Youngstown, Ohio officials have granted the city permission to bulldoze over 1,000 buildings in an attempt to handle the issue of its shrinking population
Youngstown has been hit by downturns in the steel industry and an increase in foreclosures, leaving abandoned houses, empty neighborhoods and poor real estate. As the industries have left the city, so has the population and desolation.
As a central city in the "Rust Belt", the once-large center of steel production is now suffering, especially since Youngstown Steel and Tube Company became defunct in 1977.
Other businesses have left Youngstown, even forcing residents to leave the city to go retail and grocery shopping.
A city program called Plan 2010 is set up to offer $50,000 grants to entice homeowners in sparsely populated neighborhoods to move so the city can knock their houses down, return the lots to green space and increase real estate opportunities. The city will save by cutting back on services like garbage pick-ups and street lighting in deserted areas.
Several organizations will join in the efforts to revitalize Youngstown, such as Youngstown CityScape, Defend Youngstown and the Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio.
In the past 40 years, Youngstown's population has declined from 165,000 to just over 80,000.
Youngstown has some bright spots that it currently offers. Its largest college, Youngstown State University, still attracts quality students due to its academic acumen.
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