If It's Hip, It's Here has posted a large collection of Detroit's ruined buildings.
Slate published this excellent slide-show essay about the architecture of Detroit.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Motor City Ruins
The dilapidated buildings of Detroit reflect the decline of the auto sector.
If It's Hip, It's Here has posted a large collection of Detroit's ruined buildings.
Slate published this excellent slide-show essay about the architecture of Detroit.
If It's Hip, It's Here has posted a large collection of Detroit's ruined buildings.
Slate published this excellent slide-show essay about the architecture of Detroit.
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This one hit close to home since I grew up in Windsor, and still go frequently to Detroit thru work.
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple more interesting links
http://www.mitchcope.com/projects/detroit-book/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VRaEZZ8t4
When I was a kid, Toronto and Detroit had roughly similar populations of around 2 million. Nowadays, Detroit just squeaks over a million. The mayor of Detroit has recently announced a plan to demolish around 30,000 homes and buildings over a 10 year period. There's even talk of converting some of that to farmland.
What's missing from the discussion is the cause for much of this decay. The race riots in 1967 changed everything. People with money fled to the suburbs, and the urban core became a wasteland. I have never seen anything in Canada that could compare. It's an order of magnitude worse. The economic disparity is shocking. You have real 3rd world slums next door to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world. David Bowie's Panic in Detroit, and Gordon Lightfoot's Black Day in July are about the riots.
Much of the racial tension has disappeared over the years, but the economic disparity hasn't closed much. The collapse of the automobile industry has also been a major blow. It's hard to see how things are going to improve much, even over the long term.
Mr. Nag grew up in Essex and was a Motown fan when I was groovin' to the Beachboys and the California sound. I've made a couple of crossings at the Windsor-Detroit border and was shocked by the magnitude of the decay.
ReplyDeleteMr. Nag is obviously a man of refinement and good taste.
ReplyDeleteHis taste in women is particularly good :-)
ReplyDelete