Detroit Is Not A Blank Canvas

By this time Detroit had become the epicenter of the American automobile. Detroit’s grand boulevards, were now lost in this ever expanding industrial Mecca. Detroit was home to some of America’s biggest names in automotives, including Walter Chrysler, The Dodge Brothers, and the outspoken Henry Ford. Workers in these factories often earned more in wages than many unskilled labor positions around the country. As news of the high-wage jobs in the up-and-coming motor city made its way around the country, migrants began to flood the city in hopes of a better life. Overcrowding among blacks and the have-nots of society was a harsh reality in Detroit’s inner city ghetto, which went by the name of Black Bottom. Several families would cram into single family flats, often grateful to even have a place to stay. Many made due without luxuries like running water, and disease ran rampant along the dirty over-crowded streets. This migration was not often welcomed among white Detroiters. A message of “One Hundred Percent Americanism” was being spread and upheld by the Ku Klux Klan, and Negroes were not Americans. Many white Detroiters, whether they were with the KKK or not, felt that segregation was the way it should be. They feared that if blacks were to breach the color line into white neighborhoods then property values would plummet, real estate agents would not show the houses and the neighborhood would be ultimately

In addition to social networks, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Detroit residents to find basic networks for goods and services. As previously mentioned, Detroit is a geographically large city. Developments and introduction of business in one neighborhood, does not directly benefit all residents. Sheila Cockrel has noticed that more and more businesses such as convenience stores, cleaners, and pharmacies are being built in attempts to make neighborhoods more walkable. This helps residents who otherwise would have to go to the suburbs for such basic needs as food and water; a difficult task seeing as many neighborhoods lack a reliable transportation system. Many of the organizations we talked with share a common goal of trying to

Requiem for Detroit? is a historical documentary, released in 2010 and directed by Julien Temple, about the decline and collapse of Detroit, one of America’s largest cities. It chronicles Detroit’s journey through its success in the automobile industry all the way through its urban decay and industrial collapse to the present day. As the film draws a close, Temple also suggests some ways forward for Detroit. He presents possibilities and clearly shows which he thinks is most likely through his use of interviews with subjects and visual representations of these offered opinions. The intended reading that Temple offers viewers is a complex one, with many anti-consumerist and anti-corporate ideas and leanings. Despite the ‘doom-laden’ feel of much of the text, Temple paints optimism for the potential for a progressive and productive future for Detroit. Throughout the documentary he clearly expresses this intended reading through effective use of motifs, shown by visual and sound techniques, music and interviews with both privileged and non-privileged characters.

Detroit, the largest city in the state of Michigan, unfortunately has been plagued with a high crime rate resulting in synonymous acts of violence, poverty, and urban decay. A multitude of factors are considered when determining accurate explanations of crime within Detroit. These factors include changes in land use, property values, transportation, and retail, as an individual moves further away from the city center. According to Robert Park and Ernest Burgess, Chicago School, a city was similar to a body and consisted of various organs. The theory attempted to analyze criminality from an ecological and social disorganization standpoint. This theory asserted that a city included distinctive concentric circles that radiated from the central business district (CBD). Supposedly, the further one moves away from the concentric zones, the fewer social problems that exist (Williams & McShane, 2009, p. 86).

The situation with Detroit Public Schools has been taking turns for the worse. Every day it seems like something is adding up to the pile of Detroit Public School District issues. DPS has been considered as “The Worst School District” in the country. DPS have been struggling to improve the school district, The district has been trying for decades as nothing has been working. Detroit Public Schools main issues that need to be tackled down includes: unhealthy environments, oversized classrooms, and the district’s unbalance of power.

Politicians, journalists, financial analysts and other purveyors of banality have been looking at cars as if a convertible were a business. Fire the MBAs and hire a poet. The fate of Detroit isn’t a matter of financial crisis, foreign competition, corporate greed, union intransigence, energy costs or measuring the shoe size of the footprints in the carbon. It’s a tragic romance—unleashed passions,

Detroit, Michigan grew up around the automobile industry. At its peak, Detroit was the fifth-largest city in the United States, becoming the home to over 1.8 million people by 1950 (Davey, Monica 2013). The prolific population was due greatly to the success of the auto industry in the city. At that time, Detroit was flying high, its name coined “The Motor City” (americaslibrary.gov), and automobiles greatly impacted commercialization. From transporting goods to hastening production, to selling parts, to manufacturing and selling new automobiles, the auto industry completely transformed Detroit. Things seemed

Recently Detroit has been publicly experiencing a lot of issues within the city, which has cause many people to speak out on the matter. Alex Johnson was no different, He wrote in article called “No Water, No Teachers: Behind Detroit's Surge, Old Problems Stubbornly Persist”. Throughout the article Johnson discuss the harsh reality of living in Detroit and the affect it has on the community. As I read this article I felt empathic for the people of Detroit because no person deserve to be without water or a stable education. Overall I felt that the article was a cry for help and that the government really needs to step up and help.

