OH: Youngstown bulldozes 1,000-plus buildings

[Breeze54]

Youngstown bulldozes 1,000-plus buildings

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2008/04/14/youngstown_bulldozes_1000-plus_buildings/2268/

Published: April 14, 2008

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, April 14 (UPI) --

More than 1,000 buildings in Youngstown, Ohio, have been bulldozed in a program meant
to answer to the issue of its shrinking population, officials said.

The city has been hit by downturns in the steel industry and an increase in foreclosures,
leaving abandoned houses and empty neighborhoods, CNNMoney.com reported.

A city program called Plan 2010 is set up to offer $50,000 grants to entice homeowners in
sparsely populated neighborhoods to move so the city can knock their houses down and return
the lots to green space.

"Abandoned houses here are like rainfall in the spring," Mayor Jay Williams said.

"That has gone on for decades."

In the past few decades, Youngstown's population has declined from 165,000 to just over 80,000.

"We're one of the first cities of significant size in the United States to embrace shrinkage," Williams said.

[mwb970]

1. It's an interesting idea.

Instead of having a shrunken urban core surrounded by blight, they tear down the blight so the city size matches the population. This makes it look more appealing, and they have lots of land ready when the inevitable recovery occurs.

Um, a recovery is inevitable, right?

[Breeze54]

2. "They knock their houses down and return lots of green space" -- Green space is good!

;)

[bunkerbuster1]

3. I read about this yesterday--sounds like what some declining towns need to do.

Bite the bullet and regroup. Can't speak for Youngstown from personal experience, though.

[annabanana]

4. So I can assume there is NO homelessness in Youngstown?

...........
...........
.... Oh. I see.

[Breeze54]

5. Well, I'm guessing if the houses were abandoned, they were in pretty bad shape.

:shrug:

[madrchsod]

6. those houses were probably stripped

of every thing that was salvageable. they can not be rebuilt.
people are stripping the copper wire out of the street lamps and stop lights in a neighbor in chicago....

[RB TexLa]

7. We'll see if anyone follows their lead or if cities in decline will continue to spend millions to

try to revive their "former glory."

[semillama]

8. I think it's a pretty good idea

Wonder what sort of "green space" will be planned? Parks, managed woodlots, fields? I'd love to see some wetland restoration up there. I hope it's more thought out than just bulldozing and letting whatever grows spring up.