A new study using existing trends from the past 20 years predicted population decline in thousands of American cities over the next 80 years.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago used population projections to find that by the year 2100, nearly half of the nearly 30,000 cities in the United States will experience population decline.
The population decline would represent between 12% and 23% of the population of these cities, the study states. The consequences of such a decline will bring “unprecedented challenges,” the study explains in more detail.
These cities could face a loss of basic services such as transit, drinking water, electricity and Internet access.
Additionally, one problem posed by depopulation is a “shrinking tax base” that would undoubtedly affect basic city services.
“At the same time, rising demographic trends in resource-intensive suburban and peri-urban cities will likely remove access to much-needed resources in depopulated areas, further exacerbating their challenges,” the report states.
A population projection used by researchers found that nearly half of the nearly 30,000 cities in the United States will become a “ghost town.” The Washington Post via Getty Images
He went on to say: “While immigration could play a vital role, challenges in resource distribution will persist unless there is a paradigm shift away from planning based solely on growth.”
The study found that urban cities with lower median household incomes in the Northeast and Midwest would be more likely to experience depopulation over time than the Western and Southern regions of the United States.
The study authors predicted that Hawaii and the District of Columbia would not experience any population loss.
According to the study, urban cities with lower median household incomes in the Northeast and Midwest would likely experience depopulation over time more than the West and South.
While depopulation is occurring in many small cities across the country, the phenomenon is occurring in major “metropolitan centers” such as Detroit, Cleveland and St. Louis, which are “moderate to slow.”
While these cities are experiencing depopulation, the “suburban and peri-urban cities” that surround them are attracting residents.
The same trend is occurring in southern metropolitan centers like Columbus, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Memphis, Tennessee.
Cities could face a loss in services such as transit, drinking water, electricity and Internet access. fake images
On the other hand, blue states like California and New York saw an exodus of residents to southern red states following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The phenomenon, called the “Sunbelt migration,” was driven by high costs of living and high taxes, FOX Business previously reported.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn