What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration, 1966-1999. In an e-mail interview, Suarez discussed his research into cities and the changes of their neighborhoods.
Immigration can, and is, halting population decline in a number of cities.
Latinos, in particular, but also South Asians in large numbers are reinvigorating sagging neighborhoods, renting and filling previously underused storefronts, and filling empty churches with prayer and music. Immigration cannot be the whole answer. Those cities that are not behaving as immigrant magnets, places like Baltimore, Cleveland, and Detroit, can't simply put out the welcome mat and wait for new Americans to work their magic. Another key question is. . Country of origin is going to have a big bearing on the number of years of education new adult immigrants have under their belts, willingness to work with government institutions like public schools and the police, and the amount of social services new residents will need.