The ongoing slow collapse of the US economy and bursting of the housing bubble will present unique opportunities for small communities. While Congress is debating over the best way to present how they steal money from the general public and send it off to the banks, local neighborhoods on city and county levels may be able to ensure their own longer-term survival in some form than relying on the central government for assistance.

One such local plan is being enacted by Youngstown, Ohio, which has experienced a large decrease in population levels of the past four decades. CNN reports that whole blocks of abandoned homes are being torn down and the land used for parks and other green areas.

This is a very positive development and one that can be used in various neighborhoods throughout the country. In areas that saw artificial capital pumped in to build up new suburbs, but which are now sitting half-abandoned, turning the land back into land is laying the groundwork for more sustainable uses later on.

Parks and open areas can provide a much safer solution than allowing homes to sit empty, as well. Houses that have been abandoned are increasingly becoming targets of squatters and suburban raiders stealing copper pipes and other metal, or they become crack houses. Torn-down buildings and children's parks a less apt to draw crime.

But even the open space or park does not contribute to the overall wealth of the community. Razing abandoned houses that no one wants to buy will help keep up property values in other areas of the community, but turning the area into a nature preserve only covers up the emptiness with nature. It addresses the foreclosure crisis, but not any of the other economic collapses.

With food prices in some areas of the world rising by more than 75% in just a few months, and ongoing food price inflation in the US, the next crisis to hit may be the inability of people to feed their own families. Oil, natural gas, home heating, and other commodities are also becoming more scarce, but all concerns about the price of gasoline go out the window when a family can not afford enough bread or milk.

This is why some cities can take Youngstown's idea even a step further and create community gardens. The produce can be sold at local farmers markets to provide the people living in the surrounding area with affordable, locally-grown food. Many cities have more than enough unused land even without tearing down abandoned homes, but the more that can be produced and sold locally, the more wealth will be kept in the community.

Every community that is experiencing a net population loss, declining property values due to high foreclosure rates, or a surplus of abandoned homes should consider enacting some way to keep homeowners in the area. Opening up the city by establishing new parks is one way to keep out extra crime and prop up home values, while community gardens can also help address the crisis of food prices and generate wealth for the local neighborhood.

It seems more unlikely that a fast collapse of the financial system will plunge the world into economic depression. More likely, a slow burn will ensue, as centers of power gather as much wealth as they can on the downside of the market, while the public finances its own impoverishment and waits for answers from Washington. Taking some responsibility for their own communities and enacting public programs to serve the area may allow some people to increase their quality of life, even in an economic downturn.

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