Where You Live Matters
After being rejected from every other internship I applied to, I ended up moving to Flint, MI, for a summer that changed the way I thought about the world. It was there that I helped launch a co-working space, brewed my own beer, and realized how much of an impact everyday people can have on the cities and communities they live in. Those experiences are what led me to write my book, Millennials and the Resurgence of the American City.
From the United States to Japan, people are having to make more sacrifices to have everything they need. Millennials are often choosing to sacrifice things like space and cost of living to optimize their quality of life. With thousands of dollars in student loans, high gas prices, and a job market millennials no longer trust after the 2008 economic crash, more and more people my age are looking for options.
So, how does my book Millennials and the Resurgence of the American City help? It attempts to answer the question of where our generation will live by focusing on me and my fifty million or so friends — millennials.
My book was written to help me understand what to expect from cities, neighborhoods and living areas for the next few decades. And at the same time it’s a tool for cities to better understand the ways to build and evolve their city priorities to attract my generation. That’s right, I’m a free agent and am already looking for a place to live.
Maybe I should move to Flint, Michigan.
What?
Flint, Michigan, like the place that has had the water crisis since 2014 where you literally can’t drink the tap water? Like the Flint that has 10 percent unemployment, more than double the national average and the average in Michigan? The Flint located in Genesee County that ranked 81 out of 82 in the state for overall healthy outcomes in 2017?
That Flint, Michigan?
Yes, that Flint, Michigan.
My book is designed to offer an alternative perspective to the future of cities, based on key premises about the next generations — what we’re looking for, what matters to us, and why what has worked before might not work again. Much of this argument stems from the belief that certain structural advantages exist in cities poised for a rebound — cities like Flint.
I am at the point in life where I’m wondering what’s ahead for me when it comes to where to live, how to live and what I really care about in life.
The research and theories in my book stem from the analysis of ten American cities that have already experienced their own rebounds in the past two decades. Cities including Phoenix, Denver, DC, Cleveland, El Paso and Pittsburgh offer us a look into policies and risks that cities — and some enterprising residents — have taken in order to revitalize a city and create a place to live that is affordable and lets them build a life. It’s a contrarian view to say cities that are struggling will be the next cities to be revitalized, but given the perspectives of our generation, don’t put it past us…
In the upcoming weeks, I’m going to be sharing some stories and excerpts from my book, Millenials and the Resurgence of the American City in a series of blog posts. I hope you follow along! If you want to connect, you can reach me here via email gkim9779@gmail.com or connect with me on social: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Also, you can find my book, on Amazon — here is the link to buy it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KPCBJDR
