Thousands of US cities are predicted to become ghost towns by 2100: New study

[Geee]

NY Post

A new study using existing trends from over the past 20 years predicted population decline in thousands of American cities over the next 80 years.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago used population projections to find that, by the year 2100, almost half of nearly 30,000 cities in the US will experience a population decline.

The population decline would represent 12%–23% of the population of these cities, the study states. The aftermath of such a decline will bring “unprecedented challenges,” the study explains further.

These cities could face a loss in basic services like transit, clean water, electricity and internet access.

Furthermore, an issue depopulation poses is a “dwindling tax base” that would certainly impact basic city services.

“Simultaneously, increasing population trends in resource-intensive suburban and periurban cities will probably take away access to much needed resources in depopulating areas, further exacerbating their challenges,” the report states.

 

It went on to say, “Although immigration could play a vital role, resource distribution challenges will persist unless a paradigm shift happens away from growth-based planning alone.”

The study found that urban cities with lower median household income in the Northeast and Midwest would more than likely experience depopulation over time than the West and Southern regions in the US.

The study’s authors predicted Hawaii and the District of Columbia would experience no loss of people at all.

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