Collapse of Western cities

Synonyms

Urban decay, urban rot, urban blight, urban death

Primary Example

San Francisco, California, USA

Key Economic Drivers

Persistent inflation, commercial real estate market stress, high interest rates

Modern Media Context

Discussed in Episode 174 of the All-In Podcast

Sociological Factors

Population flight, high crime rates, shrinking tax bases, industrial collapse

1970-01-01

2024-04-12

Robert Drews described the collapse as "arguably the worst disaster in ancient history, even more calamitous than the collapse of the Western Roman Empire". Cultural memories of the disaster told of a "lost golden age". For example, Hesiod spoke of Ages of Gold, Silver, and Bronze, separated from the cruel modern Age of Iron by the Age of Heroes. Rodney Castleden suggests that memories of the Bronze Age collapse influenced Plato's story of Atlantis in Timaeus "Timaeus (dialogue)") and the [...] ### Debate [edit] Initially, historians believed that in the first phase of this period, almost every city between Pylos and Gaza was violently destroyed, and many were abandoned, including Hattusa, Mycenae, and Ugarit, with Robert Drews claiming that, "Within a period of forty to fifty years at the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the twelfth century, almost every significant city in the eastern Mediterranean world was destroyed, many of them never to be occupied again." [...] a result, there is a general agreement that earthquakes did not permanently destroy Mycenae or Tiryns because, as is highlighted by Guy Middleton, "Physical destruction then cannot fully explain the collapse". Drews points out that there was continued occupation at these sites, accompanied by attempts to rebuild, demonstrating the continuation of Tiryns as a settlement. Demand suggests instead that the cause could again be environmental, particularly the lack of homegrown food and the important

r/AskHistorians icon # What was it like when cities collapsed? So I've been into this body of work about cities lately and one of the interesting things is that cities are remarkably resilient ("only forty-two cities worldwide were permanently abandoned following destruction between the years 1100 and 1800.") but there are rare events in history where cities do collapse and are completely abandoned. [...] So my question is what was that like? What would be an example of a city collapse? Was it something that happened quickly or over the course of generations? What would daily life be like in a city that is collapsing? Was it more common for the city to persist at the expense of the periphery? # Related Answers Section [...] Anyone can view, post, and comment to this community ## Top Posts

Welcome back to World According to Briggs. Today, we journey into the heart of America to explore 10 towns on the brink of becoming ghost towns by 2050, places facing significant population decline. These forgotten places are grappling with severe economic decline and urban decay, leading to what many call shrinking cities. We'll examine the factors contributing to their demise, from industrial collapse to demographic shifts, exploring the harsh realities of America's forgotten towns. [...] Today on World According to Briggs, we explore 10 American towns that will be ghost towns by 2050. These are towns that have been losing population for decades. They have faced all kinds of problems. Economic decline, industrial collapse, shrinking tax bases, high crime rates, and major demographic shifts. If you're interested in urban decay, abandoned towns, shrinking cities, forgotten America, rust belt decline, and depopulation trends, this video is for you. Let's take a look. Number 10, [...] residents might hang on, but large portions of the city will likely be fully abandoned. Just river fog, collapsing brick, and the memory of a town that almost made it. Like I said earlier, they peaked at 15,000 in 1920. Here, 100 years later, in 2020, they have 1,602 residents. And there's no reason it'll ever come back. I mean, absolutely none. I've suggested moving there because the property is dirt cheap. You probably don't want to, but it was in a video where if you don't care about

Since the 1970s and 1980s, urban decay has been a phenomenon associated with some Western cities, metropolitan areas, and megalopolis's, especially in North America and parts of Europe. Cities have experienced population flights to the suburbs, exurbs, commuter towns, villages, hamlets "Hamlet (place)"), rural areas and outposts; 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, [...] 17. ^ a b c d e f g h i Power, Anne; Mumford, Katharine (1999). "The slow death of great cities? Urban abandonment or urban renaissance" (PDF). Joseph Rowntree Foundation. pp. 1–6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020. [...] 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. ## Aspects and causes [edit] Urban decay comprises various phenomena, which can include: