As we look at the "Vacantvilles"- those communities at the far reaches of the metro areas- where foreclosures and walk-aways number more than sales, it’s hard not to wonder, "What will become of all these empty homes if buyers don’t show?"  Perhaps it’s possible to see their future by looking at Youngstown, OH:

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (CNNMoney.com) — Youngstown, Ohio, has seen its population shrink by more than half over the past 40 years, leaving behind huge swaths of empty homes, streets and neighborhoods.

Now, in a radical move, the city – which has suffered since the steel industry left town and jobs dried up – is bulldozing abandoned buildings, tearing up blighted streets and converting entire blocks into open green spaces. More than 1,000 structures have been demolished so far.

Under the initiative, dubbed Plan 2010, city officials are also monitoring thinly-populated blocks. When only one or two occupied homes remain, the city offers incentives – up to $50,000 in grants – for those home owners to move, so that the entire area can be razed. The city will save by cutting back on services like garbage pick-ups and street lighting in deserted areas.

It’s not a program without its problems, but other cities are looking at Youngstown’s decision to "embrace downsizing".

Youngstown is demolishing older neighborhoods- it’s hard to look at spanking new communities with their greenbelts and community centers and picture them being bulldozed.  High gas prices and low demand however,  are blighting some of these communities as surely as lost jobs have hurt inner cities in the midwest.  In many instances, abandoned homes are becoming targets for crime and vandalism.  As in Youngstown, cities have to provide services to under-occupied areas. 

Demolition may sound harsh- but what else should be done with too many houses and not enough people?