Urban civilizations continue to evolve and history is testimony that great civilizations have crumbled either due to the onslaught of natural disasters or gradual shift in economic trends. Environmental Graffiti, a blog with an eclectic mix of the most bizarre, funny and interesting environmental news on the planet, takes a look at such cities in the United States that may be endangered. News editor Ben Ray explores cities, which in the distant future could be reclaimed by nature. Like before, climate change and changing economies continue to influence the state of our cities.

In the latest article on Lost Cities of the Future, five American cities were listed. According to Ben Ray, these cities are:

5. Atlanta
In 2007, a drought dominated the city of the south. Despite above-average rainfall in 2008 so far, the situation remains difficult. Atlanta, being located in an area that is far away from any large water source, may eventually is forced to scale back, and climate change, as it takes hold, will only complicate matters, transforming the greenest city in America into a semi-desert environment.

4. Miami
The water that will be missing in Atlanta might in flood Miami. Ray say, “With much of the city at sea level, and already in a swampy condition with a high water table, the ground is poised to disappear from under the proud home of Crockett and Tubbs if the oceans begin to rise. Of course, this is the sort of phenomenon that normally takes place after endless amounts of time. Everybody will get out, but it’s possible that Miami will be a future Atlantis - a legend beneath the sea.”

3. Detroit
Detroit is the lone city on this list that’s already in the process of becoming ruins– over fifty percent of the city’s peak population has already moved away, and vast areas of the city have been demolished to hide the occupancy issues posed by this economic tragedy. Obviously there’s hope in radically paring down and repackaging the city, but the possibility of success is yet to be seen.

2. New Orleans
New Orleans, of course, already had one brush with death. Unfortunately, the city has yet to fully recover from the Katrina-inflicted blows, and the concern here is that if a large-scale disaster were to strike again, that the city would simply be left for ruins, tradition and culture or no.

1. Las Vegas
Las Vegas, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, actually happens to be in the midst of a drought so bad that it makes Atlanta’s pale in comparison. The city government is actually paying residents to take grass out of their yards, and writing tickets to people that water their lawn. The Las Vegas aquifer has dried up, and Lake Meade can’t support the demand of this tourist-heavy metropolis, leaving it asking very hard questions about sustainability.

If you have any cities in the world, that you feel could become wastelands in the future, please let us know in the comments.

See also 4 Lost Cities of the Americas.

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