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A vacant home near Sherrard Elementary School in Detroit. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)Detroit is tearing down thousands of vacant and dilapidated homes in hopes of revitalizing the downtrodden city.
Mayor Dave Bing promised Tuesday, in his first State of the City address he's given since coming to office 10 months ago, that his government will tear down 3,000 homes this year and 7,000 more by the time his term ends in 2014.
The demolition project begins April 1.
The abandoned homes are eyesores to the city, and hotspots for crime, Bing said.
A city survey indicates there are 30,000 vacant properties in Detroit.
Jeff Horner of Wayne State University's urban planning department in Detroit said Bing's plan is ambitious, yet needed for a city facing a budget deficit of more than $300 million US.
"I think Mayor Bing will continue to do a very good job of leveraging the private sector with these areas of the city that he is clearing for productive use," Horner told CBC News.
"It's something that is accomplishable with some help from outside agencies, namely the federal government."
U.S. President Barack Obama has already committed $20 million US to the demolition project and promised to visit and see Detroit's problems for himself.
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