Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline

deadwolfbones · 03-11-2009, 08:34 AM

Has a movie ever predicted the future of an American city more accurately than Robocop?

Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline - Photo Essays - TIME

Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre Photography - The ruins of Detroit

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090128/METRO08/901280491

a a i b · 03-11-2009, 08:58 AM

just incredible

heliphoto · 03-11-2009, 10:21 AM

Really shocking - I'm sure if this city was outside the US, the State Department would warn us not to go there

.

k100d · 03-11-2009, 10:41 AM

good link, sad decline.

MrApollinax · 03-11-2009, 10:47 AM

From my visits to cities that reside in the rust-belt this is not just localized to Detroit. Very powerful images in those links.

ve2vfd · 03-11-2009, 10:49 AM

Wow, looks like the pictures of the bombed out cities during the Bosnian war...

edit: By the way chek out Yvs Marchands "Forgotten theatres of America" project on his website, amazing stuff!!!

Pat

Damn Brit · 03-11-2009, 10:55 AM

Detroit has a higher infant mortality rate than many African countries. I was in Detroit in '92 and we had guns pointed at us within an hour of being there.

deadwolfbones · 03-11-2009, 11:14 AM

Originally posted by Damn Brit

Detroit has a higher infant mortality rate than many African countries. I was in Detroit in '92 and we had guns pointed at us within an hour of being there.

And this from a guy who lives in Oakland!

deadwolfbones · 03-11-2009, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by MrApollinax

From my visits to cities that reside in the rust-belt this is not just localized to Detroit. Very powerful images in those links.

Yeah. Gary, Indiana, is a pretty sad place too.

Damn Brit · 03-11-2009, 11:18 AM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

And this from a guy who lives in Oakland!

East and West Oakland are the hot spots, I'm North luckily.

séamuis · 03-11-2009, 11:27 AM

although I agree that the motor city is in quite a decline, mostly due to job loss. these kind of photos can be taken in just about every major city in the US and likely any country with large cities. buildings get abandoned, and a lot of times people don't have the interest or money to keep them open or preserved. a fact of life. don't get the idea that Detroit is some sort of post-apocalyptic hell hole, because as bad as it may be in a lot of ways, its not that bad.

Quote:

and we had guns pointed at us within an hour of being there.

same thing happened to me in downtown Savannah visiting a co-worker to eat at a local BBQ place the first time I went downtown for more than visiting river street.

ryan s · 03-11-2009, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

Yeah. Gary, Indiana, is a pretty sad place too.

Check out this link, for those interested in UE...

It's crazy, though...Gary was the same size as where I live (Madison, WI...200k people) and is pretty much abandoned. Since we're the capital city, that's (really) the only thing that would save us from demise...IF we believe the conspiracy people.

deadwolfbones · 03-11-2009, 12:12 PM

Originally posted by séamuis

although I agree that the motor city is in quite a decline, mostly due to job loss. these kind of photos can be taken in just about every major city in the US and likely any country with large cities. buildings get abandoned, and a lot of times people don't have the interest or money to keep them open or preserved. a fact of life. don't get the idea that Detroit is some sort of post-apocalyptic hell hole, because as bad as it may be in a lot of ways, its not that bad.

same thing happened to me in downtown Savannah visiting a co-worker to eat at a local BBQ place the first time I went downtown for more than visiting river street.

Population cut in half since the race riots in the late 60s, from 1.8mil to 900k. Pretty hard to avoid having parts of the city look like a ghost town when that happens.

I read somewhere that the median home price right now in Detroit is $18k. I dunno if that's reliable, but it's certainly believable.

séamuis · 03-11-2009, 12:23 PM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

Population cut in half since the race riots in the late 60s, from 1.8mil to 900k. Pretty hard to avoid having parts of the city look like a ghost town when that happens.

I read somewhere that the median home price right now in Detroit is $18k. I dunno if that's reliable, but it's certainly believable.

I wouldn't doubt the home prices at all, seems more than likely, though I think the race riots had far less to do with the demise of Detroit than job loss.

deadwolfbones · 03-11-2009, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by séamuis

I wouldn't doubt the home prices at all, seems more than likely, though I think the race riots had far less to do with the demise of Detroit than job loss.

Correct, the race riots were simply a symptom of the greater problem, but they're a useful dividing line for Detroit before and Detroit after.

