LA's Downtown Not the Only One Growing

The Transit Politic looks at the populations of American cities, and discusses how many have declined from 2000-2010, according to the census. But even in cities that saw decreases in population (not just the usual suspects like Detroit, but Chicago and St. Louis, too), their downtowns actually grew--Chicago's Loop grew by an astounding 76 percent and St. Louis' downtown gained thousands of people. The website makes the point that as people move into dense city centers, many are moving away from the outer neighborhoods of cities (e.g. into downtown LA, away from somewhere like Sherman Oaks): "The physical form of these [outer] areas is frequently very similar to that of safer, sometimes less-expensive suburbs — which may explain why an exodus from many cities continues at the municipal level. You cannot beat the suburbs at their own game." LA as a whole grew by 2.6 percent in the last decade, but as noted, downtown grew precipitously in the 2000s, by about 43 percent.
· The Downtown Renaissance Extends Its Reach [Transport Politic]
· Downtown: Now With More People Than Bismarck, N.D. [Curbed LA]