Design by Deficit: Neglect and the Accidental City

EVERY CITY HAS A SHADOW, THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE SHAPING WHERE WE LIVE..."Full of insights, sharp analysis, and vivid images...powerfully communicates not only important ideas, but strong and inspiring new reasons for hope." --- Ava Ayers, Director of the Government Law Center and Assistant Professor of Law, Albany Law SchoolEvery city has a shadow: the unintentional consequences of tasks deferred and unfunded that shape the places we live and our lives within them. This neglect can be the primary designer of urban environments, and we never even see it. "What we don't see still exists, though. It works out of sight, behind our backs, and it's all the more powerful because it's unobserved. No matter where you live, I guarantee that something near you unraveled while you slept last night. Things do that: they fall apart.”With dynamic approachable style, Design by Deficit reveals neglect’s impacts - accidental urban nature, crumbling infrastructure, abandoned spaces beyond rules - and some surprising benefits. There’s crime and fear, but there’s also stress relief and life-sustaining ecology.As a longstanding trend already positioned in critical locations, neglect could be our secret weapon against climate change, inequality, and public health crises. Design by Deficit considers who will benefit, how to balance costs, and teaches a tactical approach that makes neglect work for policy, planning, and programming in the accidental city. Read more