03-11-2009, 08:34 AM	#1
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline Has a movie ever predicted the future of an American city more accurately than Robocop? Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline - Photo Essays - TIME Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre Photography - The ruins of Detroit http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090128/METRO08/901280491

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03-11-2009, 08:58 AM	#2
a a i b Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Brooklyn Photos: Gallery Posts: 315	just incredible

03-11-2009, 10:21 AM	#3
heliphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Region 5 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,539	Really shocking - I'm sure if this city was outside the US, the State Department would warn us not to go there .

03-11-2009, 10:41 AM	#4
k100d Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,911	good link, sad decline.

03-11-2009, 10:47 AM	#5
MrApollinax Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,529	From my visits to cities that reside in the rust-belt this is not just localized to Detroit. Very powerful images in those links.

03-11-2009, 10:49 AM	#6
ve2vfd Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Montreal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,433	Wow, looks like the pictures of the bombed out cities during the Bosnian war... edit: By the way chek out Yvs Marchands "Forgotten theatres of America" project on his website, amazing stuff!!! Pat

03-11-2009, 10:55 AM	#7
Damn Brit Guest	Detroit has a higher infant mortality rate than many African countries. I was in Detroit in '92 and we had guns pointed at us within an hour of being there.

03-11-2009, 11:14 AM	#8
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Originally posted by Damn Brit Detroit has a higher infant mortality rate than many African countries. I was in Detroit in '92 and we had guns pointed at us within an hour of being there. And this from a guy who lives in Oakland!

03-11-2009, 11:15 AM	#9
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Originally posted by MrApollinax From my visits to cities that reside in the rust-belt this is not just localized to Detroit. Very powerful images in those links. Yeah. Gary, Indiana, is a pretty sad place too.

03-11-2009, 11:18 AM	#10
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by deadwolfbones And this from a guy who lives in Oakland! East and West Oakland are the hot spots, I'm North luckily.

03-11-2009, 11:27 AM	#11
séamuis Banned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Savannah, U.S./Baguio City, P.H. Posts: 5,979	although I agree that the motor city is in quite a decline, mostly due to job loss. these kind of photos can be taken in just about every major city in the US and likely any country with large cities. buildings get abandoned, and a lot of times people don't have the interest or money to keep them open or preserved. a fact of life. don't get the idea that Detroit is some sort of post-apocalyptic hell hole, because as bad as it may be in a lot of ways, its not that bad. Quote: and we had guns pointed at us within an hour of being there. same thing happened to me in downtown Savannah visiting a co-worker to eat at a local BBQ place the first time I went downtown for more than visiting river street.

03-11-2009, 11:49 AM	#12
ryan s Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Madison, WI Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,383	Originally posted by deadwolfbones Yeah. Gary, Indiana, is a pretty sad place too. Check out this link, for those interested in UE... It's crazy, though...Gary was the same size as where I live (Madison, WI...200k people) and is pretty much abandoned. Since we're the capital city, that's (really) the only thing that would save us from demise...IF we believe the conspiracy people.

03-11-2009, 12:12 PM	#13
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Originally posted by séamuis although I agree that the motor city is in quite a decline, mostly due to job loss. these kind of photos can be taken in just about every major city in the US and likely any country with large cities. buildings get abandoned, and a lot of times people don't have the interest or money to keep them open or preserved. a fact of life. don't get the idea that Detroit is some sort of post-apocalyptic hell hole, because as bad as it may be in a lot of ways, its not that bad. same thing happened to me in downtown Savannah visiting a co-worker to eat at a local BBQ place the first time I went downtown for more than visiting river street. Population cut in half since the race riots in the late 60s, from 1.8mil to 900k. Pretty hard to avoid having parts of the city look like a ghost town when that happens. I read somewhere that the median home price right now in Detroit is $18k. I dunno if that's reliable, but it's certainly believable.

03-11-2009, 12:23 PM	#14
séamuis Banned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Savannah, U.S./Baguio City, P.H. Posts: 5,979	Originally posted by deadwolfbones Population cut in half since the race riots in the late 60s, from 1.8mil to 900k. Pretty hard to avoid having parts of the city look like a ghost town when that happens. I read somewhere that the median home price right now in Detroit is $18k. I dunno if that's reliable, but it's certainly believable. I wouldn't doubt the home prices at all, seems more than likely, though I think the race riots had far less to do with the demise of Detroit than job loss.

03-11-2009, 01:20 PM	#15
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Originally posted by séamuis I wouldn't doubt the home prices at all, seems more than likely, though I think the race riots had far less to do with the demise of Detroit than job loss. Correct, the race riots were simply a symptom of the greater problem, but they're a useful dividing line for Detroit before and Detroit after.