Hear the words, Flint, Michigan, and what comes to mind? For years, Flint, the birthplace of General Motors, has been on the decline. In this latest recession, it’s ended up with the same fortunes as the faltering auto company.
Entire rows of vacant homes and abandoned neighborhoods are the norm in the shrinking city of Flint. On some blocks, only one or two families remain, making it a neighborhood in name only. And Flint is not alone. As economic woes continue, older, industrial cities and towns are finding themselves looking back on the glory days while their communities shrivel up.
Dan Kildee, the treasurer of Genesee County surrounding Flint, Michigan is supporting an idea that could bring renewed life and vitality to the area; plant life, actually. Not a new car plant, but, rather, a return to nature.
His plan, albeit controversial to some, proposes to save the city by shrinking it. ‘Planned urban shrinkage’ would actually make the city not just smaller as the name suggests, but more livable, of better quality. Entire rows of empty houses would be bulldozed down and empty areas would be converted into natural spaces, filled with vegetation instead of abandoned buildings.
Kildee says that the plan must begin with psychological acceptance. That it’s ok to be smaller. It’s not an admission of defeat, its acceptance of the fact that half the population has left. Population loss does not have to equal the death of the city.
In a recession, city decline often happens in a haphazard, unplanned way. Most cities prepare for the expansion of their metropolis, not its shrinkage. However, by making the city occupy less square kilometers and allowing parts of it to return to nature without the need for water, sewer, and garbage services, it can operate more economically and efficiently.
In the end, the city becomes more attractive, thus drawing more people to move back. In theory anyway, planned urban shrinkage could lead to growth and prosperity. It’s a plan worth trying for shrinking cities with not much to lose and a whole lot to gain.
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You forget to mention WHY the County owns nearly one third of all the residential property in Flint. Blame it on the economy all you want, but the truth is people adjust to different income levels,
but GOVERNMENT does NOT. The level of Property TAXES in this County allows them to CONFISCATE much of our private property (real estate) for not paying 100% of the true cash value of the house every single year in taxes!!
Imagine paying twice what your house is now really worth in property taxes – that is what the people in Flint face. Perhaps if the taxes were not out of the world in relation to the real worth of the property people would stay. But since we are chasing them out, why not bulldoze the place and go back to green.