"We think right now it's at a tipping point where the housing values will drastically decrease and it will become a very blighted area, " says Payne.

NPR: An Achilles' Heel In Charlotte's Housing Market

He said he thought the road widening was important as it would bring jobs to an area blighted by high unemployment.

BBC: A465 at Rhymney

Judge Thornton said however, that in an area blighted by low wages and high property prices, Cornwall Council was entitled to put little weight on a policy which "was not considered fit for purpose any more".

BBC: Lanner Parish Council loses judicial review on housing

Ms Haley said the area had been "blighted" for 44 years and they had "had enough".

BBC: Anger over Connon Bridge landfill extension plan

His predecessor, Cheryl Gillan, told the BBC: "I'm worried about my old area - Wales - which I think will be blighted partly by the proposals".

BBC: HS2 railway divides Welsh Secretaries past and present

Today, a town in New Jersey can designate a neighborhood as an "area in need of redevelopment, " the current vernacular for blighted, giving officials certain revitalization tools.

WSJ: Battle of the Beach