Reply #35: A couple of years ago Youngstown city council voted to turn off utilities [View All]

[Hestia]

to whole blocks of abandoned neighborhoods. The cost of doing saved the town millions. People could buy entire blocks for pennies on the dollar, but the city would not service any block that had no people on it. People had to make the decision to stay and use septic, or more closer into town.

Flint MI is right preparing the people for the same thing. Turning off the utilities and services and letting the abandoned neighborhoods go back to wilderness. Flint's mayor said that the city limits are around 32 square miles and is actually a model for sprawl that has gotten out of control.

I've also read articles regarding cities going back to gravel roads for outlying areas due to the cost of asphalt going through the roof.

There has been several articles about how people are just going to have to start moving back closer to city/urban centers because of the massive costs to service those areas. It costs less to have people do this and actually makes a city more viable to "new growth" (however you define it). We are going to have to start putting our money where our mouths are in that it just costs to much to let cities sprawl to the nth degree, along with energy costs and wasting of water resources.

Besides, houses in the inner areas are usually older and stand up better after retrofitting of weather stripping, insulation and double/triple pane windows. In moving back to the cities, you may actually know who your neighbors are again. Psychologically, it has to be better for people to not be so isolated.

As always, YMMV.