I’m reading a new report this week from the group PolicyLink, which takes a look at how smaller industrial cities such as Erie can restore their economic power.

The report argues that these smaller cities — many of them in the Northeast and Midwest — have been squeezed out of the national consciousness and have been unable to receive the support and expertise they need to thrive.

“Smaller industrial cities are caught in a policy and practice blind spot,” the report says. “They have slipped from the national consciousness, all but forgotten outside their own regions.”

It also offers some interesting case studies of cities, such as nearby Youngstown, that are taking aggressive steps to remake themselves.

Because of the amount of information included in this report, I’m going to parse out my reporting on it in bite-sized chunks.

The authors suggest some detailed steps cities such as Erie can take to become more competitive.

I’ll be taking a closer look at some of these ideas in coming days — and pointing to other cities that are embracing some of the proposed action items.

My hope is that we will be able to inspire a rich discussion about some specific steps Erie can take to become more competitive.