Middle-class families were fleeing the city. So Orfield became involved in a movement for regional reform. He joined with others to examine the pattern of problems in the Twin Cities, and found they were quite familiar. We weren't immune to these trends. They were just coming to us later, in much the same pattern as they hit those older areas.
Stores begin to suffer.
The resources that support local governments begin to decrease. At the same time social needs are beginning to increase around the urban core, the tax base begins to erode. It's a wicked cycle. While inner city problems are commonly acknowledged, Orfield's studies also discerned a newer phenomenon in the Twin Cities. For older suburbs, this signified troubled prospects.