What the Census is Telling Us

In an article in USA Today entitled "Iowa Population Shifts from Rural to Urban," the writer, Grant Schulte, discusses the new settlement patterns discovered by the 2010 census.  Four out of the five major cities of Iowa grew while only a third of counties grew.  The principle counties that did grow were primarily those that housed one of the major cities.  The worry with this growth is how it will affect the rural towns and industries of the Midwest.  Towns will begin to dry up and disappear creating ghost towns in the same pattern that they have in the past.

This article was of particular interest to me because as an architecture student, I am continually watching the migration habits of people and the way in which they live their lives.  In terms of architecture, this mass migration back to the cities that were previously abandoned in favor of the suburbs will have a profound affect on densification, the need for urban planning, and the amount of gentrification happening in a city.  This last impact is what is truly starting to cause concern in city officials and neighborhoods around major cities as a battle for land close to cities’ hearts commences.