Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities

Former industrial and manufacturing hubs like Dayton, Ohio, and Gary, Indiana—known as legacy cities—need not choose between economic growth and equity, as growth is most durable when it benefits everyone. Legacy cities can promote long-term growth while addressing racial and economic inequities laid bare by COVID-19 using seven proven strategies laid out in this Policy Brief.

This Policy Brief condenses the Policy Focus Report, Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities: Investing in Residents from South Bend to Worcester, by Erica Spaid Patras, Alison Goebel, and Lindsey Elam and builds on the Legacy Cities Initiative network of community leaders and government officials working to create shared prosperity for legacy cities.