Green Shoots in Youngstown

American Public Media's Marketplace returns to Youngstown for an update on the Mahoning Valley economy. I like what Phil Kidd has to say:

That's who's being attracted to Youngstown. People who want to search for that answer, and people who want to engage in that process of figuring this out. It's like an urban laboratory of sorts.

If I merely want to blog about Rust Belt revitalization, then Pittsburgh makes for an excellent subject. But if I actually want to do something, implement my ideas, there is Youngstown. I doubt there is another city that affords this kind of opportunity to the legions of enterprising amateurs who dabble in policy, economic development and urban planning.

Rust Wire describes a daunting problem. I don't see decay. I see an urban frontier. I see a city that will let me, and anyone else, "figure this out."