Downsizing Detroit

This piece talks about downsizing Detroit by converting some of the blighted parts into urban farms, growing vegetables and fruits instead of weeds in the open fields. I'm actually a fan of this, and I've written about it before. It makes no sense to fund city services to fund only a couple of occupied lots in acres and acres of abandoned property. It's one of the times I believe that eminent domain should absolutely be used--the city cannot support that large of a geographic area in which half its population has decided to abandon.

Here's more:

Now, a city of nearly 2 million in the 1950s has declined to less than half that number. On some blocks, only one or two occupied houses remain, surrounded by trash-strewn lots and vacant, burned-out homes. Scavengers have stripped anything of value from empty buildings. According to one recent estimate, Detroit has 33,500 empty houses and 91,000 vacant residential lots..

Faced with a $300 million budget deficit and a dwindling tax base, Mr. Bing says the city can't continue to pay for police patrols, fire protection and other services for all areas.

The current plan would demolish about 10,000 houses and empty buildings in three years and pump new investment into stronger neighborhoods. In the neighborhoods that would be cleared, the city would offer to relocate residents or buy them out. The city could use tax foreclosure to claim abandoned property and invoke eminent domain for those who refuse to leave, much as cities now do for freeway projects.