Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Jefferson County, in particular Birmingham, Alabama, was at one time a leader in steel and durable goods manufacturing. Known as "The Pittsburgh Of The South", the city of Birmingham erected a statue of Vulcan,the world's largest iron-ore statue, as a sign of its dominance. By 1980, nearly 15% of all working aged people in the county worked in this field. But the dominance would not last by 1990 that number had shrunk to only 2% causing economic perils, segregation, and migration still being felt today.

This presentation will focus on the years 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010 and, by mapping the locations of these plants and foundries, provide a look into the rise and fall of an industry. I will look at the cities policies towards this change and how the decisions ultimately backfired on them. I will also look at what other post-industrial cities have done to see if this can be applied to Birmingham and formulate my own researched policy change proposals for the city moving forward.