It’s hard when we reside in a town that’s rapidly expanding to see the communities receding around us. We see square buildings popping up like mushrooms after a rain, and share our streets and favorite places with an increasing human stream. Housing is harder to find than a green unicorn, and we’re constantly showered in accolades for being “desirable.”

But Michigan itself faces quite a different scenario. More people died in Michigan in 2020 than were born. That’s the first time that’s happened since 1900, according to The Detroit News. Deaths related to COVID-19 drove a roughly 6 percent spike in rates, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. But it only hastened a process long in the making.

Our low birth rates, high death rates and more people using the exit doors than entryways is creating an ongoing ebb in our human capital. Data Driven Detroit surmises 2021 could be even worse.

The situation prompts reflection. Do we want to shrink to fit our population or try and add more people to catch up and grow? Both paths have perks and potholes, and we feel either one should prompt frank discussion of them.

Decreased population typically means decreased influence. We got a little taste of that in 2020, as the Census determined us a population loser and cut our government representation accordingly. Economic development suffers, as employers won’t locate businesses where the workforce is sparse. Government dollars and funding skew to population size, which impacts infrastructure. Schools and services shrink and consolidate, which eats at community identity. On the other hand, shrinking to fit isn’t in itself, bad. It can benefit sustainability and harmony. It’s practical. But the political weight of practicality is less than zero.

Calls to make the state a better, more marketable, “cooler” place are starting to chime. Calls for rebranding.

Well, we in Traverse City know a little about being the cool kid on the magazine covers. Perhaps the state should borrow a page from our playbook? If they did, we should add frank talk about our lessons learned. In Traverse City, unfettered growth without clear examination can create problems, like the lack of affordable housing and childcare that drives families away, eventually de-coring the community apple. It impacts our natural resources and the wildlife we share space with.

But most important to this playbook will be to support the kind of deep-thinking, problem-solving engagement wrought by a robust news environment and an engaged, informed populace.

Frank talk of benefits and drawbacks will result in a better solution overall. Growth gets smarter when we learn from our mistakes.

We also need to ask why people are leaving, and create environments where honest answers can thrive. We share the birth rate problem with many states, but attracting immigration will be a fundamental part of any plan.

Our shrinking should prompt deep thinking.