WSJ looks at how Boston-Edison fights foreclosures

From white flight to the '67 riots, Boston-Edison has weathered some of Detroit's worst storms. And, unfortunately, they have another one to contend with - foreclosures. Neighbors in the district, however, aren't sitting on their hands, they're doing all they can to preserve Henry Ford's old neighborhood.

Excerpt:

In a few places, such as Boston-Edison, residents are taking matters into their own hands rather than waiting for political solutions. In Cleveland, a neighborhood group in the Slavic Village area organizes lawn mowing at vacant homes and encourages youths to paint cheerful designs on boarded-up windows. The city of Los Angeles is training neighborhood leaders to report signs of deterioration in vacant homes so action can be taken before blight spreads. Just Cause, a nonprofit group in Oakland, Calif., pressures utility companies not to shut off the water of tenants whose landlords are in foreclosure.

Boston-Edison has an edge over many other threatened areas because it has had an active neighborhood association since the 1920s. Neighbors know one another and can organize themselves for action.

Read the entire article here.