Government, business and environmental leaders say a federal report detailing Cincinnati's population decline over the last decade shows that suburban sprawl is threatening the region.

        Cincinnati's population has eroded by 9.2 percent over the last decade, a bigger drop than in any other major Ohio city. Among the nation's largest cities, population declined by a greater percentage only in St. Louis and five eastern cities, according to the U.S. Census report estimating population changes from 1990 to 1999.

        Hamilton County's population also declined, but the 13-county Greater Cincinnati region continued to grow, evidence that people are fleeing to the suburbs and beyond in pursuit of posh homes and better schools.

        Mayor Charlie Luken said he was “disturbed” by the city's large population drop while surrounding counties such as Boone, Warren, Butler and Clermont all added people.

        “The city has lost out on a great deal of families,” Mr. Luken said. “This not healthy for the city. We have a real opportunity in the next decade for the pendulum to swing back.”

        Official population counts are critical because they help decide how much federal money the city gets for transportation, social services, community development, public safety and grants. The Census figures released Thursday were estimates; the Census 2000 population count won't be available until March. That report will be used for federal funding and drawing political districts.

        Mr. Luken said the city recognizes the need to keep and attract people in the city. The city hopes projects such as The Banks — a retail/housing/entertainment district planned between the two riverfront stadiums — will encourage people to return downtown.

        The city also is working with private developers and Downtown Cincinnati Inc., a downtown advocacy group, to build more rentals and condos downtown and in Over-the-Rhine.

        The real challenge could be breathing life into the older neighborhoods and abandoned industrial sites.

        Joe Kramer, vice president of economic development for the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, said the governor's initiative to spend $400 million to redevelop urban areas and old industrial sites is vital for Cincinnati.

        “We've got to target the abandoned buildings, the unproductive pieces of property and bring jobs back to the urban core,” Mr. Kramer said. “We can't have the urban core be where all the poor people live.”

        Glen Brand of the Sierra Club said the Census report reinforces the point that government planners need to consider sprawl when approving transportation, housing and other projects.

        “It's a direct result of the poorly planned sprawl in Greater Cincinnati,” Mr. Brand said. “This information should get city and county officials to wake up and start implementing land-growth policies.'

        The six other cities that have lost a greater percentage of residents than Cincinnati are St. Louis; Washington D.C.; Baltimore; Norfolk, Va.; Philadelphia; and Buffalo.

        Each city lost population for different reasons, according to David Varady, professor of planning at the University of Cincinnati.

        Norfolk suffered the loss of de fense jobs when the U.S. government curbed military spending in the early 1990s. The largely white, more affluent residents of Baltimore and Philadelphia fled for the suburbs, but the cities were unable to attract immigrants to replenish the population as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago did.

        St. Louis' flat landscape made it unattractive for people who prefer homes on hills with a city view.

        “The presence of hills has been a stabilizing factor for Cincinnati,” said Mr. Varady, who wrote Selling Cities. “Cincinnati has a lot of advantages in terms of stable neighborhoods and good alternatives in the school.”

        A possible drawback for keeping people in Cincinnati: Housing is relatively cheap compared with other cities, so even less affluent families can afford to leave for the suburbs.

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