I rarely write about other cities. Detroit is an exception. Last year I posted about Rebecca Solnit's - Detroit Arcadia - and the Shrinking Cities show at Cranbrook - and was looped into a conversation about Model D and ended up with this video and Stalking Detroit.
I remember as a kid making the trek to Detroit countless times to visit family for the holidays. I've been back twice in the last 15 years, never with a camera. I finished In Michigan: Still Waiting for the Renaissance in the latest issue of Time and spotted this slide show - The Remains of Detroit.
Photo from - The Remains of Detroit - Time Magazine 12/4/08
While living in one of the City's poorest census tracts and most hollowed-out neighborhoods it's sometimes difficult conceptualizing and getting my arms around the loss that's Detroit. It seems mythic. I remember Woodward Avenue - great site. I'll have to go and see what's left. Making plans.
Cool pics here.
4 comments:
Detroit, in many ways is even worse off than Buffalo. Buffalo is small enough and has lost enough manufacturing jobs that by the end of this recession we will be poised for a comeback in science, technology, medicine and banking.
Detroit on the other hand is still based on the auto industry and, to great saddness may not make it to the end of this century. For such a great country, we sure have left great cities to rust away. Sort of reminds me of the way the Roman Empire of the 4th century let the West collapse. Sad, really disheartening.
Detroit is basically the world biggest single industry town, and that single industry town went to shit.
Let me know when you're going.. I'll try to join you and show you some sites/sights.
Sean,
Very much looking forward to this.
If you haven't seen Sean's work - here's a short 7 minute promo piece that's scheduled for Bravo! in 2009 - with the DK gang - right here.
fixBuffalo reader just sent this in from today's NYT - When the Cars Go Away
"THIS week, as Washington has tried to decide whether to rescue the automobile industry, Americans have wondered what it looks like when a giant automobile company goes under. The answer can be found in Detroit."
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