Urban decay

Urban Decay identifies deficiencies of the physical structure of a city that lead to total destruction thereof can range from mild impairment of function or external appearance. The necessary structural investments to maintain the physical structure are no longer made.

Urban structures are worn and age, buildings are dilapidated, inoperative, or remain as brownfields. This concerns especially the historic structure, but also shabby large housing assets or operating systems that are no longer used.

Urban Decay can spread. When it is no longer invested in a district or in a building, then the probability increases that even in the building adjacent to or in the neighboring district of less is invested. In particular, if market-driven urban development dominates to urban decay spreads easily. The English name for urban decay, namely " blight ", which translates as " fungus " means suppressed this effect of " contagion" implicitly.

The circumstances that may lead to urban decay, are manifold. They always relate to the question of why nothing or not sufficient investment in the physical structure. This lack of investment activity may in turn be justified differently:

• Low demand for housing - for example as a result of a declining population - makes for falling prices and rising vacancy. The income for homeowners sink and there is too little capital for renewal available.
• The legal framework provides for a limitation of the rental income and other property income. This simultaneously remain stimuli for investment.
• The planning and urban activities ( infrastructure development, promotions, public building ) focus on the urban expansion and neglect the shabby neighborhood.
• Urban Decay can also be interpreted as friktionelles transition phenomenon from a use to another. The old usages no longer take place in buildings or neighborhoods, new uses are not yet available. Urban Decay is this a phenomenon of "zones in transition".

Intensive countermeasures in this area are set mainly by the urban movements of New Urbanism and Gentrification. Especially since many people are now interested again return to the city, gentrification has numerous buildings in city centers of older buildings renovated and restored, but - at the same time causing part of the surrounding areas are exposed to the urban decay - especially in North America.

As a particularly well-known example of urban decay in modern times is considered the demise of Detroit.