Woodard Avenue 1917 Detroit, was called the Paris of the West, because of it's beautiful architecture
What inspires this posting is my neighbor's from the City of Detroit(MI), and the countless other Texan's (in Texas your officially "Texan" after 18 month's of residency), mostly in Dallas and Houston that I have met and known that moved here from Detroit. I can remember when Detroit was larger than Dallas or Houston, and was the 5th largest city in the USA, and been there during that time as well.
First of all .... although many think I am "nut's" when I talk like this .... I see Detroit as a great future city, as many of the so called "rust belt" cities that folk's look at as in decline. Many folk's simply dont look at the entire picture, they tend to look at the short vision instead of the long I reckon. I havent been to the Motor City in year's, and last time I was there, it looked absolutely awful in some area's, I seen entire neighborhood's that looked like "ghost town's", plenty of poverty, unemployment, etc. I lived for a short time (8 month's or so) close by in the City of Chicago ( one of my favourite US cities ).
What I see is a city that was a key backbone in America's role of the industrial revolution, a city that has contributed big time to the greatness of this nation, the home of Motown Record's, the city that produced the vehicle's and those infamous gas guzzling muscle car's that not only American's loved .... but are fought over in even some EU and Asian countries, and some great concepts and new vehicle's to come. It is in a great location as far as port's, air as well as land and water. The countryside is absolutely beautiful and right on the Canadian border. What folk's see as a deteriorating town, I see as a future economic goldmine. I simply see what this city is going through as simply a transition, and like I wrote so many time's, these transitions are NOT EASY, but well worth it in the "long term". Urban Farming/ Gardening, Green Tech's, and even future transport vehicle's for not just the US, but the world, is right here.
While folk's in Detroit are going through the usual political bickering, over who's plan is right or wrong .... I believe that "all" idea's are "positive motion". In other word's as in these video's for instance, I agree with Mayor Bing of Detroit, as well as Professor and Activist Howell, alot with Howell as well, because the "youth" is always the "future" and the "fresh" idea's, and I believe that there are probably many properties that can be renewed as well. Of course investor's and developer's like to see everything as "blighted" so they can have a field day. But I think that all side's have the answer's here .... combined. I see Detroit as the future of urban America.
Demolishing houses to save Detroit ... Thanx to CNN
Here (video) Professor Howell speak's of the problem's with the behind closed door's talk's and major corporation's behind so called "industrial farming", and philanthropist's, planner's/ developer's, I agree with her 110%. One of our biggest problem's as I pointed out time and again, is not "letting go". What I mean is .... we have this type of psychological restraint that make's us believe that we "need" MEGA everything to survive, from representation, to corporation's to financial giant's to even our churches. I have some funny idea's let's say .... of the future as well as a new face of capitalism, combined with also some more socialism. I dont mean socialism in a negative sense, I simply mean more control over those entities we feel we cant live without, and some real competition, to where they really compete, not just wait for inventor's,scientist's, and entrepreneur's to come up with idea's then buy them out, which is what we have now. I am talking about a future where folk's will "truely" have more say so, and more choice's as well.
I vision many more countries, even small countries, being major player's, without the "global corporate communism", dictating trade and profit as you see today. Large manufacturing/ production companies that are "employee owned" and ran, without the need for CEO's and their guru staff's and board's. Or the need to have mega government's with only a bunch of corporate hired/ sponsored attorney's(politician's of today), to decide what is "best" for all of the herd/ us, to act on our behalf, and/or represent us. As if were children who need our hand held. Most working people/ families that I have known done a far better job at running their own financial planning without these high dollar financial investor's or government rep's/ attorney's doing it for them. All any of these folk's do is manipulate our lives, and frankly are not creative even in any stretch of the definition, without us frankly, to listen to them .... well ... their basically ...nothing.
No doubt, that whatever the people of Detroit manage to come up with will be a motion in a positive direction, due to "urban decay", than just leaving it sit this way. Neighbor's and other's who have moved here to Dallas, have told me how different it is now in 21st century Detroit, than when I was there last in the late 1980's ... what they describe is far worse than even what I seen. It is incredible that a thriving booming major American city, in just a half century can take this kind of a decline, this is not some impoverished third world country, it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. And these building's/ location's in this video below, including the abandoned train station "Michigan Central Station" (great photo collection) .... were not long ago, thriving and bustling with folk's, merchant's, trade/ business.
Paltalk News Network- Desolate Detroit ... Thanx to REPORTER GARY **** In this video below "Bob" describe's his 72 year's in this North Detroit neighborhood, what it was, and what it can be ......
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ReplyDeleteThere's this Mayor in a Penn. town that escape my memory for now that could be the model for other cities.
It looked as if it were a third world,bombed out shell. But now this guy is bringing it back. Music and Art forms are the Major piece to this puzzle. Your right, we have to think in different terms.
Maybe your talking about Philly Mr.Tim? But yeah .... I feel like Detroit has a big future. I can remember guy, when I lived in Brooklyn(NY) (early 1970's)at a time when New York City went bankrupt, when trash was knee- deep in the street's from not being picked up, building's up all through Harlem and the Bronx were similar to that in Detroit video, and Times Square, was just a place to buy nickel and dime bag's of heroin, peep show's and transvestite's selling $5 blowjob's, yes .... Times Square turned into one of the last places that any tourist would want to visit, look at it and NYC today 2010 .... it's the "rise and fall" thing. Just like I have many familia picture's in Times Square and NYC from the 1940's and 1950's when it was "grand". Look at Hollywood Blvd now, and what it was like in the 1960's (LA), some folk's these day's wouldnt even go down there. But even they been revitalizing the Blvd ... actually that new subway line and terminal under Hollywood Blvd, and that award's event's center (cant recall the name of hand) sparked a rebirth of Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteThanx for droppin by Guy ......