The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Detroit plans to demolish 10,000 vacant and abandoned homes like this one:
Perhaps this is a lifecycle of a city. I watched a special on the Discovery Channel the other night about the life cycle of stars – how they gain density to a point where the fusion begins, then grow and sadly, eventually die…some faster than others. Detroit, like many other rust belt cities has a serious problem: they have developed reputations as places that new businesses (JOBS!) dare not go. There is a moribund, union driven architecture of government that between taxes and regulation make them downright toxic.
But this is a step in the right direction. Destroying these blighted sores and returning the land to parks, urban farms etc. makes a lot of sense. Perhaps this is the first step towards a resurrection – we should watch closely to see it’s impact.
For more images of “feral homes,” click here.
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