Do ghost towns really die out?

"Throughout history and across many countries thousands of towns were abandoned for a variety of reasons. A town often becomes a ghost town because the natural resources and economic activity that supported its existence have failed to endure. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, floods and fires, government neglect, armed conflict, disease and environmental contamination are repeatedly the drivers for abandonment. Often it is a combination of factors that cause the town to lose its population, fading away in time and transforming itself into a place held only in the memory of those who lived there."

May East, 1st place winner of the ARL International Photo Contest "Changing Times - Changing Spaces", has written an article on abandonned towns and approaches on how to regenerate them. You can access the full article through this external link.