Detroit

[BigRedBuster]

I find this story both sad and fascinating at the same time.

 

I believe all the problems with Detroit encompasses so much that is wrong with so many things. That is all the way from arrogant/greedy business owners/management all the way down to arrogant/greedy working class and none of them had a clue of what they were doing to the companies and industry they worked in and also the city in which these companies were located.

 

This city is absolutely devastated. They have gone from over 1,800,000 million people in the 1950s to under 800,000 today. I am told that there is literally over 30 square miles of the city that can be bull dozed and nobody would lose their home. The city is still on the hook for all services and protection in and around these empty buildings and housing neighborhoods and nobody is there to pay taxes to pay for it.

 

The business owners and workers literally came in, sucked everything they could out of the city then when it all collapsed, they left and the city is left holding the bag.

 

So, what needs to be done? The City has filed bankruptcy but there is a fight trying to claim that a municipality like Detroit can not file bankruptcy and get out of it's obligations. Even if those people win, there isn't anything left to pay them what they claim is owed. The pensions alone on past municipal workers is crushing the city.

 

Here is a link to some very sad pictures of what was once and should still be a great city.

 

Forgotten Detroit

 

Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline

 

One of the saddest pictures from either of these sites:

 

 

Just think about the thriving life around this building in its hay day and now it is in shambles for no reason other than stupidity by so many people.

 

I honestly don't see this ending well at all unless some people ultimately don't get what they think they are owed. The city needs to be completely reorganized. BUT, I think the courts or government needs to put stipulations on what it requires before they get financial help.

 

First off, abandoned buildings and homes need to be absolutely leveled. The only ones that should be saved are certain ones that have historical value that private money could be invested to bring the building back to life.

 

Attitude of management in the city from public to private sector needs to change.

 

Jobs need to be brought back under a reasonable environment that gives them a chance to succeed.

 

This is a turning point for this city. Either they become today's version of the Mayan Ruins or they become a thriving city that rose from ashes.

 

What do you think it would take to make this happen? What would it take to make Detroit an example for other cities on how to recreate itself?

[BigRedBuster]

Here is a good article that has some statistics in it that are shocking.

 

Huffy

 

The rise of Detroit alongside the U.S. auto industry brought a tide of humanity to the area, making this the fastest-growing city in the world in the first three decades of the 20th century and reaching a peak population of 1.8 million mid-century. That tide ebbed as automotive jobs faded and initially white residents - and later middle-class black residents - fled to the suburbs, leaving thousands of decaying buildings and just 700,000 residents.

 

The city estimates it has 78,000 "abandoned and blighted" structures, roughly one fifth of Detroit's housing stock, and 38,000 are considered dangerous. This in an area of 139 square miles - big enough to fit Manhattan, Boston and San Francisco.

[knapplc]

Cities have grown, prospered, declined and been forgotten and buried since man created the first city. Detroit is just another example of this.

 

The reasons cities fail are probably as numerous as failed cities. Could Detroit have been saved? Sure, probably. But is it the last U.S. city that will fail, for a variety of reasons? Nope.

[BigRedBuster]

Nothing I have posted disagrees with that. However, what can we do about it once it happens. Obviously, Detroit is the heavy weight boxer that is knocked out and laying on the floor of the ring.

 

So, what do we do about it? Do we just walk away from everything there and abandon it and tell everyone that they have to fend for themselves? If those residents deserve services, how are they paid for?

[knapplc]

I wasn't disagreeing with you - didn't mean that to come off that way.

 

I don't know that Detroit needs saving. The whole population is shifting south, so whatever we do may be irrelevant.

[BigRedBuster]

I don't think doing nothing is an option when the city can't pay its bills.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I wasn't disagreeing with you - didn't mean that to come off that way.

 

I don't know that Detroit needs saving. The whole population is shifting south, so whatever we do may be irrelevant.

 

I have been thinking about this comment ever since yesterday.

 

Detroit's population has declined 62%.

 

Chicago's population has declined 25% and you don't see the total devastation when you drive through the city.

 

Yes, in general, the population is shifting south thanks to the invention of air conditioning. However, Detroit is different.

 

An interesting stat:

 

There are an estimated 50,000 stray dogs in the city of Detroit. Most are some type of pit bull mix and there has been an epidemic of dog attacks through out the city.

[Landlord]

I don't know a lot about politics or the inner workings of city infrastructure or what have you, I only know people and relationships and moods.

 

That said, I know a lot of people that live in Detroit or the surrounding area, really love their city and all adamantly profess it's not what the outside world thinks it is. They're partial, for sure, and also recognize that there is some serious damage and darkness, but there's also real hope. Downtown Detroit is improving and active and has some really awesome incentives attracting young people to work and live there, and the suburbs are all thriving pretty well too.

 

 

I probably didn't add anything to the conversation sorry bout it

[BigRedBuster]

Landlord,

 

I have traveled in the Detroit area a number of times in the last couple of years. I agree with you that the people who live there have pride in their city. However, the ones I know there fully understand how devastated their city is. In fact, I got interested in this subject by spending time with them and them talking about what a horrible problem it is.

 

Geographically, the problem seems to me to be areas between downtown and the suburbs. You are correct, the down town has hope and has some good things happening. The suburbs are still looking good and thriving. The problem is everything in between. This blighted area in the middle has been said to be somewhere around 139 square miles.

[BigRedBuster]

I wasn't disagreeing with you - didn't mean that to come off that way.

 

I don't know that Detroit needs saving. The whole population is shifting south, so whatever we do may be irrelevant.

 

 

Another interesting point I just read is that Detroit is edged off the top of most abandoned cities by Las Vegas. Detroit is second and Atlanta is third.

 

So, out of the top three, Detroit is the only cold weather city. I was rather surprised at this. It shows that the problem isn't because a city is in the northern cold climate.

[rawhide]

Look along the Hudson River valley. Lots of large scale businesses gone. Empty houses and buildings. Beautiful valley all along the river north of the Apple. I can't understand why anyone would live in NYC rather than further north.????but there is a lot of empty real estate there.

 

Now Detroit; not so much. I went there in 1977 to repair some construction equipment and needed armed guards to watch us while we repaired the equipment SCARY.... never went back Of course, there are certainly some scary situations(areas) out here on the left coast also. the politically correct there is "Blighted areas".

[BigRedBuster]

LINK

 

I don't see how they could have done anything different.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how this affects other municipalities.

[Junior]

Look along the Hudson River valley. Lots of large scale businesses gone. Empty houses and buildings. Beautiful valley all along the river north of the Apple. I can't understand why anyone would live in NYC rather than further north.????but there is a lot of empty real estate there.

 

Now Detroit; not so much. I went there in 1977 to repair some construction equipment and needed armed guards to watch us while we repaired the equipment SCARY.... never went back Of course, there are certainly some scary situations(areas) out here on the left coast also. the politically correct there is "Blighted areas".

 

I've been to Detroit a bunch of times, never felt scared. There are some rough areas, to be sure, but downtown is fine.

[sd'sker]

i wonder if the league of shadows had anything to do with this?

[walksalone]

I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.