In a piece for CityLab, Richey Pipparinen argues that trigger-happy city officials need to slow down their push to demolish homes.

Shrinking rust belt cities often manage decline by getting rid of vacant housing. In the short term, that means unsightly and unloved buildings are demolished or literally burned down in some cases. "The problem, of course, is that if you manage decline you are likely to get, well, decline," Richey Pipparinen writes for CityLab. Pipparinen reports that, increasingly, studies are showing that this strategy doesn't lead to turnarounds and neighborhoods that have dramatically reduced their housing did not see their housing market bounce back.
"Perfecting managed decline is an example of the 'fallacy of the first attitude,' a term Lewis Mumford used when describing how leaders make decisions on the assumption that yesterday’s trend lines will carry on indefinitely," Pipparinen argues. Instead of adopting a defeatist attitude toward cities and neighborhoods, city officials would do better to use their existing assets to prepare for a future that is uncertain—for growing and shrinking cities alike.
FULL STORY: 'Smart Decline' Is Dumb

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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