Blighted Cities

Is demolishing parts of cities the way to save them?

Introduction

Dozens of cities, including Detroit, Flint, Mich., and Youngstown, Ohio, have been ravaged by staggering declines in population and vast neighborhood blight. Some planners are advocating controversial “shrinking-cities” strategies aimed at demolishing thousands of derelict structures, converting blighted blocks to open space or other uses and providing incentives for residents of decrepit neighborhoods to move to healthier ones, in part to save on municipal-service costs. But critics say ...

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