When I first heard about this phenomenon in America and some other parts of world, it was quite unbelievable as we are quite used to concept of cities growing and constantly pushing their boundaries out. But, some cities are shrinking and there's a need to find a solution to the problems they are facing. These are mostly triggered by a setback in local economy giving way to abandoned homes, empty lots and further to a loss of social fabric with people moving out and crime making neighborhoods unsafe and dreaded places to live. Rather than taking a route of bringing back the economy and people, the solutions proposed admit the fact of shrinking and focus on making it a safe and viable place to live in for the existing population.
We discussed its possible solutions and one of the most fitting was to bring back nature into the neighborhoods. The empty lots present a good opportunity to be converted into community gardens and parks or just to be restored back into forests. These could also be used for farming by the local people and therefore be a source of fresh food and outdoor recreation activity. If the produce is sold, it can bring economic benefit to the community. But these would require careful planning and a way to acquire the empty/abandoned homes; 'land banking' in this case. The challenges to implementing this 'rightsizing' strategy are many a times political where its hard for politicians to accept the reality. Nevertheless, if these solutions are accepted i see the neighborhoods developing a unique identity of their own, with a new healthy image. This could lead to a different genre of people being attracted towards these places , who love nature and want to live close to it and engage themselves with it. They would buy land here, which would not be expensive and build their homes. This would revitalize neighborhoods again and bring back a sense of community and belonging. Hence, the rightsizing might seem to be a notion devoid of hope, but it is potent of serving as a tool of revitalization.
We discussed its possible solutions and one of the most fitting was to bring back nature into the neighborhoods. The empty lots present a good opportunity to be converted into community gardens and parks or just to be restored back into forests. These could also be used for farming by the local people and therefore be a source of fresh food and outdoor recreation activity. If the produce is sold, it can bring economic benefit to the community. But these would require careful planning and a way to acquire the empty/abandoned homes; 'land banking' in this case. The challenges to implementing this 'rightsizing' strategy are many a times political where its hard for politicians to accept the reality. Nevertheless, if these solutions are accepted i see the neighborhoods developing a unique identity of their own, with a new healthy image. This could lead to a different genre of people being attracted towards these places , who love nature and want to live close to it and engage themselves with it. They would buy land here, which would not be expensive and build their homes. This would revitalize neighborhoods again and bring back a sense of community and belonging. Hence, the rightsizing might seem to be a notion devoid of hope, but it is potent of serving as a tool of revitalization.
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