Author | M. Martínez EuklidiadasOne century they are flourishing, the driving force behind the economy, and the next, they are a shadow of their former self. A little later the last houses resist the passage of time with their sunken roofs. The economy comes to a halt, firms leave in search of the wealthy upper class, and what is left behind is an impoverished population with insufficient skills to invest in the city. That is how cities die.
Signs to recognize and identify a dying city
Although there are no set rules to identify a dying city, there are factors that provide clues in this regard. The analysis of the per capita income drop, the lack of social infrastructures, the fall in house prices, the rusting industrial belt or the continuous migration of the wealthy population, are signs of a dying city.Per capita income drop compared with other cities

Rapid drop in house prices

The slow emptying of cities

Education, the basic element for a city to survive
Throughout the 19th century, many industrial cities experienced rapid growth, such as Manchester, which went from having less than 100,000 inhabitants in 1800, to 750,000 in 1931. Since then, the city has experienced a mass exodus, leaving it with fewer than 550,000 inhabitants. Its big mistake was not using the surplus to invest in the type of education that would end up displacing the industry.Detroit, the rise of the industrial city
The city of Detroit is often used to illustrate the rise and fall of cities. With a population of just a few families in 1800, by 1900 it was a thriving metropolis with almost 300,000 inhabitants Its first decisive point came in 1960, with 1,670,144, however, by then, it was already fatally wounded.For decades, this industrial city was one of the greatest manufacturing centers of the United States, particularly during the westward expansion period -its privileged position next to the Great Lakes and the direct route from New York gave it an advantage- and during the world wars.The investment in heavy industry, the lack of competition from other parts of the world and an unrivalled canal infrastructure -the Erie Canal, inaugurated in 1825, was 380 miles long, running from Lake Erie to New York, and transported all types of raw materials- attracted companies such as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which allowed it to grow and become a global leader.The Third Industrial Revolution: Goodbye Detroit
Detroit, as with Manchester in the United Kingdom or Bilbao in Spain, is a direct child of the First Industrial Revolution (1760-1830) and they are precursors of the Second Industrial Revolution (1860-1917). They became powerful in metallurgy and in exchanging heavy materials, until global competition made them unable to compete. They were victims of the Third Industrial Revolution (1965-1990).Many of these cities, particularly Detroit, invested all of their resources in preserving their industry. Decade after decade, they spent vast sums of money in maintaining their current position, ignoring the economic change that would come. The result was a workforce made up of various generations of very skilled workers in specific tasks but without any quality formal education.By around 1920 in the United Kingdom and 1930 in the United States, the slowing down of the rate at which industrial cities were growing should have served as a sign to invest in schools, but things had been done in a specific way for too long. One last generation of young sixteen year-olds without formal training ventured out in search of the factories, only to discover that these were closing one after another.Is it feasible to resuscitate a dying city?

Investing in long-term education, the key to everything
