Urban decay (also known as
urban rot and
urban blight) is the process whereby a previously functioning
city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. It may feature
deindustrialization,
depopulation or changing population,
restructuring, abandoned buildings, high local
unemployment, fragmented families, political
disenfranchisement,
crime, and a desolate, inhospitable city landscape.