The housing crisis in Detroit illuminated the grave economic reality of migrant black families living in the industrial Midwest. In order to holistically analyze the ramifications of the black labor movement, historians must understand the inextricable link between fair housing and the lack of financial capital for generations of black families. The rise of surbanization and red-lining tactics prompted white flight from Detroit’s predominately white neighborhoods, such as Dearborn. “During and after World War II, blacks flooded into Detroit’s Lower East Side: Paradise Valley” (Sugrue 36). Neighborhood deterioration, coupled with disproportionately high-rents and low Home Owners Loan Corporation appraisal scores, led to private-sector discrimination practices by predatory bank loaners and real-estate brokers in the West and East-Sides of Detroit—particularly the Eight-Mile, Paradise Valley, Oakwood, and Sojourner Truth Housing areas (Sugrue 43, 77).

It is not hard to realize that the vast majority of cities in the world are located near a body of water. However, I never really thought about the reason why many American cities are located near the great lakes until I learned about the canals and rivers connecting the lakes to the ocean. One thing I got out of reading about the rise and fall of Detroit is that education is key. This is evident in New York’s ability to rebound from economic crisis. Education correlates with innovation and the spread of new ideas, which is something Detroit did not have and led to its downfall. The crimes against African Americans throughout the history of this country were further expressed and one can see why they rioted in Detroit.

Excess suburban housing constriction that has left residual concentrations of poverty and dilapidation in the City of Detroit that also serve to reinforce household retail demands for suburban locations.

Detropia is a documentary directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady that explores the decline of Detroit, Michigan. The film is to raise awareness of the city that used to flourish but is now struggling to support its citizens with the downfall of its automobile industry. Detropia was made in 2012 and highlights important stories and viewpoints of citizens still living in Detroit who are filled with hope for its future. I chose to review Detropia because it really corresponds with what we have been discussing in Geography, such as urban geography and population growth. Urban geography is a subdiscipline of geography that deals with areas of the Earth’s surface that have a high concentration of buildings and architecture. The documentary Detropia goes into depth of why Detroit’s population is dissolving and what is being done about it.

The city of Detroit, Michigan has always been known as the motor city for its car plants, a.k.a. “The Big Three” and Motown records, a.k.a. “Hitsville U.S.A.”. These are just some of the many things that made Detroit one of the thriving and driven cities within the United States. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end Detroit knows this hardship all too well. Detroit a city that once flowed with economic resources now struggles to compete with other major cities economically. Detroit is now known for crime, violence, a failing school system, and corrupt political figures. These and other negative effects on the city have caused major corporations to move to Detroit’s surrounding neighboring

For many years, Detroit has been described as the “Come Back City”. A presumption will be made that the significant reasons for urban rot are, among potential others are evolving demographics, deindustrialization, political disappointment, poor urban arranging, and racial separation. Detroit can still be viewed as a beautiful city full of culture and art, both in its stately decay and in its growing natural abundance. Indeed, Detroit remains to be one of the finest sights to be seen with a little investing from the people. Chartier (2005) of Cambridge University make a valid point by stating “people will not invest the requisite level of care into their resources if they believe their investments will be lost”. (p 374).

I was born and partially raised in what some call Motown or the Motor City, but in my eyes, it was just Detroit, Michigan. My father is a native of the area and it is one of his favorite places in the world. You’ll practically have to pry the city out of the hands of a true Detroiter. However, I started to become aware of my families’ finances as I grew older. My mother (who is from Canada and does not have a heartwarming connection to the city) started to become disgruntled because she began to realize how much our property value was going down, yet the mortgage became more and more expensive every year. I became curious as to how the money we were paying for our Detroit home could buy a home at least twice as big in the suburbs. We’ve since moved to the suburbs living in a house that is much bigger and just a tad bit more expensive. I noticed that as soon as we moved out of the city. Our quality of living increased exponentially. However, all throughout my years in school, I heard about how Detroit was once considered ‘the Paris of the Midwest,’ with a booming economy and beautiful architecture. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the real estate in particular. Homes that were once big and beautiful across Detroit’s east side are either abandoned or they have been burned down, so there is nothing but blocks of abandoned lots. I am aware of the riots that took place in the 60’s and how white flight took place. However I could not fathom how the majority leaving a