How Youngstown Is Tackling the Housing Crisis

Mayor Jay Williams

How many of these relocations have you done so far?
I would almost say it's still in an experimental mode. We've done some relocations, but it has been very limited.

What's been the response to the initiative?
The community has been overwhelmingly supportive. There are critics to the Youngstown 2010 initiative; some are concerned about gentrification. And I've actually said that we could use a bit of managed gentrification. But we have to be sure that the people who are here aren't pushed out and put in conditions that would be not affordable. Overall, the Youngstown 2010 plan has been well embraced because it's about right-sizing the city and redefining the city economically and socially to where the world is today.

Have other communities inquired about the initiative?
Oh, absolutely. Communities across the country, communities across Ohio. I was invited to speak in Muncie, Ind., a few weeks ago. We've had lots of conversations—Dayton, Ohio; I'll be going to Des Moines. We've had the opportunity to visit and talk with communities across the country—and foreign entities—or have them come here. There have been foreign journalists and officials who have visited.

Do you think this plan could work in other communities?
I do. To a certain extent, there might be some things that are universally applicable. I also know that there are some things that other communities are doing that we could, I'm sure, learn from. And as I've come to understand, there are a number of European countries that have experienced this after the wars—World War II and some of the more recent wars. They have experienced this, and we've also thought that there were lessons that they might have for us and vice versa.