No one is likely to credibly contest Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ conclusion that downtown Kingston is in a worse state of decay than four decades ago.

But the problem is not only on the capital’s waterfront and the old business and economic hub.  For, as this newspaper noted a year ago, when the prime minister made a similar comment about urban blight, it doesn’t need new data or analyses to appreciate the scale of the crisis. A quick drive through the city’s urban communities - as well as towns across the island - will quickly reveal the depth and breadth of the problem.

The question is, what is to be done about it?