It would actually be an improvement!
Posted on 04/19/2010 6:40:22 AM PDT by TonyInOhio
Chris Hansen traveled to Detroit, Michigan for a Dateline special that aired tonight on the state of what is probably America's most desolate city. And in aerial footage—devastation porn at its best—Detroit's grim plight was revealed.
"Today, from the air, parts of Detroit look like a war zone," Hansen said in a voiceover near the beginning of the special, before he listed some of the most shocking facts about the city's current state—the population is less than half of what it was decades ago; there are 400 liquor stores there, but only eight supermarkets—all while panning shots of the consequences of its deterioration flashed on the screen.
Describing Detroit as "a city that is virtually on life support," Hansen then introduced the audience to an ambitious plan by Mayor Dave Bing to bulldoze down more than 10,000 buildings and literally shrink the city's borders in order to save money spent on public services. Again, disturbing aerial shots were abound.
As the special's end drew nearer, depressing music played as even more aerial shots revealed Detroit's desolation—combined with shocking information, like the fact that there are 40 square miles of vacant/abandoned property within the city's limits—and Mayor Bing explained in more detail to Hansen his plan to shrink its size (something he claims will take 10 to 20 years, if it's able to be completed at all).
Will Detroit ever return to its glory days of the first half of the 20th Century? Probably not. Will it even be able to avoid going completely bankrupt and return from the brink of total destruction? Nobody really knows. What is clear, though—especially after seeing the devastation from the sky—is that the Motor City has a long, long way to go to even become a shell of its former self.
Really saddening. Just look at the building on the upper left, a magnificent house when it was built and for many years after. It didn’t even receive the dignity of being parted out.
But a city is not just buildings, it’s also people and the decay starts with them. By the time the buildings start to fall it’s far too late.
There used to be a website called The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit, which had a bunch of shocking before/after photos of ornate public buildings and posh corporate offices which were abandonned and now resembled Roman ruins.
The website is gone. I heard local politicos and the Chamber of Commerce bought it and shut it down.
The 1987 movie “Robocop” was supposed to be about Detroit (though it was mostly filmed in Dallas). I think Gran Torino was also supposed to be about Detroit.
It’s still here: http://www.detroityes.com/home.htm
It would actually be an improvement!
Thing is that Russia is getting its act together...
Hey, those pictures remind me, I just saw The Hurt Locker yesterday. There’s a touch more grass, and more wood construction, but other than that...
I see detroit as a microcosm of “Atlas Shrugged”.
Back in the mid-1970s, I remember Detroit being a thriving city. They had the Detroit Red Wings (hockey), Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Motown, a great place to get some good barbeque and a whole mess of thriving car factories.
Back then, it was New York City that was the dysfunctional city from hell. That was pre-Guiliani New York City. I'm thinking that Detroit needs somebody like Rudy Guiliani.
BTW, I still have a Red Wings jersey. Best hockey jerseys ever. Remember that kid that wore on in that movie about Ferris Bueller? That was me when I was a kid. No, not Ferris, but the dude in that Red Wings jersey. Boy, was I a mess back then.
Thought the Convention was at JLA? Cobo is next door, and never knew he was a Republican. Well he was Mayor during the hey day and that makes sence.
It was a white government that started the decline. White “progressives” like Jerry Cavanaugh started it. The riots happened on his watch.
And remember who was the Governor who called in the National Guard during the riots?????
There is a saying that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Fisher Body plant 
Ballroom Lee Plaza Hotel 
Farwell building 
Whitney building
Detroit - America’s Zimbabwe
I’d buy that for a dollar!
Yes, but those same people you praised voted in lefties like Jerry Cavanaugh and voted for the likes of FDR, Truman, and LBJ, all of whom put us on the road to serfdom. They may have been “traditional” in their personal lives, but the politicians they put in power for decades are a key reason why we are in the state we are today.
Classic movie, and somewhat foretelling.
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