Building a Better Birmingham

Building a Better Birmimngham: A cooperative government could save the region

This article in The Birmingham News by John Rouse communicates several of the positives that would entail a regional merger of some sort for the benefit of the entire area. As the population of Birmingham proper continues to decline, Rouse points out that the combined population of the smaller cities surrounding Birmingham is greater than most cities in the South.

As a transplant to Birmingham, I've had a hard time putting my finger on the exact problem that has created such a divided area. Is it racism? Is it economic divisions? Is it just a passivity in planning? I'm not sure, but I tend to agree with most of what Rouse writes here and consider myself a supporter of a merged government of some sort even though I outside the "less desirable" city limits of Birmingham.