Heart of the City
I hate decline. Perhaps it’s related to my (relative?) youth or seeing the steady deterioration of those around me, but I have an unreasonable fear of aging and all things decaying – losing a skill, for example, is one of my most hated things.
So how could I enjoy living in a city like Buffalo, the epitome of decline? Once the eighth-largest city in the country and in a constant Canal-sparked frenzy, Buffalo is currently a beaten shell of its previous self. The downtown area shows a shocking contrast between abandoned factories and the city’s feeble attempts at reconstruction. On one side is a heavily damaged food processing plant, its elaborately painted title chipped beyond readability. On the other, HSBC Arena, bustling with NCAA-related activity.
However, and without any plausible explanation, I love it here. Whether it’s the quiet spaces of the suburban North Campus, tacit activity of South Campus, or the previously described architectural mess that is downtown Buffalo, there’s something interesting about my city that’s enough to create this odd internal smile whenever I’m outdoors. A smile that wells up every now and then leaving me with the unbridled joy of loving where I am.
Tom Martin
Apr 1, 08:57 PM
That is similar to how I feel about living in Tacoma. It’s the third largest city in the state and it is bustling with international trade and the diversity that it brings. One thing that always makes me smile is the electric light rail system we have that goes through Old Downtown as well as all the newer downtown core. Seeing the old buildings adjoined to new ones, or even being surrounded by them, is definitely a sight to see.
Even if it is known for it’s “Tacoma Aroma” due to the paper mills on the tide flats of our port.
Brian
Apr 2, 07:24 PM
I don’t find the “decline” that sad. I look at it as a sign of age not of decay. The city is old. And you’ll find the same signs of use in any major and large city in the world. I’d consider it something to be proud of. Those old buildings are monuments, look at them with pride.
Thame
Apr 4, 07:04 PM
Brian:
I know what you mean. Maybe with Buffalo the decilne a bit more pronounced given its tremendous growth in its early years as a terminus of the Erie Canal.
Some cities age gracefully, and I’m not sure Buffalo’s sudden drop allowed for that. Still, what I found so odd was that it really didn’t bother me.
The Irreverent Seraph
Apr 10, 01:34 AM
Industry based cities like Tacoma and to a lesser extent Buffalo are common to experience this type of degredation downswing. I say downswing because it does take time to diversify the economy of a city, especially if new investors are reluctant. This phenomenon is not exclusive to the U.S. I live in a Canadian city, dependant on pulp mills like Tacoma (the city also sits in a gigantic bowl, making sure the Tacoma Aroma, as it were, remains as long as possible)
Think of the city as a macrocosm of the human body. and some cities, just like some people, age gracefully, while others get a bad set of hairplugs and a secondhand Porche (metaphorically speaking, of course) There is decline of the body and decline of the mind. Decline of the body is inexorable, regardless of how well maintained it is. Decline of the mind is more subtle but equally disasterous in the long run. The city must decide which is more important.