This Telegraph (UK) article describes the real- and thought-experiments on bulldozing the shrinking (mostly rust belt) U.S. cities down to a manageable size. The shrinking population of these industrial areas can not support the infrastructure designed for larger populations. Better to bulldoze them and return them to the environment than poorly manage them, they think. The article is good; go there for more details.

Now, what can a writer do with this information?

• Crime: what fellows will the bulldozing crews dig up from under the roads and building foundations? Who stands to gain and lose the most from these activities? What will they do about it?
• Thrillers: who will find themselves caught in a building about to be demolished?
• SF: what pods, spaceships and ancient cities will be unearthed?
• Fantasy/Horror: zombies, vampires and politicians.
• Romance: (you have to get those demolition contracts somehow)