To begin urban renewal, a place must gain enough value to be worth something to someone with money and connections. Pretty pictures must be drawn up, token appeasements must be made to the squeaky wheels, and glorious promises must be made. Public officials must appear minimally tough and ask some “hard questions” and demonstrate their approval through tax breaks and token appeasements to their constituents.
Step Two of Urban Renewal
Grab the land and tear it down as quickly as possible. Its best to remove any large physical structures so that there’s no going back. If the urban renewal is in Brooklyn, you must create large graphically interesting banners and throw them over the now bare lots. Continue to make token appeasements.
Step Three of Urban Renewal
Assure people that the project is fine even in times of deepening recession. These assurances might not make a sane person believe you but if you say it enough some of those people might go away. When some of those people see it with their own two eyes, continue to insist that things are going just fine.
See, everything looks great.
Step Four of Urban Renewal
Quietly abandon your plans but don’t let anyone know. Be sure that you continue the scorched earth destruction and assure people that it’s only temporary.
Just don't let them look too closely.
Step Five of Urban Renewal
Sit on the project until the economy picks up again. Let the weeds grow and the fragmities take over. Hunker down until the economy picks up again and your assets again have enough value to be worth something to someone with money and connections.
Don’t worry too much about the destruction, it was kind of a dump to begin with.
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