Fascinating. I was just talking about this idea today (via the Telegraph):
Local politicians believe [Flint, Michigan] 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.
Most are former industrial cities in the “rust belt” of America’s Mid-West and North East. They include Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Memphis.
Too much of Philadelphia is configured as a City that no longer exists. It may be time for some areas to simply return to nature.
Tags: Baltimore, Barack Obama, Brookings Institution, Dan Kildee, Detroit, Detroit Michigan, Genesee County, Memphis, Michigan, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, U.S. government, United States, Washington, Washington United States
