How would it be?

The most common adjective I ever hear used anymore to describe Buffalo, or Western New York, or Upstate New York in its entirety, is "dying". And I suppose that might be accurate. But "dying" implies moving toward a state of death, does it not? So here's my question: what will "dead" Buffalo look like? How will we know the city or region are dead? I assume the place will never look like the empty streetscape of The Omega Man, so what does it mean for a city to die? Are we literally talking about Western New York eventually looking like North Dakota?