Have you ever looked at the satellite images of the border between Detroit and the first of the Grosse Pointes? Damning.
Sorry, while it is true lots of homes are no longer there, the abandoned homes are a huge problem. Unless you have actually been to detroit you can't remotely comprehend it. The scale and scope of abandoned and deteriorating properties, both homes and commercial is incredible... it literally looks like a war raged in the city and no one cleaned up afterwards.
In fact when people in Seriavo (who actually had a war happen) saw photos of parts of detroit, they asked if a war had indeed happened there.
Whattaya think the city property taxes are on one of them vacant lots are? My guess is pretty high. I wouldn't move into that city if the 'city fathers' gave me the lot, a new house, AND a job. The problem is sane people left it because the urban cities are controlled by racist alarmist extremists who think that they can tax whitey till he bleeds....