preview

Pros And Cons Of Eminent Domain

Good Essays

Proponents of eminent domain point to the potential use of eminent domain as a component of urban renewal projects. They view eminent domain as a tool that can be used as part of urban renewal to help revitalize the economy of depressed areas by creating new jobs, building infrastructure, remedying unsafe conditions and housing, and improving the overall economic well-being of an area. For example, the construction of Minute Maid Park (a baseball stadium in Houston, Texas) “brings millions of people every year into downtown Houston, a place that had previously been a long way from being a lively 24/7 environment...Around the ballpark, developers have created loft dwellings for young professionals, old buildings have been transformed into hotels, and a new high-rise residential tower is under development” (Lewis). Proponents assert that the societal gains that occur from these projects are a fair tradeoff for individual’s relocation and loss of property. Eminent domain expert David Lewis points out that using eminent domain enjoys strong public support when used in projects such as constructing dams in …show more content…

When evaluating urban renewal projects, Professor Steven Cord found that “By far most of the housing destroyed was low cost housing,” (184). The statistics in Kelo also showed that 56 percent of nonwhites and 38 percent of whites displaced by urban renewal were qualified to receive public housing due to their low incomes. Further, the destruction of housing forces individuals to seek relocation housing. Relocation housing is not guaranteed to be readily available or to be superior to the housing destroyed (Cord 185). Eminent domain has broken up neighborhoods and forced out longtime residents (Cord 184). Businesses that are relocated often lose their customer base and often must pay higher rents (Cord 185). Nearly a third of relocated businesses never reopen at all (Cord

Get Access