Allentown fights back

Guests: James Fallows, CeCe Gerlach and Marielle Segarra

Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third largest city, is fighting back. With the loss of a large industrial base and the movement of residents to the suburbs, the city has been struggling for decades. Property values are among the lowest in the country and nearly 30% of residents live below the poverty line. But now, thanks to the designation of Allentown’s downtown as a Neighborhood Improvement Zone that incentivizes development, businesses and people are returning to the downtown. We’ll take a look at the reinvention of Allentown with three folks who have been watching the turnaround — JAMES FALLOWS has been writing about Allentown for The Atlantic as part of its American Futures Project, CECE GERLACH is a School Board Director at the Allentown Area School District, and MARIELLE SEGARRA, a reporter for WHYY’s Keystone Crossroads, a multi-station partnership focusing on urban policy, crumbling infrastructure and how distressed Pennsylvania cities are bouncing back.