http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1882089_1850973,00.html Ignoring their woeful football team, can this city be saved? These photos are eery
Sad indeed. Do we have any members from the Detroit area? Jay Leno is going to do a free show in Detroit in April at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Free tickets, free parking, free food/drinks. All so the people have a night to forget their troubles. I thought that is an awesome gesture.
Welfare jdang, why bother to go pick a antique fixture off the wall, especially when you have to travel to do so, when staying home will pay for doing nothing?
My parents live about an hour out. I said it before in the pofo, that city is a total pit. I dont think it can be saved, especially considering the woeful state of Michigan in general. Its not like there is a strong state that can step in and fix it.
cities and neighborhoods like these tell the story of what has happened to America in the past 30 years.
I don't live in Detroit, I'm just across the border here in Canada... But those pictures, im sure can be compared to pictures you can take in certain cities all across America. There's some really great area's in the city of Detroit. Sure, its the whole entertainment district, mainly around Comerica Park, Ford Field, the casino's and such, even down around Cobo Hall, downtown along Jefferson... They've done a good job bringing life back to the main downtown in my opinion. I'm over there alot, whether its for Red Wings games, tigers, or yes... even the lions (only when somebody gives me free tickets ) but really... Sure theres some bad, bad area's as seen in these pictures, but come on, is it really any different from area's in other cities? Probably not...
Many hold Detroit as sort of the anti-paragon of city planning. Houston and LA also vie for that title, although LA has made strides. A friend of mine once showed me an article titled "Detroit Is Everywhere" in that its symbolical of city deconstruction. The way many cities have revitalized is through urbanization, creating cities composed of discrete, compact, and dense neighborhoods and encouraging people to walk. There's a whole litany of reasons why it's better to build that way, but it's always an uphill struggle to convince the public because that doesn't jibe well with "The American Dream." One of the reasons that I've heard postulated that Detroit is the worst is the influence of the auto manufacturers. Making cities pedestrian-oriented runs counter to making them automobile-oriented.
As a person who has spent time in both Detroit and Houston, I can honestly say that Houston is without comparison a better city. Yes, all cities have crappy areas, but the majority of the city is solid. As Brandon said, the enterainment area of Detroit is actually fairly good, but the rest is horrible. Just drive down a road and you will be amazed at the amount of trash that has piled up. I never saw that in Houston, never in Chicago, never in LA or any other big city. All cities have their issues, but Detroit is far and away the worst ive ever seen.
The South Florida Metropolitan area is also a good example of poor urban planning. Anyone who has driven down here knows its a nightmare.
there was an article the other day saying many European investors are stockpiling many of the foreclosed homes in the Detroit area, some buying up to 100 at a time. They were saying $100,000 homes were going for about $10,000.
Well, it seems to me that Detroit will have to shrink as what is there now is not sustainable in any meaningful sense of the term. If one googles detroit housing there are 3 bedroom 2 bath homes priced at 8,000, that means there is effectively no tax base in Detroit. And this story sort sums up Detroit's "pit" status: They just kept playing hockey.
this is what intrigues me... you could buy this house and work at McDonald's your whole life and be fine and never have to worry about money. AND your house would probably be paid for in a couple years.
I wasn't commenting on aspects like the quality of housing or the cleanliness of the streets. I invite correction, but Houston is generally regarded as what not to do because of the very liberal application of land use regulations i.e., be able to put a gas station next to a house. That may be an extreme example and I know that there aren't too many (at least I hope not), but it does underscore the point well. The reason that it's important concerns quality of life. Many people are against land-use regulation because it's seen as an infringement on their rights to do with their land as they please. The trouble is that you can get what's considered a nuisance next door. LA is considered a bad example because of the almost endless suburbanization, although they've woken up to why that's a bad idea lately.
It's a result of suburbanization. It's really a shame, because south Florida is geographically suitable to being very linear (it is to an extent) and could have been much more compact. Not only does it make traffic horrible, but that way there's no real alternative and you get neighborhoods that end up at war with each other. A good example is Old Cutler Road. Communities to the north like Palmetto Bay want to see OCR stay two lanes because they don't want traffic going through their neighborhood. Communities further south want OCR widened because it gets jammed.
Truly a sad essay and state of affairs. What perhaps hits home is the belongings still in some of these pictures. It's more like a halocaust went off rather than bad economy. Shades of a conquered Society? I certainly hope not.
