Urban Decay

Topic

The degradation and decline of major cities, including Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago, characterized by issues like homelessness, crime, and a lack of public order.


First Mentioned

10/1/2025, 4:13:40 AM

Last Updated

10/3/2025, 4:34:30 AM

Research Retrieved

10/1/2025, 4:20:33 AM

Summary

Urban decay is a sociological process describing the deterioration and disrepair of a city or a part of it, stemming from various complex factors rather than a single cause. This phenomenon is prominently discussed in the context of California and Los Angeles, where developer Rick Caruso critiques the political leadership, particularly Mayor Karen Bass's administration, for perceived incompetence in handling issues like the LA wildfires. Caruso links these governance failures to broader problems of homelessness and urban decay, advocating for more competent, business-like leadership focused on policing and tangible results. The concept is understood as a consequence of factors like urban planning decisions, economic deprivation, and population shifts, and has been a notable phenomenon in Western cities since the 1970s and 1980s.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Definition

    Sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude.

  • Common Causes

    Urban planning decisions, economic deprivation, construction of freeways/railroad lines, depopulation by suburbanization, real estate redlining, immigration restrictions.

  • Field of Study

    Sociology, Urban Studies, Earth and Planetary Sciences

  • Key Characteristics

    Deterioration of urban areas, often resulting from abrupt interruptions in renewal processes due to political or societal changes.

  • Associated Visual Effects

    Blight (empty lots, buildings, condemned houses)

Timeline
  • Urban decay becomes a notable phenomenon associated with some Western cities, particularly in North America and parts of Europe, characterized by population flights to suburbs and exurb commuter towns. (Source: web_search_results)

    1970s-1980s

  • Redevelopment efforts in Central Business Districts (CBDs) shift focus from merely stamping out urban decay to improving urban livability for more prosperous residents, acknowledging that social problems require more than just physical planning solutions. (Source: web_search_results)

    1980s

  • Rick Caruso offers a sharp critique of California and Los Angeles leadership, framing the response to recent LA Wildfires as a catastrophic failure of governance and linking it to broader issues of homelessness and urban decay in the state. (Source: Document 79c177ec-7c9a-4159-8a99-369742d5d7a0)

    Recent

Urban decay

Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban decay.

Web Search Results
  • Urban Decay - an overview

    Skip to Main content My account Sign in # Urban Decay In subject area:Earth and Planetary Sciences Urban decay refers to the deterioration of urban areas, which is explained as a consequence of the time lag between urban expansion and urban renewal. It often results from abrupt interruptions in the renewal process, typically due to changes in the political system or major societal events. [...] As a result of decades of urban decay in the CBD, redevelopment and physical planning have taken on more teleological roles. At first these redevelopment initiatives attempted to stamp out urban decay only to realize that social problems cannot be solved by physical planning solutions alone. Since the 1980s redevelopment of the CBD has shifted to improving urban livability for conditionally more prosperous residents. This is part of a widespread willingness of municipal authorities to accept [...] In total, twenty-six papers were selected in this special volume, seeking to address the various issues we have identified. The different perspectives in these papers include: reviews, policy orientations, metric and indicators, consumer behaviors and lifestyles, innovative designs and implementations, and tools to accelerate the transitions to promote equitable, sustainable and livable cities. It is this order that we provide an overview of the works published. But, overlaps and interlinkages

  • Urban decay

    "Urban blight" redirects here. For the ska band, see Urban Blight (band) "Urban Blight (band)"). For the cosmetics company, see Urban Decay (cosmetics) "Urban Decay (cosmetics)"). For the 2007 film, see Urban Decay (film) "Urban Decay (film)"). Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban decay. [...] Since the 1970s and 1980s, urban decay has been a phenomenon associated with some Western cities, especially in North America and parts of Europe. Cities have experienced population flights to the suburbs and exurb commuter towns; often in the form of white flight. Another characteristic of urban decay is blight – the visual, psychological, and physical effects of living among empty lots, buildings, and condemned houses. [...] Urban decay is often the result of interrelated socioeconomic issues, including urban planning decisions, economic deprivation of the local populace, the construction of freeways and railroad lines that bypass or run through the area, depopulation by suburbanization of peripheral lands, real estate neighborhood redlining, and immigration restrictions. ## History [edit]

  • Urban Decay (cosmetics) - Wikipedia

    Urban DecayImage 4 Company typeSubsidiary IndustryCosmetics Founded 1996; 29 years ago(1996) Founder Pat Holmes, Sandy Lerner, Wende Zomnir and David Soward HeadquartersNewport Beach, California , United States Area served Worldwide Key people Tim Warner, CEO Wende Zomnir, CCO ProductsCosmetics and beauty products ParentL'Oréal Websiteurbandecay.com Urban Decay, an Americancosmetics brand headquartered in Newport Beach, California, is a subsidiary of French cosmetics company L'Oréal.( [...] Pink, red, and beige tones dominated the beauty industry palette until the mid-1990s.( In 1995, Sandy Lerner, a co-founder of Cisco Systems, and Patricia Holmes were at Lerner's mansion outside London when Holmes mixed raspberry and black to form a new color. Then, they decided to form a cosmetics company, which they named Urban Decay.( Launched in January 1996, it offered a line of ten lipsticks and 12 nail polishes. Their color palette was inspired by the urban landscape, with names such as [...] Urban Decay is certified by PETA as cruelty-free that avoids and committed to ending animal testing. They claim not to test their products on animals nor allowing others to test on their behalf. Furthermore, Urban Decay also demands their suppliers to confirm that their products were not tested on animals.( References [edit&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: References")]

  • Urban Decay: Shop Best-Selling Eyeliners, Setting Spray ...

    Unlock your boldest looks with Urban Decay. Shop must-have eyeliners, game-changing setting sprays, and cult-favorite eyeshadows. Elevate your makeup game

  • Urban Decay Cosmetics - 49 Products | Ulta Beauty

    Cream Stick Full Matte Dry Skin Type Normal Skin Type Radiant Buildable Medium No Spf Oil Free Shimmer Sensitive Skin Type Natural Volumizing Glitter Metallic Lengthening Setting Spray & Powder Light Eyeshadow Makeup Palettes Travel Size Makeup Makeup & Nail Gifts Eyeliner Eyeshadow Palettes Eyebrows Clean Ingredients Vegan Eye Primer & Base Sort by Sort by [...] Combination17 Products Available17 Dry13 Products Available13 Normal16 Products Available16 Oily16 Products Available16 Sensitive14 Products Available14 Benefit Full1 Products Available1 Lengthening3 Products Available3 Longwear2 Products Available2 Natural Look1 Products Available1 Volumizing3 Products Available3 Form [...] Combination17 Products Available17 Dry13 Products Available13 Normal16 Products Available16 Oily16 Products Available16 Sensitive14 Products Available14 Benefit Full1 Products Available1 Lengthening3 Products Available3 Longwear2 Products Available2 Natural Look1 Products Available1 Volumizing3 Products Available3 Form

Location Data

Urban Decay, 6, King Street, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, City of Westminster, Greater London, England, WC2E 8JG, United Kingdom

beauty

Coordinates: 51.5117317, -0.1239515

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