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I think we should all lament the fact that some of our great cities have become so broken-down that they may well be beyond repair. All big cities have sections which are run-down, and many big cities have areas which some would describe as being ghettos. Most of those cities will survive and find a way to re-invent themselves.
I’m not so optimistic about Detroit’s ability to survive…at least not as a traditionally- structured city. You really have to visit Detroit, and drive through its neighborhoods to realize the scope of what has happened there. This is a city that was designed to house two million people. It now has less than nine hundred thousand. There are vast areas of land which are unoccupied and look almost like rural fields; and even more areas that have nothing but crumbling buildings, burned-out cars, and overgrown weeds.
It will take a lot of time and economic investment to resurrect Detroit. On the other hand, the city may be the perfect place to rethink urban landscapes. At any rate, the fact that we have allowed any of our cities to reach this level of decay is an American tragedy.
I think we should all lament the fact that some of our great cities have become so broken-down that they may well be beyond repair. All big cities have sections which are run-down, and many big cities have areas which some would describe as being ghettos. Most of those cities will survive and find a way to re-invent themselves.
I’m not so optimistic about Detroit’s ability to survive…at least not as a traditionally- structured city. You really have to visit Detroit, and drive through its neighborhoods to realize the scope of what has happened there. This is a city that was designed to house two million people. It now has less than nine hundred thousand. There are vast areas of land which are unoccupied and look almost like rural fields; and even more areas that have nothing but crumbling buildings, burned-out cars, and overgrown weeds.
It will take a lot of time and economic investment to resurrect Detroit. On the other hand, the city may be the perfect place to rethink urban landscapes. At any rate, the fact that we have allowed any of our cities to reach this level of decay is an American tragedy.
I think what Detroit needs is optimism. Detroit will never look as it did in 1950. However, that doesn't mean it couldn't rebound. What i mean by how it won't look as it did, i mean, it physically will not look like that. It would be very hard to renovate all of those large homes Detroit has, (where as in Baltimore it is much easier to renovate a tiny rowhouse). So i think one day Detroit could become an urban planners experiment with restructuring large parts of the city. They could make it beautiful, or they could make it hideous, but i would hope they would try to match the beauty Detroit once had.
I've never been to Detroit, but the thing you have to remember about Baltimore is that even though it has some very, very rough neighborhoods, it also has some nice areas. The Inner Harbor, Canton, Mount Washington and Federal Hill are all great vibrant urban neighborhoods that are relatively safe. In addition, Baltimore has some of the wealthiest suburbs of any major city in America. We're talking serious old money, similar to what you see on Philadelphia's main line towns.
Having said that, anyone who has taken the train from New York/Boston/Philly down into Baltimore or DC has seen some of the worst bmore has to offer, as the tracks wind through some absolutely awful neighborhoods that look almost third-world.
I take the train quite a bit between NYC and Baltimore. You are correct that Amtrak runs right through probably the worst section of Baltimore. I am always disgusted by that and actually believe that is one of the reasons why Baltimore gets a bad rap. But you forgot to mention that the train also runs through the worst sections of Philadelphia also which from the ride looks just as bad if not worse than Baltimore.
I have also been in some NYC neighborhoods that could easily compare with those in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
The major difference between Detroit and Baltimore is that Baltimore actually has many (probably more than half the city) decent neighborhoods along with a decent downtown area that is quite active.
The original poster is from one of the poor sections of the city. Next time he visits his family/friends, I suggest he pick up a broom and coach them on how to improve the neighborhoods rather than whining on the internet about Bodymore. The fact is much of the city has done that and it shows.
I take the train quite a bit between NYC and Baltimore. You are correct that Amtrak runs right through probably the worst section of Baltimore. I am always disgusted by that and actually believe that is one of the reasons why Baltimore gets a bad rap. But you forgot to mention that the train also runs through the worst sections of Philadelphia also which from the ride looks just as bad if not worse than Baltimore.
I have also been in some NYC neighborhoods that could easily compare with those in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
The major difference between Detroit and Baltimore is that Baltimore actually has many (probably more than half the city) decent neighborhoods along with a decent downtown area that is quite active.
The original poster is from one of the poor sections of the city. Next time he visits his family/friends, I suggest he pick up a broom and coach them on how to improve the neighborhoods rather than whining on the internet about Bodymore. The fact is much of the city has done that and it shows.
I also noticed how the train goes through some rough areas of Philly too. I suppose it's not unusual though, since living next to the tracks is generally a lower income area. But I get the point, in that many cities have run-down areas, especially in the older cities. Even the newer southern cities will someday deal with these types of problems (more so than now), as I believe it's a common life-cycle with a city.
I read somewhere that some cities have sections of abandoned houses torn down, and then less dense housing built. Does anyone know anything about this process (in any city really)? I'm curious if the new housing is public housing only, or if some of it is sold. I'm also curious as to the outcome of this tactic.
I think we should all lament the fact that some of our great cities have become so broken-down that they may well be beyond repair. All big cities have sections which are run-down, and many big cities have areas which some would describe as being ghettos. Most of those cities will survive and find a way to re-invent themselves.
I’m not so optimistic about Detroit’s ability to survive…at least not as a traditionally- structured city. You really have to visit Detroit, and drive through its neighborhoods to realize the scope of what has happened there. This is a city that was designed to house two million people. It now has less than nine hundred thousand. There are vast areas of land which are unoccupied and look almost like rural fields; and even more areas that have nothing but crumbling buildings, burned-out cars, and overgrown weeds.
It will take a lot of time and economic investment to resurrect Detroit. On the other hand, the city may be the perfect place to rethink urban landscapes. At any rate, the fact that we have allowed any of our cities to reach this level of decay is an American tragedy.
I don't believe that any US city is beyond repair. Cities like Detroit may have lost population and some significant employment, but it will adjust over the years. I see urban decay as a city's process of readjusting after change, as painful as it is. I think that it will take a while, but eventually, areas will get cleaned up (or at least stabilized). First, the city's population needs to stabilize and city funding and spending needs to be adjusted to account for the bad areas to be cleaned up. A lot also depends on where the US economy goes, but that's every city's problem.
I don't believe that any US city is beyond repair. Cities like Detroit may have lost population and some significant employment, but it will adjust over the years. I see urban decay as a city's process of readjusting after change, as painful as it is. I think that it will take a while, but eventually, areas will get cleaned up (or at least stabilized). First, the city's population needs to stabilize and city funding and spending needs to be adjusted to account for the bad areas to be cleaned up. A lot also depends on where the US economy goes, but that's every city's problem.
But they have demolished so many houses in Detroit.
Lots of areas are just empty fields with 1 or 2 houses standing.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nycistheplace2
But they have demolished so many houses in Detroit.
Lots of areas are just empty fields with 1 or 2 houses standing.
and if you know so much about this then you'd know they have been also building whole neighborhoods (ie the "Detroit's Hidden Gems" video). Reason for them tearing homes down
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
2,053 posts, read 4,392,054 times
Reputation: 699
people, from other cities at that smh, talk so much **** about the homes being vacant and burnt up but if they demolish them they complain about that too??? The rebuilding of whole neighborhoods is definitely going to take some time because THE PEOPLE are the ones who invest and rebuild but when you have whole sites and threads detering people who do have the money to invest from even coming to Detroit what the hell do you expect?
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