Our last #CityTalk tweetchat on the topic of Failed Cities was a major success, with 366 tweets, and reaching 2.5 million on social media through impressions. It attracted a lot of attention in light of the recent news that Detroit would file for bankruptcy. One revelation during the #CityTalk was the broad definition and interpretation of “failure” or being a “failed city” was a good place to start with many #CityTalk ‘ers presenting different perspectives and views.
Several of the responses pointed towards the need to develop the diversity of the city, not only in terms of its people but also its economy and industries, cultural offering and spatial form. Many others took the point of view that people would indicate whether or not a city would fail, by either leaving the city or being uncomfortable while living there, as well as having a largely disengaged population who were not interested in the future of the city and were not consulted or engaged with. The role of government, local and national, was another key point with some pointing towards the abuse of power, and a lack of clear visions and strategies as reasons for city failure.
Here are some of the responses to why cities fail:
A1 Lack of economic diversity is a big contributor to failed cities #citytalk
— Kimberley Player (@kimberleyplay) September 18, 2013
A1 :: City failure happens when vision is too tightly controlled/centralized and community is disengaged or disinterested. #citytalk — HowardFreeman (@meadonmanhattan) September 18, 2013
A1 When people only feel comfortable in physical/defined places, never in the spaces between the places #citytalk — Mitchel Loring (@MLLoring) September 18, 2013
@thisbigcity A1 Lack of industry, no way to sustain itself. #citytalk — Crystal B (@crysb) September 18, 2013
A1: The abuse of power. #CityTalk
— Emma Jane Menteath (@emmamenteath) September 18, 2013
A1 A city that has failed to be sufficiently adaptive and diverse (economically, spatially and socially) #citytalk — Ruth Massey (@Ruthtmassey) September 18, 2013
A1 lack of a cohesive city identity/culture/character #citytalk — Mitchel Loring (@MLLoring) September 18, 2013
A1 Lack of diversity – on all levels. There must be diversification, diversity. #citytalk
— Renée van Staveren (@GlobalSitePlans) September 18, 2013
A1 – A failed city is one with a disengaged population #citytalk
— Joe Peach (@joepeach) September 18, 2013
.@thisbigcity A failed city is one that has lost the “soul” that people move to that city to be a part of. #citytalk — HowardFreeman (@meadonmanhattan) September 18, 2013
A1 – A failed city is where people don’t want to live #citytalk — Urbanista+Urbanólogo (@descriptiva_urb) September 18, 2013
A1: Cities fail when two things happens at first: bad management and lack of accurate planning. #citytalk
— Dana Fatol (@DFatol) September 18, 2013