All that needs to be done is to get them working together. For a developer or home builder or new business to be initially attracted back to the inner city, the city must provide a safe, attractive area that others also want to build around. Making an area attractive could also have the side effect of also making it more safe. The best way to make it both more attractive and safer is to offer the largest lots, conceivably contiguous whole city blocks that are clear of all old buildings and other items developers would have to, otherwise, pay to remove or clean up themselves. It is obvious most of current programs are not working as good as most of us would like them to work.
Most cities already have ambitious plans for redevelopment and the eyesores continue.
The cancerous cycle has been going on for decades from one administration's program to the next. These programs may already be a part of some city's' efforts and, indeed, former Secretary Kemp has said a program similar to the tax incentive was tried in the 1950's but failed. However, these ideas do have a little different twist and it would not be too costly to the government initially and, therefore, not hard to sell to other politicians. In a short time, it should well pay for itself and produce an abundance of taxes perpetually. In order for cities to be able to provide developers large, attractive plots of land, cities must take an aggressive posture on accumulating that land.