THE ABSOLUTE WORST PLACE TO LIVE IN AMERICA!!!

[Heracles 417]

What puzzles me is why are so many US cities run down?? I just don't get that..

I have a theory.

It's probably due to so many Americans wishing "government out of their lives." In other words, they want less government intervention and most of all, much less taxes. The problem with this is that it keeps government from performing essential duties in cities (such as cleaning up and renovating the rundown areas). The government needs to get it's resources from somewhere and with less taxation, it has less to work with (unless it prints money, but then that just results in inflation, which eventually defeats the entire purpose of doing it in the first place).

We're in an interesting situation. We want less government intrustion and to pay less in taxes, but we still want the government (on all levels) to do certain necessary things without pause. What many fail to understand is that the more we want the government to do for us and our cities, states and country, the more we need to "give up" control and pay in taxes.

It's a give-and-take scenario. We either keep control and our money, but learn to deal with things as they are or clean up after our messes, or we surrender some control and money to the government and let them handle it. We can't "have our cake and eat it too" as the old say goes.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. I have center - right wing views but hate it when I hear republicans calling for less government intervention and less taxes. It's like come one man. Tax cuts for anyone earning over $350,000 are bloody irrelevant and pointless. Someone in that bracket is not hurting for money. If you have a look at the countries with the highest living standard in the world they all pretty much have a hybrid capitalistic society with strong federal government intervention. A strong federal government is the key to success for any country in the 21st century. Katrina proved that in the end it all comes down to the federal government and certainly not some city, county or state to look out for us.

The US government needs to stop worring about distant places like Islamabad and start worrying about itself and its citizens. You those those people they where elected in to represent. And certainly not run the country as if it is their own private company. I think if anyone delegate from Russia, China etc saw Detroit they would laugh in Americas face. What good is it being a super power when you have nothing worth protecting. Or when your living standard is dropping yearly and is now ranked lower than most other 1st world nations.

Edited March 28, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[Jack and Barbara 0]

We want less government intrusion and to pay less in taxes, but we still want the government (on all levels) to do certain necessary things without pause. What many fail to understand is that the more we want the government to do for us and our cities, states and country, the more we need to "give up" control and pay in taxes.

good point. We pay in taxes for everything from police to federal park rangers. From cleaning up streets to going after big business pollution violators

[Mags 112]

I think the obsession with strip malls is another thing contributing to many run down areas.

Empty strip of land.

Build strip mall on it.

Strip mall fails to attract any shops.

Strip mall remains empty for a long time.

Empty strip of land.

Build strip mall on it......and so on.

Embrace the old historic buildings and houses. Preserve them and stop thinking that new builds are better.

The town I live in is rather pretty and really nice (pop 10,000). Low crime, lots of trees (it's an Arbor tree city) but this obsession with strip malls is going to kill it. The lack of respect for old houses is going to remove any history here. The lack of preservation on just the square horrifies me. Shops are allowed to change the historic frontages and slap on crappy signboards and so on rather than restore the masonry that is there already.

America should make more of an effort in ALL areas (rather than just places like Williamsburg) to preserve some of the wonderful places they have here before they fall to rack and ruin.

Just my 2c.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

That's true, Mags. Ironically, Detroit has some wonderful historic buildings. Unfortunately, the city just wants to tear them down.

[Heracles 417]

I think the obsession with strip malls is another thing contributing to many run down areas.

Empty strip of land.

Build strip mall on it.

Strip mall fails to attract any shops.

Strip mall remains empty for a long time.

Empty strip of land.

Build strip mall on it......and so on.

Embrace the old historic buildings and houses. Preserve them and stop thinking that new builds are better.

The town I live in is rather pretty and really nice (pop 10,000). Low crime, lots of trees (it's an Arbor tree city) but this obsession with strip malls is going to kill it. The lack of respect for old houses is going to remove any history here. The lack of preservation on just the square horrifies me. Shops are allowed to change the historic frontages and slap on crappy signboards and so on rather than restore the masonry that is there already.

America should make more of an effort in ALL areas (rather than just places like Williamsburg) to preserve some of the wonderful places they have here before they fall to rack and ruin.

Just my 2c.

Yep you also got it. I think this is the only country I have been to where the cities keeps on expanding out rather than improving the inner cities / suburbs. There are so many historic buildings in DC that are run down and in Ghettos. Where if you got the entire city and placed it on UK, Aus or Canada soil the same house with its proximity to the CBD would be worth $3 to $10 million. Richmond, Va the nations first capital has some beautiful inner city colonial and Victorian homes. Homes that are half the size and no where near as historical are selling for $2.5 million in Melbourne, AUS.

