Small and midsized cities played a key role in the Industrial Revolution in the United States as hubs for the shipping, warehousing, and distribution of manufactured products. But as the twentieth century brought cheaper transportation and faster communication, these cities were hit hard by population losses and economic decline. In the twenty-first century, many former industrial hubs--from Springfield to Wichita, from Providence to Columbus--are finding pathways to reinvention. With innovative urban policies and design, once-declining cities are becoming the unlikely pioneers of...