I have been to “ghost town” and I will talk about it at trainings and lectures on local development strategy, Cisco, Utah, USA

Cisco is a “ghost town” – an abandoned, small city in Utah, USA. Although I did not meet with its mayor (it was abandoned around 1990), it made a great impression on me. In the 20th century it has grown thanks to the extraction of oil & natural gas, handling of rail & road transit, and surrounding farms. It was also a small logistics, retail and service center. This is a great example of a city that collapsed because it lost its supralocal functions. It was caused by the bypassed construction of the I-70 motorway, globalization of fuel markets and technicisation of agriculture. There was no state or other public aid (subsidies, revitalization programs, special zones, etc.). In liberal US culture, organisms that struggle to sustain themselves have been, and often still are, simply allowed to collapse. The consequences of such a policy can of course be discussed. Nevertheless, it will be a great example for my trainings & lectures for municipal authorities & managers, and students on development strategies of communes/cities. It shows how important their supralocal relationships are for their development and provokes thinking how self-governments should develop and defend them. Although Cisco has only 4 inhabitants today, it still has a chance for revival. For example, the artist Eileen Muza tries to breathe new life into it developing the art residency “Cisco: Home of the Brave” and new oil exploration is carried out nearby. May it work!

See my own short footage of Cisco

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