Blight is in the Eyes of the Beholder

Blight is in the Eyes of the Beholder

Jane Jacobs' explained blight in her book "The Death an Life of Great
American Cities." Government officials and professional planners declare
diverse,
thriving, exciting and safe neighborhoods blighted. Bankers refuse to grant
loans to residents of those neighborhoods.
If they are allowed to survive the "blighted" neighborhoods can unslum
themselves without outside help. But if the power of eminent domain is applied
to destroy a neighborhood there is no defense. Has Columbia adopted the
practices of Robert Moses?

--
Roy Bercaw, Editor
ENOUGH ROOM
Cambridge MA USA


EVICTIONS MADE (TOO) EASY
By TOM ELLIOTT
New York Post

September 19, 2007 -- TO realize its planned expansion in Manhattanville,
Columbia University will need the power of eminent domain - that is, the ability
to force property owners to sell at a "fair" price, below what they'd otherwise
hold out for. The prospect of such takings has probably caused more resentment
than any other part of the school's plan.

Technically, the power would be exercised by the state-run Empire State
Development Corp. (ESDC) - which must first reach a formal finding that the area
is "blighted."

But the ESDC has subcontracted the study that will make that determination to
the consulting firm of AKRF - which Columbia itself has already hired to help
sell its overall plan to city officials.

This arrangement inspired locals like Nick Sprayregen to sue - demanding the
ESDC produce its communications with AKRF to see if the consulting firm is truly
acting as an independent arbiter.

A judge agreed: "While acting for Columbia, AKRF has an interest of its own in
the outcome of [ESDC's] action, as AKRF, presumably, seeks to succeed in
securing an outcome that its client, Columbia, would favor." But ESDC's appeal
of that ruling won't be heard until December, so everything's going ahead for
now.

Complicating matters is the fact that AKRF, which specializes in
environmental-impact statements, has been the government's go-to consultant for
just about every major development over the last six years.
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