Edited March 28, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I think the obsession with strip malls is another thing contributing to many run down areas.

...

Embrace the old historic buildings and houses. Preserve them and stop thinking that new builds are better.

I agree with the general concept of preserving historical structures, but I don't see (locally speaking here) how that has contributed to urban blight.

In fact, speaking for my state, there are more historical homes in run down cities like Plainfield and Newark than in newer and wealthier suburbs. The blight and crime exists despite the pockets of preserved history. A drive through the historical sections of Plainfield during a summer afternoon is the most beautiful thing - gorgeous homes from the 1800s, one after another, entire blocks of them. They're not very well preserved, but they're still quite breathtaking. That same drive a few hours later, when it's dark? You might just catch a bullet.

[Heracles 417]

I agree with the general concept of preserving historical structures, but I don't see (locally speaking here) how that has contributed to urban blight.

In fact, speaking for my state, there are more historical homes in run down cities like Plainfield and Newark than in newer and wealthier suburbs. The blight and crime exists despite the pockets of preserved history. A drive through the historical sections of Plainfield during a summer afternoon is the most beautiful thing - gorgeous homes from the 1800s, one after another, entire blocks of them. They're not very well preserved, but they're still quite breathtaking. That same drive a few hours later, when it's dark? You might just catch a bullet.

Which is explained by my previous post. People here are obsessed with living in new suburbs. The vinyl sided homes get quite boring after a while. I have seen so many new estates all of the country with the bloody same cloned McMansion homes. No offense to anyone but half the NE is a 'has-been' kind of area. Whereas from my experience in Melbourne, they have a few historical suburbs but the rest are being torn down and replaced with new modern homes. Young professionals are keen on living either in the city or close to it there.

There is a lot that can be done. Any building that is abandoned should be knocked down. The politicians just need to travel a little abroad and the answers and ideas are there. not only does this improve the area but it creats a hell of a lot of jobs. I guess it comes back to what DeadPoolX was saying about government intervention.

Edited March 28, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Southern California is pretty bad for strip malls - in fact the construction industry there seems to be built up around pre-fabricated structures that can be set down and torn up within a matter of weeks; so its not inconceivable that an area can change substantially within a period of months, let alone years.

There are historic neighborhoods of course - my parents in law live in a (very nice) east LA suburb town that just had its bicentennial celebration. Contrast that with downtown LA where you have all the historic buildings - including The Bradbury Building (from Blade Runner) which are badly run down, and the deprived neighborhoods further south.

In the same city you have places where people leave their doors unlocked at night, and within 20-30 miles neighborhoods where you don't want to be caught on the street after dark.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

Everyone complains but you have no right to complain if you aren't doing something about it. Strip malls only survive if they have customers and they wouldn't even get through planning approval without a planning meeting which the public is invited and can dispute. It is up to the citizens to make the difference, not the government. Any commercial project can be stopped by a few citizens complaining. I worked for an A&E firm and the biggest problems we always had was getting approval through town meetings because a few people objected and the project would get killed. I have seen cities that have incentives to revitalize neighborhoods and it worked but I have also seen cities just die because everyone moved to the suburbs because they didn't want to do the work it would take to revitalize their city. America is the greatest country in the world but it doesn't mean we are perfect. It is the City, County, and State government the determines if a city will live or die. The suburbs were allowed to grow because the were given approval by local planning.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I'm surprised about Jax, I heard it was nice?

Jax made #3 on Forbes' list of America's cleanest cities.

[BJZags 17]

I'm surprised about Jax, I heard it was nice?

Jax made #3 on Forbes' list of America's cleanest cities.

That's good to know, I have a job interview there next month!

[pedroh 21]

the southeast side of charlotte..

the hood

[sj5 4]

Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana and, at No. 50, West Virginia. All suffer from a mix of toxic waste, lots of pollution and consumption and no clear plans to do anything about it. Expect them to remain that way

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I'm surprised about Jax, I heard it was nice?

Jax made #3 on Forbes' list of America's cleanest cities.

That's good to know, I have a job interview there next month!

Good Luck with that. FL is a nice place to live. We moved down here (Tampa) almost two years ago and still love it.

[Heracles 417]

Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana and, at No. 50, West Virginia. All suffer from a mix of toxic waste, lots of pollution and consumption and no clear plans to do anything about it. Expect them to remain that way

Not with the clowns in congress.