A conversation on TED.com: why are there so many abandoned buildings and houses in the city i live in? I live in syracuse NY .

isabell pryor
Syracuse, NY
United States

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why are there so many abandoned buildings and houses in the city i live in? I live in syracuse NY .

they are eye sores and a total waste of space, i think. I am tierd of looking at them every where i go. they are on every side of town and something needs to be done with them or i feel they should tear them down. make a park or a garden or something that will benifit syracuse.

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Dustin Rodriguez 20+
- +1
May 28 2011: The answer is not too complicated. In your area, employers do not pay most people enough money to make it possible for them to reside in that area. Also, residents in the area insist on retaining high prices on their properties. If employers were forced to pay higher wages, or residents such as yourself voluntarily reduced their property values, there would be a higher level of occupancy.

The option that you recommend, that the empty buildings should be torn down and replaced with parks or gardens and the like.... you should think about that. Those buildings and the property they stand on are owned by people like you. You are suggesting that the government (or perhaps you would prefer a citizens group to do it, you didn't specify, but the requirements are the same) steal their property, destroy their buildings, and erect parks or gardens. And you suggest this with the motivating explanation being that you find them aesthetically unappealing. You 'feel' that property should be confiscated and reworked in order to satisfy your own sense of beauty. Perhaps instead of 'feeling', you should engage in 'thinking.' You might want to think about the consequences of your fleeting emotional urges before confessing them globally.
Mason Lugt
- +1
Apr 26 2011: I also live in Syracuse! It's been in a post-industrial decline since the 1980s, which has caused many thousands of people to leave the region to find work. Fortunately, there are some initiatives in place to repurpose some of the abandoned spaces. The Syracuse Urban Renewal Agency (SURA) is selling abandoned and tax-delinquent properties at low rates to encourage residency in failing neighborhoods. Syracuse Grows is buying empty plots to turn into community gardens. If you want to create a more beautiful city, consider getting involved in one of these?