3 Small City Anchor Institutions How can anchor institutions partner more effectively in small city governance? Many small cities are also college towns, and they often have medical centers tied to their universities. By the late 20th-century, the center of gravity in smaller places shifted toward education and healthcare following the decline of manufacturing. Medical and educational institutions grew rapidly as they received enormous amounts of government investment and research dollars for ‘national prosperity’ and ‘global prominence.’ Locally, this growth often contributed to uneven recovery of post-industrial cities. Cities came to see “meds and eds” as ideal partners; they were perceived as rooted, embedded, and far less likely to relocate than the industries they replaced. They anchor local economies and catalyze future community and economic development. But this stability and recovery isn’t guaranteed, and in financially strained cities, it can create overreliance and vulnerability if they decline or close.
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