Economic Restructuring And Revitalization Of Detroit Michigan Post World War II

On July 18, 2013 The City of Detroit became the largest city in United States history to filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in the amount was 20 billion dollars (Bomey,Priddle,Snavely 2013). How does once an productive city fall so far it has resort to filing for bankruptcy? This story of Detroit's bankruptcy starts in the 1950's. The City of Detroit has its highest population to date which is 1.85 million,which includes 290,000 manufacturing jobs (Weber,2013). With the promise of jobs that the City of Detroit offers, this attracts many African Americans from the south to move to the City of Detroit to find work. However many strikes begin to happen because many of their whites counterparts did not want to work with African Americans at that time. Next there is the expansion of the Big 3 (Ford, Chrysler, General Motors) many of these factories were not built in the City of Detroit, they were built in the suburbs of the City of Detroit. This led to many middle class whites to move from the City of Detroit to the suburbs for jobs and to start a new life for their family. Third there is the development of technology, majority of the jobs located in factories are done

In 1950 Detroit’s population reached an all time high. The city was booming with the help of the Automotive industry. Underneath the excitement and prosperity, greater powers were taking effect, permanently changing this region.These outside influences are what fostered Detroit’s rise to power as well as its great demise.

Detroit, Michigan was originally settled as a French fur trading post that turned into a military post. It was turned over to the British in 1760 after they lost the French and Indian War. In 1796, the British lost Detroit to U.S. forces. Most of this history was lost when a fire destroyed the city in 1805. The invention of the steamboat and the building of the Erie Canal provided efficient access to Detroit through the Detroit River. The city grew rapidly and was incorporated in 1815, even before Michigan was admitted to the Union. (Detroit. (n.d.). Retrieved December 04, 2017, from http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Detroit-History.html)

Detroit, once the New York City of its time, nick named the “Motor City” as it contained one of the leading car manufacturing centers of the automobile industry. As a metropolis for the first half of the twentieth century, Post World War II, Detroit became an economic fortress and focal point in American History. Detroit’s economic stronghold placed the city in a position that was once beneficial. From the surging employment opportunities perpetuated by the booming automotive market to the development, and implementation of substandard housing and the casual labor market, Detroit became the land of opportunity that loomed with an air of new beginnings. Today, however, Detroit continues to reap the aftermath of contradictory political

Some people believe that Detroit is comparable to a blank canvas. A place where an opportunity is lurking right around the corner. They imagine it as a deserted place, in which a businessman can create anything they dream of. However, the harsh reality is, Detroit is not a blank canvas. It has been splattered with an era of prominence, scribbled on with the invention of the automobile, and engraved with a history of racism and corruption. Although much of Detroit’s glory has been stripped away, there are still people who exist in the city’s remnants. Actual people, with actual families, actual homes, and actual lives. When outsiders talk about the city’s revival, they are often forgetting about these people, or the actual citizens of

If Detroit is not revitalized and branded it has been said that Michigan as a whole cannot rebrand. Detroit is the city that most people outside of the state look at and determine Michigan’s prominence, domination and future. Rather right or wrong that is simply the way that it is. Michigan over the past few years has attempted to gut the city of what they perceive as the ugliness of Detroit, people in poverty. In this attempt most of the people whom had to leave Detroit because of unemployment after the downturn are the very people that the State needs.

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

In 1910 Detroit was the ninth largest city in the United States, housing the auto industry and producing metal crafts, railcars, stove works, paints, iron, brass, and copper. After World War 2 the population increased to 1,849,568 forcing a city expansion of 77.9 square miles, the city’s economy account for nearly 1/6th of the nation’s income, with the industrial sector employing an estimated 310,000 workers alone.

     While the onset of war led to a hugely inflated military production capacity, American industry never completed reversion back to the pre-war focus on purely civilian items. In fact, the value of military production facilities increased by 3300% between 1939 and 1944, and less than a third of all plants created during the war were converted to civilian production (Walton 551). Paul Koistinen writes,

Kevin Boyle explained that the racial tension between the minorites and the white community did harm to Detroit's economy. Most of the immigrants were blacks from the southern states. While they were migrating into Detroit in a fast pace, housing were also getting filled up fast. The demand for more housing created and impact of how Detroit neighborhoods were being set up in order to keep up with the pace. Most neighboorhoos were seperated by race. White neighboroods were being created as weel as blacks only neighborhoods. The anglo-saxon European immigrants also created their own neighborhoods. While some blacks gained finacial wealth, they tried to move into white neighborhood since it was more secured and nicer. This came into an obstacule for the blacks. The white community tried everything to keep the blacks away from their neighborhood. They used local real estate agents to keep the blacks away. One of their strategies was charging the black community a price above value

1. Describe the rise of the American industrial city, and place it in the context of worldwide trends of urbanization and mass migration (the European diaspora)

New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit were one of the first cities that accepted a huge invasion of African-Americans from the South. These African-American migrants were optimistic of a better life in these cities. Later, the mass exodus of African-Americans from the South was an economic explosion in nature. In the following sections, we examine how the Great Migration in the 1900s changed the nature of cities and urban centers.

During World War II the United States began to manufacture war materials to support its allies through lucrative government defense contracts as automobile factories like Ford and General Motors put aside their usual business operations and began to produce tanks and airplanes, shipyards too expanded their operations . The demand for war equipment naturally increased the demand for labor and as a result helped pull the American economy out of the grips of the Great Depression. Then as the unthinkable happened, on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, which drew many young American men into the battlefield.

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 most significant factor that catapulted Detroit, Michigan to becoming a prosperous city in America was the mass production of the automobile in the early 20th century. Three companies encompassed the auto industry in America and they were Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Consequently, the three companies were referred to as the “Big Three.” The “Big Three” established their headquarters, and assemble plants in the Detroit area. David Littman, Senior Vice President & chief Economist, Comerica Bank (retired) stated, “what really built the city of Detroit were the thing of substance of a market system entrepreneurship and incentive…come to