Create Jobs to Address Blight

According to New York Times op-ed contributor Diana Lind, neighborhood rehabilitation plans, particularly in the northeast, must address the need for jobs as much as the need to fix buildings to eliminate blight. Lind wrote in her January 24, 2011 piece, “The Bright Side of Blight” that “any plan to mitigate the vacant property crisis must not only include innovative urban planning, but also try to restore employment opportunities.” She cites a Philadelphia program that provides “low-skill residents with intensive education and then matches graduates with jobs” at local universities and businesses.