Is Bulldozing most of a city a good idea?

It depends on the city in question.

There are reports coming out of Detroit that the city is looking to bulldoze 22 percent of city property that has been abandoned or blighted. The city is not looking to build on those properties either. They’re hoping that private companies and developers to rebuild, in theory.

So I’m sure you’re asking yourself what this has to do with crime. There’s a city in New Jersey that I think is worse off than Detroit even though they haven’t declared bankruptcy yet, surprisingly. Of course that city is Camden.

With less than half of the properties in Camden paying taxes it does no good to leave these properties dilapidated and as potential arson targets. Instead the taxes that are collected in the city can go towards bolstering its ‘metro’ police force rather than the infrastructure that’s being wasted by these properties.