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# How to resuscitate American cities
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/how-to-resusitate-american-cities/
- Published: 2008-12-11T11:12:07.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-14T22:42:27.000Z
- Description: Back from the brink, European cities leave a roadmap for ailing American ones.
- Author: big think
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:49

London School of Economics urbanologists have put together a short how-to for post-industrial cities to avoid complete obsolescence during the recession. Tracing the recent histories of Bremen, Bilbao, St. Etienne and four other formerly decrepit European burgs, the authors of *A Tale of 7 Cities* emphasize three fundamental steps cities need to follow to achieve urban renaissance: make high-tech often green investments, recruit workers laid off from failed industries and establish rock-solid mass transit networks. As the recession sinks its teeth into American cities like Toledo, Cincinnati and Buffalo--places that have only recently begun to rediscover their urban cores-- planners may wish to heed European models as blueprints. For specific ideas, reading is available at Germany’s [Werkstatt-Stadt ](http://www.werkstatt-stadt.de/en/?ref=opendemocracy.net)project which catalogs 156 of the country’s most innovative antidotes to the exurbs. And for the manpower, Sheffield’s [JOBMatch](http://www.creativesheffield.co.uk/InvestInSheffield/PeopleSkills/JOBMatch/?ref=opendemocracy.net) provides the links from the dole to employment–an effort not unlike Van Jones’ [Green For All](http://www.greenforall.org/?gfa%5Fsplash=1&ref=opendemocracy.net) on this side of the pond. When he sat down with [Big Think](http://www.bigthink.com/?ref=opendemocracy.net), he expalined how the US could recruit a corps of disadvantaged and underemployed Americans to kickstart the green-collar economy. Here is Mr. Jones rolling up his sleeves.