained 1% to 556,429; Columbus saw its population increase by 2.6% to a whopping 730,657; and Indianapolis grew by 0.3% and, with a current population of 784,118, is larger even than Columbus.

“Cities of Choice are made up of Neighborhoods of Choice – places with good amenities and strong identities.”

Since 2001, when we first started articulating basic Urbanist principles, we’ve emphasized a few key points:

1. •That “demographics are destiny.”  We mean by this that cities live or die based on whether or not people want to live in them.  Consequently, Cincinnati’s demographic decline isn’t just one big issue among others – it’s the most important issue confronting the city by orders of magnitude.  Indeed, most of the other issues are symptoms of the underlying demographic decline.
   

2. •That other old cities have stopped their population losses, or even gained population, because they’ve succeeded in attracting what is, in effect, a new middle class made up of young professionals, empty nesters, artists and creative people, gays, and immigrants.
   

3. •That “cities of choice” are made up of “neighborhoods of choice” – places with good amenities and strong identities.  In simple terms, cities are brought back to life one neighborhood at a time (including downtown neighborhoods).
   

4. •That it’s possible to market city living, especially in a city like Cincinnati with formidable arts and culture assets, historic neighborhoods with charming 19th and early 20th century architecture, hillside views and ample parks and green spaces.  One Cincinnati resident, when asked recently by a newspaper reporter if he would join his neighbors and move to the suburbs, stoutly maintained that he would do no such thing.  “Why would I trade a charming, historic neighborhood like this for a strip mall and an Appleby’s?” he asked.  Many people currently living in the anonymous suburbs share his view and can be reached by an effective campaign that markets the pleasures and satisfactions of the urban lifestyle.
   

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