> The tough thing is, the developers in that area are happy to let all the buildings rot and fall over, and eventually they can sell larger plots of land to pro

> The tough thing is, the developers in that area are happy to let all the buildings rot and fall over, and eventually they can sell larger plots of land to projects like the NGA, who are building a new $2 billion HQ [3] You're being awfully unfair to "developers." NGA was built on the former Pruitt-Igoe site. It was simply a demolished wasteland since 1976 and is now a functioning area with economic activity. As for the rest of it, "developers" won't even touch these buildings, many are abandoned and worth less than free considering the tax liens.