rust-belts
Declining factory regions
Rust-belts is the plural of rust belt, referring to multiple regions characterized by industrial decline.
The original Rust Belt is the area of the northeastern and midwestern United States where manufacturing—especially steel and automotive—collapsed in the late twentieth century, leaving abandoned factories to rust.
The term now applies to similar regions elsewhere: Europe has its own rust-belts.
North-central American region
- Great LakesFive connected inland seas
- PennsylvaniaNortheastern founding colony state
- OhioMidwestern state, major river
- MichiganNorthern Great Lakes state
Indiana · Illinois · Wisconsin · Buffalo · Cleveland · Detroit · Pittsburgh · Gary
Manufacturing facilities ending operations
- plant shutdownsPermanent factory operation halts
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- economic declineFalling prosperity, shrinking output
- outsourcingThird-party task delegation
job losses · automation · downsizing · layoffs · ghost towns · population loss · urban decay · blight
Rebuilding an existing area
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- tech hubsRegions dense with startups
- startupsNewly launched businesses
- urban renewalRevitalizing decayed city areas
adaptive reuse · loft conversions · reinvention · resurgence
Alloy-producing industrial plants
- auto plantsVehicle manufacturing facilities
- manufacturingIndustrial product creation
- heavy industryCapital-intensive manufacturing sector
- foundriesMetal-casting plants
assembly lines · smokestacks · furnaces · ironworks · machine shops · metalworking · forges · smelters
Midwest
North-central American region
- Great LakesFive connected inland seas
- PennsylvaniaNortheastern founding colony state
- OhioMidwestern state, major river
Michigan · Indiana · Illinois · Wisconsin · Buffalo · Cleveland · Detroit · Pittsburgh · Gary · Youngstown
factory closures
Manufacturing facilities ending operations
- plant shutdownsPermanent factory operation halts
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- economic declineFalling prosperity, shrinking output
job losses · outsourcing · automation · downsizing · layoffs · ghost towns · population loss · urban decay · blight · disinvestment
redevelopment
Rebuilding an existing area
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- tech hubsRegions dense with startups
- startupsNewly launched businesses
urban renewal · adaptive reuse · loft conversions · reinvention · resurgence
steel mills
Alloy-producing industrial plants
- auto plantsVehicle manufacturing facilities
- manufacturingIndustrial product creation
- heavy industryCapital-intensive manufacturing sector
foundries · assembly lines · smokestacks · furnaces · ironworks · machine shops · metalworking · forges · smelters · fabrication