JMan
998
Reasons for Detroit's downfall is more complicated.....
As former resident of the Detroit metro area, I can tell you that inability to compete is only a portion (perhaps even a small portion) of the reasons for decline. Detroit went from a great big city (1.8M in 1950's) to giving up a lot as population migrated out into the suburbs (metro Detroit). It has to be noted that the metro Detroit today is still a massive 5.4million people big but only 0.5M people in the city. The complex race tensions, business decisions are well documented elsewhere. Obviously a city that was once set up for three to four times the current set up is in ruins. So two important points:
1. Metro Detroit is hurting but nowhere near as bad as the City of Detroit itself and
2. Not all of the reasons are connected to our ability to compete.
That said, I am happy to see that Ford/GM/Chrysler (particularly Ford) producing much better cars in the last 3 years and showing that it is not technical capability that is lacking.
J.
Chilling photography
from the Denver Post: Captured: The Ruins of Detroit Up and down Detroit’s streets, buildings stand abandoned and in ruin. French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre set out to document the decline of an American city. Their book "The Ruins of D...
Yes they are! [nt]
The photographers did an excellent job of capturing the grandeur and abandonment. Helen This message has been edited by elanoftroy on 2011-03-04 10:37:07
Wow! Stunning pictures.
Those are not happy pictures, nothing but reality, a big dose of reality. Sad, very sad, but nice. Thanks for sharing, I've enjoyed them a lot. Vte
Sad subject, but
I really like the architecture and it makes me imagine a time when Detroit must have been a really happening city.
It reminds me of some video games that feature war zones
Amazing pictures. Sad but powerful. Thanks!
That's interesting
I hadn't thought of it like that but now that you mention it, it does look like some type of war zone. When I look at the photo's I think of the beauty and splendor of the Titanic - laid waist on the ocean floor. Helen
Yes
It is and the fact that they have been abandoned, her in America, that blows my mind. Helen
So beautiful, but oh so sad.
The glorious decay in these photos is mesmerizing, but it does give one a heavy heart. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Daos
From photography stand point
... very nice and beautiful. But very sad subjects - not exactly the place I would want to go at night. Thank you very much for sharing. Ken
I agree
I wouldn't visit at night either and maybe not even during the day, at least not with an escort. Helen
Sad they are ruins now…
Looks like many of the buildings where very beautiful from the beginning! Great photos! It looks like places where Vlad would like to stay at nights… Best Blomman
motorcity, the home of motown and some of the worlds best cars
very sad as it looks like the backdrop for 'the book of Eli'. fantastic photography though. extremely dangerous apparently. when Top gear filmed the prototype for the Ford GT they had 4 squad cars with them all the time. inner cities need a lot of regener...
Mnay of these...
...are in areas that the locals advise you not to stop your car. Being stupid Aussies, a colleague and I went looking around for some of these sites particularly downtown. Buildings that would be the envy of so many cities....just abandoned.
Honestly, these images are beyond my ability to comprehend.
They are chilling to the bone for me.
Exactly
It's our back yard... too close to home... it gives me a reality check. Warmly, Helen
These images are the result of our inability to compete . . .
. . . with the rest of the world. So long as children in third world countries benefit from superior educational systems, so long as our government keeps spending beyond its means, so long as the American way of life becomes a means rather than an end, we...
Reasons for Detroit's downfall is more complicated.....
As former resident of the Detroit metro area, I can tell you that inability to compete is only a portion (perhaps even a small portion) of the reasons for decline. Detroit went from a great big city (1.8M in 1950's) to giving up a lot as population migrat...
Your point about my sweeping generalization . . .
. . . is well taken, but from my perspective as a student of history, the harsh verdict regarding an inability to remain competitive over vast swaths of economic activity is a fair one, for reasons largely due to failures in education and extravagance on ...
Wonderfully evocative images, Helen
It amazes me that they would leave so much behind; just close the doors on these places. Real food for thought about our civilization. Thanks for sharing the images. Andrew
The most difficult thing to...
...get your head around, Andrew, is that these magnificent buildings, so many of which would converted to multi-million dollar apartments here at home, are just sitting there rotting. The circumstance of their rise and fall are difficult to mesh with my (...