Detroit: The Shape of Things To Come?

[Coito ergo sum]

Detroit was a monoculture, so when the reason died, so did the city. Chicago is diverse, and also the largest city in the central US.

That doesn't explain why a place with cheap property, lots of labour looking for work, and free access to the US market, can't attract business.
Not everybody trades within a few blocks of their HQ. these days. Just because Detroit is suffering, that doesn't stop businesses snapping up all this cheap infrastructure.

The Germans are paying millions, for buildings like that. And still selling stuff all round the USA.
Detroit has huge advantages over Dortmund. Cheap labour, cheap property, and cheap shipping to the USA.

Something's wrong with capitalism here, if it can't adjust to conditions.

The City of Detroit's government is corrupt, graft and such is rampant, and they tax the fuck out of businesses, except if they are "minority owned." Employees have to pay Detroit income tax, and so if you want to work in Detroit, you have to paid more than if you work in the safer, nicer suburbs and exurbs.

[Twoflower]

Well, there's no reason to be in Michigan at all, so being in a dead town just ain't attractive.

Northern Michigan is a lovely place and is doing pretty good.

[rainbow]

[Bella Fortuna]

Detroit has been horrible for many decades, alas... nothing new there.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Well, there's no reason to be in Michigan at all, so being in a dead town just ain't attractive.

Northern Michigan is a lovely place and is doing pretty good.

[Coito ergo sum]

Well, there's no reason to be in Michigan at all, so being in a dead town just ain't attractive.

Northern Michigan is a lovely place and is doing pretty good.

But, hardly anybody lives there. Well, that's probably why it is both lovely and doing pretty good.

On the positive side, Michigan summers can be nice, especially if you have lake access, boats and such. Here in Florida, you generally can't swim in lakes, due to the alligator and other nasty squiggly thing problem. In Michigan, the lakes can be very nice to swim in. I think Jobbie Nooner is coming up in May or something. Head out on Lake St. Clair on a boat and go bananas.

The Walleye fishing is good. The deer hunting is phenomenal. And, Michigan has some seriously great golf courses.

Traverse City is worth a visit in the summer, and beach days along Lake Michigan are phenomenal.

[Coito ergo sum]

Detroit has been horrible for many decades, alas... nothing new there.

The main thing that did Detroit in was racism and white flight. Blacks moved in to Detroit neighborhoods, and whites made no bones about getting the hell out of Dodge. They moved to the suburbs.

It's a very racist city, much worse than anything I've seen down south. There is a road called "Eight Mile Road" that runs along the north end of Detroit. Yes, Eminem's movie was named after it. It's a horrible little stretch of road, with check cashing companies, pawn shops, strip clubs and such. Northwest of Eight Mile Road is Ferndale, Huntington Woods and other "white" towns. South of Eight Mile Road, it's black. A Detroit nickname for black people are "Spodas" -- contraction of "supposed to be south of Eight Mile" -- Spoda be south o' Eight Mile [road].

Along the east to northeast side of the city, along the Detroit River, the city borders on Grosse Pointe. Grosse Pointe is one of the richest cities in the country, and if you drive up Jefferson Avenue from downtown Detroit you go through a slummy areas -- garbage strewn, disgusting, and then in the blink of an eye, you cross an invisible thin line and all of a sudden it's nice and well kept and safe.

It's easy to get pulled over by the cops for DWB in Grosse Pointe -- Driving While Black.

So, when the whites fled, Detroit was left in poverty. The racism breeded hatred cutting both ways, and a guy by the name of Coleman Young became mayor of Detroit and part of his appeal was his hatred of whitey and his disdain for the white suburbs. He ruled Detroit for like 20 years or so.

General Motors didn't help things with the destruction of Poletown. And, city/state planners made piss poor choices like when they cut route 75 right through the middle of the residential areas in the city, destroying entire neighborhoods. It was like they did it on purpose.

EDIT -- and everything is kind of "half-assed" in Detroit. Take the "people mover" they built in Detroit as a prime example. They built this monorail train that goes around Downtown Detroit. It's a disgusting eyesore, a blight on the city, and hardly anyone rides it -- it loses money because if you charged what it costs to maintain the damn thing, really nobody would ride it. It's stupid -- you have to drive to Downtown Detroit anyway, so since you have your car, there is no reason to ride the thing, and barely anyone lives within walking distance of it, so it's not like it services a substantial number of residents. Just a dopey idea, with dopey execution, and makes the city look silly.

