The Shrinking Context of Warren

Abstract

Warren epitomizes the American dream of post-war suburban expansion. As part of the massive American suburbanization after World War II, Warren’s population surged from 42,653 to 179,260 from 1940 to 1970, making Warren one of the fastest growing cities in the nation at that time. Unfortunately, this unprecedented surge was followed by Warren being one of the faster-declining shrinking cities in the next two decades. Development of “better” suburbs with bigger homes allowed people and industry to move further out; leaving Warren with property values plummeting and vacant homes littering the once well-established residential neighborhoods. This phenomenon of shrinkage has been accentuated by collapsing real estate and financial market, followed by restructuring of the auto industry and rising unemployment, producing a crisis of extreme proportion.