American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture
Read my latest, Don’t rebuild.
UPDATE:
Related: I have been to some of the locations mentioned in this article, Smashed, looted and burned by the mob – inside the destruction of Baltimore as shopkeepers tell how they fled burning shops and one says he called police 50 times – and nobody came
Government planning destroyed thousands of homes in the mid 1960s, causing major social upheaval, and they’re ready to do it again:
US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive
Dozens of US cities may have entire neighbourhoods bulldozed as part of drastic “shrink to survive” proposals being considered by the Obama administration to tackle economic decline.
The government looking at expanding a pioneering scheme in Flint, one of the poorest US cities, which involves razing entire districts and returning the land to nature.
Local politicians believe the city must contract by as much as 40 per cent, concentrating the dwindling population and local services into a more viable area.
The radical experiment is the brainchild of Dan Kildee, treasurer of Genesee County, which includes Flint.
Having outlined his strategy to Barack Obama during the election campaign, Mr Kildee has now been approached by the US government and a group of charities who want him to apply what he has learnt to the rest of the country.
Mr Kildee said he will concentrate on 50 cities, identified in a recent study by the Brookings Institution, an influential Washington think-tank, as potentially needing to shrink substantially to cope with their declining fortunes.
Among the cities the article mentions:
All to be going into the woods.
I’ll do a little research and find out what party has controlled these cities in the past thirty years.
UPDATE
Althouse wants to know,
What will these non-urban buffer zones really look like? Even if it is something like a forest — made of very fast-growing trees? — or meadow, what sorts of animals — rodent and human — will run wild there?
Update 2
Chicago Boyz:
What the HELL is wrong with these people? Yes, that is exactly what it means! Economically vibrant cities don’t shrink! Bulldozing deserted areas of cities maybe their only remaining response to such a massive failure but it’s insane to talk about the necessity as if it arose from some brilliant economic insight instead of pure desperation!
Indeed.
The mayor of Baltimore gets indicted for theft and perjury.
Name that party!
Washington Post:
12th paragraph down:
Dixon, a 55-year-old Democrat, served on the City Council from 1987 through 2007 and as council president from 1999 through 2007. She became mayor in January 2007, finishing the term of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, and was easily elected to a full, four-year term later that year.
Well, at least they did. CNN didn’t.
