The Decay of American Cities
What went wrong and how to fix it

(Note in car window, San Francisco. Reddit)

Moving from city to city due to my rather unorthodox childhood, I have witnessed firsthand the fall from grace that is the American city living experience. Although a trend discernable for years now, the sharp decline has only recently become more apparent. Let's go down the line.

Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue and private employment. Portland, Oregon, is one of the largest cities on the West Coast. Despite these observations, there remain zero Walmart stores in Portland after the last two permanently closed this March.

For years, Portland treated shoplifting like someone leaving the toilet seat up: a mild inconvenience. It wasn't uncommon for criminals to casually walk into stores, fill up shopping carts, and leave without provocation. "For a long time we kind of let everybody get away with it, we just didn't have the resources to actually touch on it," one resident told the local media.

It was only a matter of time before businesses like Walmart fled the area. Believe it or not, operating in areas where payment is optional isn't the most effective business strategy.

As a result of the closures, around 600 people will lose their jobs, and thousands of residents in the nearby neighborhoods will feel the repercussions of a growing food desert.

In April 2023, big-box stores in Denver, Colorado, began to secure aluminum foil in locked cases. A security guard at one store describes a typical day prior to the cases being installed, witnessing junkies swipe aluminum foil straight from the shelves and proceed to use it to heat their blue pills before smoking fentanyl in the middle of the store. "I had to go home because I just got too f*****g high," the guard said, describing one day when he encountered a cloud of smoke from an addict in the store.

The Denver lockbox experience is not limited to junkie-proofing the aluminum foil. During the same month, at a CVS on the corner of the same street, the drink coolers and food freezers were also equipped with locks. To purchase an Arizona Iced Tea, priced at a whopping 99 cents, you now need to press a button for a manager to assist you.

Despite increased measures retailers took to curb theft, most of the effort remains futile. Target released a statement in September 2023 stating that it plans to close nine stores in four locations: San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and New York City.

These closures are exceptionally notable due to the sheer amount Target has already invested in theft prevention. More security, third-party guard services, employee training, and lock boxes were thought to be enough to reduce retail crime. The results were insufficient; Target cited "fundamental challenges" to safely operate the stores, with violent incidents against workers increasing 120% in the first half of 2023 compared to last year.

When I visited my extended family in San Francisco last Thanksgiving, I found it rather worrying that almost every car I saw on the street had its windows cracked and seats folded down; many attached notes pleading for their vehicles to be spared, and others left their trunk wide open. I quickly discovered why this was the case: shattered glass lined the curbs like fresh Christmas snow.

Make no mistake, this can't be chalked up to simply being anecdotal evidence. The San Francisco Police Department has reported an almost 50% increase in car thefts and a 32% increase in car break-ins since 2019.

In the past, it was common for our grandparents to leave their car doors unlocked—not to show thieves that there were no valuables present—but out of pure trust in the community. Sixty years later, urbanites do the same, knowing that if their windows are shattered, there will be no chance of help from law enforcement.

For the culprit of this decline, we should point to increased poverty and social unrest relentlessly fueled by the progressives that run these cities.

First, skyrocketing tax rates take money out of the pockets of hardworking Americans with no results from local governments to show for it. To solve their public defecation problem, the local San Francisco government decided to put their foot down and build more toilets. The price tag they arrived on was $1.7 million per 150-square-foot public restroom. Thankfully, the cost of a new trash can is not nearly as steep at $20,000.

Second, strict zoning regulations prevent the construction of affordable housing and the establishment and expansion of businesses. Contrary to the claim that greedy, Scrooge McDuck-esque capitalists are the ones to blame for rising homelessness rates, there is a simpler explanation: nobody is building new homes.

Zoning regulations, which assign plots of land to a specific purpose, allow local governments to exercise complete control over what is built and where. Because of these regulations, apartments are banned in over 70% of residential areas in major U.S. cities. At its core, it is a supply and demand problem. As cities became larger, housing became more expensive. Yet, instead of building new apartments to follow the demand, government overreach priced impoverished families out of their cozy homes and into the streets.

The same zoning laws that cause rampant homelessness are also terrible for businesses and entrepreneurship. Draconian permitting regimes operate to artificially restrict the available property market and drive the development price up for developers, hindering small businesses from coming to fruition and forcing stores to pass on the costs to consumers.

Last, the absence of repercussions for the majority of committed crimes fails to deter potential criminals, and fuels repeat offenders. Because of progressive prosecutors in San Francisco, residents are free to steal from any store without risk of arrest, as long as what's in their cart adds up to less than $950. Even if a criminal is locked up, chances are they'll be able to walk free; in cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago, bail has been eliminated for most crimes.

It's no secret that Americans are leaving cities in droves for conservative-run states such as Texas and Florida. These people are not seeking out the ideological fervor of men like Ron DeSantis and Ted Cruz. Instead, they crave the polar opposite of their urban nightmare: green grass, more money in the bank, booming business, and safe neighborhoods.

Of course, wealthy, champagne socialist Democrats don’t care about these issues. They instead focus on funding trendy progressive policies such as infeasible green energy sources and replacing police officers with social workers. Their income allows them to move to a nicer subdivision, avoid public transportation, and repair that shattered car window every two weeks. Yet, they will continue to fuel the politicians at the root of the problem.

The solution to saving American cities is simple: trust the markets.

An unfettered free market economy builds apartments when people need them. A free market doesn't waste millions on overengineered toilets and trash cans; they're purchased at a fair value. With no homeless and a healthy economy, few see fit to rob a Walmart or Target.

That's not to say unregulated capitalism would eradicate crime in its entirety. There will always be deviants in a society who will look to seek havoc. One day, the crime-mitigating benefits of a free market economy might be so great that Democrats can have their wish to defund the police fulfilled without a dramatic uptick in homicides. But for now, it's just a pipe dream.

Having lived in small-town Pennsylvania since the onset of the pandemic, it almost feels as if rural and urban life in the United States have become two separate worlds. While my family reaps the benefits of clear skies, cheap groceries, and the feeling of safety in our own community, those who have chosen to remain in what is left of our once-great cities continue to suffer a worse quality of life for a higher price tag—whether they realize it or not.

However, it doesn't have to be this way. One way or another, the American city can persevere. Whether it will be through common sense free-market reform or via a mass exodus that requires us to rebuild from the ashes is yet to be seen. The former seems a lot easier to me.

The opinions expressed in this magazine are the author's own and do not reflect the official policy or position of The Spectator, or any students or other contributors associated with the magazine. It is the intention of The Spectator to promote student thought and civil discourse, and it is our hope to maintain that civility in all discussions