EDIT -- and the roads suck. Full of potholes. I-94 is the worst stretch of highway in the country, or one of them.

ADDITIONAL BRIGHT SIDE: It is right across the river from Windsor, Ontario, so that's a plus. Always fun to go there.

[Twoflower]

Well, there's no reason to be in Michigan at all, so being in a dead town just ain't attractive.

Northern Michigan is a lovely place and is doing pretty good.

But, hardly anybody lives there. Well, that's probably why it is both lovely and doing pretty good.

On the positive side, Michigan summers can be nice, especially if you have lake access, boats and such. Here in Florida, you generally can't swim in lakes, due to the alligator and other nasty squiggly thing problem. In Michigan, the lakes can be very nice to swim in. I think Jobbie Nooner is coming up in May or something. Head out on Lake St. Clair on a boat and go bananas.

The Walleye fishing is good. The deer hunting is phenomenal. And, Michigan has some seriously great golf courses.

Traverse City is worth a visit in the summer, and beach days along Lake Michigan are phenomenal.

I was born and raised in Traverse City. I grew up fishing and helping my dad and grandpa track deer. I was swimming in Lake Michigan before I could walk and once crashed a golf cart into a pond. There's a small secluded beach on Lake Michigan that only the locals know about and the sunsets there are amazing.

[Coito ergo sum]

Well, there's no reason to be in Michigan at all, so being in a dead town just ain't attractive.

Northern Michigan is a lovely place and is doing pretty good.

But, hardly anybody lives there. Well, that's probably why it is both lovely and doing pretty good.

On the positive side, Michigan summers can be nice, especially if you have lake access, boats and such. Here in Florida, you generally can't swim in lakes, due to the alligator and other nasty squiggly thing problem. In Michigan, the lakes can be very nice to swim in. I think Jobbie Nooner is coming up in May or something. Head out on Lake St. Clair on a boat and go bananas.

The Walleye fishing is good. The deer hunting is phenomenal. And, Michigan has some seriously great golf courses.

Traverse City is worth a visit in the summer, and beach days along Lake Michigan are phenomenal.

I was born and raised in Traverse City. I grew up fishing and helping my dad and grandpa track deer. I was swimming in Lake Michigan before I could walk and once crashed a golf cart into a pond. There's a small secluded beach on Lake Michigan that only the locals know about and the sunsets there are amazing.

And, it's 250 miles/402 klicks from Detroit....

[Twoflower]

Fucking Detroit.

[Twoflower]

One of the issues with Detroit is that the gangs have taken over parts of the city and the police are no longer able to access those areas and even if they could they are so corrupt that it wouldn't make any difference. The river has become a dumping ground for bodies and no one cares about any of it. The apathy of the city is staggering.

[Audley Strange]

Yes. Eventually there will be no need for cities at all and we will all live in endless suburbia. close to the omni-distribution centres where we all work part-time, maintaining robots or delivering crap to each other.

The socialist's dream. Evenly distribute the population to eliminate the distinction between cities and the countryside. It's one of the pillars of Marxist socialism.

Funny that it slots in so well with online based capitalism isn't it?

[Audley Strange]

One of the issues with Detroit is that the gangs have taken over parts of the city and the police are no longer able to access those areas and even if they could they are so corrupt that it wouldn't make any difference. The river has become a dumping ground for bodies and no one cares about any of it. The apathy of the city is staggering.

Which is the plot of Robocop.

[Coito ergo sum]

Yes. Eventually there will be no need for cities at all and we will all live in endless suburbia. close to the omni-distribution centres where we all work part-time, maintaining robots or delivering crap to each other.

The socialist's dream. Evenly distribute the population to eliminate the distinction between cities and the countryside. It's one of the pillars of Marxist socialism.

Funny that it slots in so well with online based capitalism isn't it?

I'm not sure I follah...

[Twoflower]

One of the issues with Detroit is that the gangs have taken over parts of the city and the police are no longer able to access those areas and even if they could they are so corrupt that it wouldn't make any difference. The river has become a dumping ground for bodies and no one cares about any of it. The apathy of the city is staggering.

Which is the plot of Robocop.

That's the plan.