In Political Science there’s something called the “conflict trap” where as violence within a country worsens, human security declines, which causes more violence, until the state can no longer uplift itself from this vicious cycle. It’s not hard to see this very same phenomena being explained in the Wallace-Wallace “Origins of Collapse”. In the conflict trap trajectory, a state is no longer structurally able to provide for its people. Without any sort of outside intervention, it will fail. 

Similarly in the “Origins of Collapse” piece, Wallace and Wallace calls for “a coordinated and comprehensive program to stem contagious urban decay reverse social disintegration” (Wallace and Wallace, p.428). There is a tendency to forget how contagious human feelings are. When analyzing the issue of public housing, economists and urban planners will often want to look at the “most rational” answer. “Most rational” sometimes excluding the unpredictability of human nature and focuses on merely the cost-benefits. Providing more jobs or more housing does little to solve the actual psychological problems of urban decay. There might be more employment opportunities, but the retention rate is next to nothing. 

Humans find meaning and value in their possessions.  Recalling the words from Fried’s analysis of the impact on individuals from a community’s destruction, “I felt as though I lost everything.” “I felt like my heart was taken out of me.” (Wallace and Wallace, p.407). The comprehensive and coordinated program Wallace and Wallace seek should involve encouraging members of the fringe society to take ownership of their capability to find a solution. A program like this needs to act from the bottom-up. 

This proposition comes from experience with a service organization called Hands at Work. Hands’ policy is to provide the financial, hard labor, psychological, and spiritual support to the local community in South Africa. Many times, in the midst of upheaval and poverty in a community, local members will rise up to offer “care services”. These members are usually grandmothers, aunts, and/or sisters who provide child care in exchange for monies or food. Hands at Work looks to support these organic social constructions. It encourages the community to 1) acknowledge their problem 2) motivates them to seek a solution 3) creates an ownership over their solution. Charity is needed, but not sustainable if we’re talking about renewing a society. This method would be the best way to promote sustainable development.