Three of Detroit’s leaders recently met to brainstorm ways to rid urban areas of 78,000 abandoned structures. The small group is creating a strategy of how best to tackle the city’s overwhelming blight problem. Per The Detroit News:  

“We have to give consideration to what can be rehabbed, what can be saved, where the stable parts of the city are and what the environmental impacts are,” said Glenda Price, president of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, who was named to the panel by the Obama administration last month.

Gilbert, who has a reputation for getting things done promptly, has suggested a 60-day deadline for the task force to create a plan, Price said. Speaking at a recent tech conference in Detroit, Gilbert said removing derelict buildings will help spur development and create a feeling of “hope and optimism” among the city’s residents.