History would be repeating itself. This was one of the factors in the burning down of much of the south Bronx in the 1970s. The city was broke and asked RAND Corporation to scientifically determine the least necessary firehouses to close.

Their methods were in retrospect biased and just plain inaccurate, as firehouses and police precincts in poor neighborhoods were closed just as crime and fires were spiking, creating some sick sort of positive feedback loop. There are zip codes in the south Bronx that lost 90%+ of their housing. It's incredible.

Beware of those who would use the word "science" to justify their preferences without explaining in detail.