A map of development since 1970 provides an example. Inevitably, city officials point out that random killings are uncommon, that most homicide victims are engaged in drug trade or die in quarrels with people they know. Granted, most people in Fort Wayne are not victims of serious crime. But this hardly soothes nervous residents. Of course, there's more than simply fear of crime and a desire for newer houses and suburban schools drawing people away from the city.
Older homes require more maintenance.
Owners hesitate to pour money into houses in neighborhoods with stagnant or declining property values. Often education and safety are intertwined with race, too. Few curbs on development Fort Wayne also spreads simply because it can. Fort Wayne Strategic Planner John Stafford remembers that 20 to 25 years ago, many thought unstable oil supplies and rising gas prices would slow suburban growth and bring people back to cities. Gas prices, adjusted for inflation, are now the cheapest in decades.