The Shrinking Central City Amidst Growing Suburbs: Case Studies of Ohio's Inelastic Cities

Four of Ohio's urban areas have at their centers "inelastic" cities, or cities unable to grow through annexation. In this paper, we discuss the post-World War II development of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Youngstown, Ohio. Their most important common experience has been the loss of central-city population and housing units to the suburbs. Except for Cincinnati, the suburbs of these cities grew between 1970 and 1990 even though the population of the metropolitan area as a whole decreased. Another common experience is the degree to which these cities have been harmed by enhancements to the regional transportation system. The findings suggest that policies explicitly designed to manage further suburban sprawl and promote metropolitan cooperation are needed to maintain the viability of these cities.