Originally Posted by
Roody
True, and a lot of young people are moving to Chicago and New York as well as Portland.
So how do you keep them in Lansing or Des Moines?
Most Mid West cities suffer one fatal flaw in trying to attract young people -- particularly young people in this economy. The urban population density is insufficient to support a strong "street life". The kind of side scene -- cafes, clubs, restaurants, corner grocery stores, ethnic shops, bookstores, etc . When you have cities built up around the automobile (and I believe Portland suffers also in that category...) the incentive to give up the automobile and walk/bike everywhere just isn't there. In Des Moines, walking to your destination is long and relatively featureless. You won't see a lot to amuse you on the way.
Setting up a more crowded city where walking and cycling really worked... that would attract this new generation.