Explores why people stay in vulnerable cities by looking at Syracuse New York through the contemporary experiences of five citizens.Why do people stay in a struggling city City on the Edge explores this question through the lives of five people in Syracuse New York a quintessential rustbelt metropolis. Once a booming industrial center with a dynamic civic life and prominence on the world stage Syracuse has endured decades of crime drugs economic depression absentminded political leadership and population decline. Michael Streissguth spent more than three years interviewing a young survivor of the streets a refugee from Cuba an urban farmer a community activist and a city elder who shared their stories as they found ways to make life work against sometimes formidable odds.