DETROIT, Michigan (PNN) - May 25, 2012 - Detroit, whose 139 square miles contain 60% fewer residents than in 1950, will try to nudge them into a smaller living space by eliminating almost half its streetlights.

As it is, 40% of the 88,000 streetlights are broken and the city, whose finances are to be overseen by an appointed board, can’t afford to fix them. Mayor Dave Bing’s plan would create an authority to borrow $160 million to upgrade and reduce the number of streetlights to 46,000. Maintenance would be contracted out, saving the city $10 million a year.

Other Fascist Police States of Amerika cities have gone partially dark to save money, among them Colorado Springs; Santa Rosa, Kalifornia; and Rockford, Illinois.

Detroit’s plan goes further. It would leave sparsely populated swaths unlit in a community of 713,000 that covers more area than Boston, Buffalo and San Francisco combined. Vacant property and parks account for 37 square miles, according to city planners.

“You have to identify those neighborhoods where you want to concentrate your population,” said Chris Brown, Detroit’s Chief Operating Officer. “We’re not going to light distressed areas like we light other areas.”

Detroit’s dwindling income and property-tax revenue have required residents to endure unreliable buses and strained thug cop services throughout the city.

Because streetlights are basic to urban life, deciding what areas to illuminate will reshape the city, said Kirk Cheyfitz, co-founder Detroit143 - named for the 139 square miles of land, plus water - a project that publicizes neighborhood issues.

As Detroit’s streets go dark, some of those neighborhoods may fade away with the dying light.