"Cities, like forests, have their dens in which all their vilest and most terrible monsters hide. But in cities, what hides this way is ferocious, unclean, and petty, that is to say, ugly; in forests, what hides is ferocious, savage and great, that is to say beautiful. Den for den, those of beasts are preferable to those of men. Caverns are better than the wretched holes that shelter humanity." (Victor Hugo, Les Miserables; www.victorhugo.com)
Blight can kill a city. Empty, decaying houses fester and ooze much like gangrene on a soldier's torn leg, and the rot and stink of decay spreads, slowly but surely, from one house to another...and another...and another...until whole neighborhoods are consumed. Under the rot and stink of decay, ugly things hide. The toll isn't just cosmetic and economic, either. Blight has a significant psychological impact. The physical decay of property and buildings erodes souls and sucks the hope out of the people living in its midst.
When I moved here back in '03, the house across the street from my garage was a nice, respectable house with a nice, respectable family living in it. They had three teenage boys. The house, like the teenagers, was a bit rough around the edges - it was old, after all - but it was lived in, and the family kept it up. The boys spent every moment they could out in their driveway playing basketball with their friends. Most times, there would be upwards of twenty noisy, goofy kids out there shooting hoops, running and jumping in the driveway and out into the street with the clumsiness of Labrador puppies who haven't grown into their feet yet. It was great. I loved it. The sounds of a neighborhood full of life.
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| House across the street from my garage (view out my back door.) |
Sometime during the Great Recession that family left, abandoning the house, and the sounds of neighborhood life disappeared.
It didn't take long for the house to be stripped of anything of value - doors and windows; metal and all copper piping; and anything else that could be sold to scrapyards. Soon the house became a sanctuary for homeless people and a haven for drug dealers. A lot of 'sales meetings' occurred in that house. Frankly, I got a little nervous of some of the people lurking around and hiding inside of that house, and I began to feel bad about my neighborhood.
It didn't take long for the house to be stripped of anything of value - doors and windows; metal and all copper piping; and anything else that could be sold to scrapyards. Soon the house became a sanctuary for homeless people and a haven for drug dealers. A lot of 'sales meetings' occurred in that house. Frankly, I got a little nervous of some of the people lurking around and hiding inside of that house, and I began to feel bad about my neighborhood.
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| City arsonists, who target abandoned houses, struck in the night. |
But, what the city of Flint couldn't take care of, the vigilantes eventually did, and a couple of years later, the local arsonists (who have been very busy over the last few years) burned the house to the ground. I went out my back door one day and was shocked to see the only thing left was the cinder block basement and a pile of rubble. Charred wood bits and ash littered my yard and driveway, and the smell of scorched house burned my nostrils. My house and garage had been hosed down by the fire department to keep them from catching fire, as well (and I'd slept through the whole thing!)
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| The gaping hole where the house once stood. |
Not long after the fire, the city cleaned up the property. The only thing left was the driveway, and a giant hole in the ground where the house once stood. Eventually, the hole was filled in, and now it is just a nice, green, gently sloping, empty lot. It is a much better view than that old, tore up gangrenous house.
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| Now a nice, green city lot. |
That is the story of just one house. There are over 9000 abandoned and blighted properties in Flint right now, with little resources to deal with them. However, there is hope and help on the horizon. Michigan has just scored a $100-million federal grant to help erase blighted and abandoned properties. It is to be used to eliminate blight in five cities, and Flint is one of them.
Detroit, with over 78,000 abandoned and blighted properties will get the bulk of the grant ($52-million), followed by Flint which will get $20.1-million. The rest will go to Saginaw, Pontiac and Grand Rapids.
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| Flint Demolition Map 2013 Black Dots Are Houses Slated For Demolition |
<------- I live in the lower part of the green area on the right of the Flint river (the big river in the middle.)
This is great news for Flint, and demolition is already under way. It is estimated that the federal grant will take care of 40% of our blight, and that is HUGE.
I've already noticed a difference. It seems like every time I walk through my neighborhood, I notice another house gone, another property cleaned up. It's a great feeling out of which optimism and hope grows. Not just for me, but for my neighbors as well. Seeing abandoned houses disappear and the properties cleaned up spurs people to get out and maintain their own yards, and I see more of that while I'm out on my walks, as well. There are more people for me to say hello to - a first step in creating a sense of community.
How uplifting!
There is an extra unexpected benefit for me, too. When I began house hunting in 2002, I kind of wanted to be a little out in the country, someplace where the houses weren't right on top of each other, but I couldn't find anything I liked in my price range. Now, with houses disappearing and green spaces appearing where the houses used to be, all I have to do is sit back and wait for the country to come to me! Sweet!
Until next time,
Robin in Flint
Learn more about Flint at www.cityofflint.com
