After decades of growth and sprawl, the economic recession is forcing some cities to downsize and turn their abandoned neighborhoods back over to nature. Flint, Mich., the original home of General Motors now facing a staggering 20 percent unemployment rate, began bulldozing derelict outlying areas — a move that might save the city from bankruptcy.

Now the U.S. government and several charities are reviewing such “shrink to survive” programs and are considering launching similar razzings in other areas. According to the Telegraph (via Inhabitat), 50 economically depressed cities could be “pruned” as it were and turned back into meadows and forest, potentially freeing up resources for the citizens who remain.

Flint instituted the project after local politicians forecasted the city needed a 40 percent reduction in size to stay in the black. Amenities were stretched too thin over the 34-square-mile area.