In this article ( http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/03/30/detroit-blight-tickets/70700698/ ) the city issues a plan that may seem to be a no brainer, to start dealing with blighted houses and businesses, ticketing. It is known that in Detroit many property owners do not take care of what is there, which has lead to the tremendous amount of blight in the city. After a house becomes vacant or a business moves, owner let there property deteriorate. The city believe the main reason is because no one is holding them accountable.
The city plans to combat this issue by handing out more tickets for property violations. These violations could range from graffiti to tall uncut grass and cost anywhere from $200 to several thousands. Not only does this apply to home owners, but also businesses.
This article was especially important to me. At my placement, we are tackling all of the blighted properties in our area. Abandoned houses become a nuisance and danger to the community. It opens up opportunities for squatters, drug trafficking and other undesirable activity. One part of our project is to take record of all the abandoned properties and research their owner in order to report them for not taking care of their property.
I believe Detroit is a city that has great potential. If we put our efforts together we can improve our neighborhoods and altogether our quality of life, but I believe the first step is accountability. Not only must we hold others accountable, but we must also give an account for ourselves in order for change to come about.
Quite an interesting article, it is interesting that the City of Detroit is doing something to fight off much of the blight in our neighborhoods. In many cases it seems as though neither party, the city nor the owners, do anything to the houses and businesses and just let it be. It is nice to see that one side is starting to take the beginning steps to fix the issue. Great Post