Detroit is rotten to the core – partly due to ‘suburban flight’ and partly due to the erosion of its economic base. While I don’t think every US city will be affected by suburban flight, I think many cities are susceptible to economic deterioration – particularly if the city is associated with a single industry.
Furthermore, many cities may face similar conditions if the prices of oil and food skyrocket. In such a scenario, present models for cities won’t work.
Detroit has developed a radical plan to rural-ize the city by tearing down decrepit neighborhoods and replacing them with agriculture.
“Things that were unthinkable are now becoming thinkable,” said James W. Hughes, dean of the School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, who is among the urban experts watching the experiment with interest. “There is now a realization that past glories are never going to be recaptured. Some people probably don’t accept that, but that is the reality.”
