I'm fairly skeptical about municipal government-led incentives to move to otherwise down and out cities. But, moving from the high cost costal cities to less expensive cities has been the social trend for a long time.
Urban Migration Patterns Show a Majority Leaving Biggest Metros for More Affordable Markets
While city-dwellers rarely chose to leave the urban setting entirely, the biggest MSAs saw hundreds of thousands leaving for smaller cities with more affordable housing.www.valuepenguin.com
So am I unless the "incentive" is improving transit connectivity between high coast coastal cities and nearby down and out cities. That benefits everyone, not just the handful of folks that are getting their moving costs taken care of.
I love living in the Boston area. I regularly defend the high cost for minimal space to my friends who are in the suburbs/exurbs. The three big reasons why I love it here are:
- The length of the commute and the number of options for commuting (transit, bike, walking, and yes... car).
- The easy access to a variety of amenities and entertainment in a concentrated area due the the urbanity/density of the city.
- The concentration of professionals in similar fields (and the networking opportunities).