Ohio mayor takes unique approach to shrinking population

The newly elected mayor of Youngstown, OH is dealing with the loss of half of the city's population by cutting off city services to abandoned areas, creating pocket parks, advicating for renovation rather than new construction and turning over city-owned vacant land to adjacent property owners.

Excerpt from article:

At its peak, Youngstown supported 170,000 residents. Now, with less than half that number living amid shuttered steel factories, the city and Youngstown State University are implementing a blueprint for a smaller town that retains the best features of the metropolis Youngstown used to be. Few communities of 80,000 boast a symphony orchestra, two respected art museums, a university, a generously laid-out downtown and an urban park larger than Central Park.

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This article appreared in New York Time Magazine's 6th Annual "Big Ideas" issue. Another interesting, about the resurgence of "Big Urbanism," can be found here.