GLUE: Preservation is key to revitalization

Channeling tax incentives into the under-used historic urban fabric of "Rustbelt" cities can produce the same urban environments as coastal cities, but without the prohibitive costs of living.

In GLUE's blog, writer Randy Vines of St. Louis argues that with urban living becoming desirable again, cities in the Midwest offer things that cannot be found in the Sunbelt - solid, architecturally-rich urban places built for people first.

He adds that older cities should continue, of course, to build new. But newer cities will never be able to create the authenticity one would find in a city like Cincinnati.

And you could never live within eight blocks of the city center for under $200,000 on either of the coasts.