This is a test…
As geographers what does this mean and why should we care? Over the past generation Detroit has suffered worse economically more than any other of the major cities in America. Its rampant urban decay is now glaringly apparent during the current recession. As geographers what does this mean and why should we care?
http://www.col-ed.org/cur/social.html
Detroit right now is a great American story Detroit right now is a great American story. No city has had more influence on the country's economic and social evolution. Detroit was the birthplace of both the industrial age and the nation's middle class, and the city's rise and fall — and struggle to rise again — are a window into the challenges facing all of modern America. From urban planning to the crisis of manufacturing, from the lingering role of race and class in our society to the struggle for better health care and education, it's all happening at its most extreme in the Motor City.
But what does that really look like?
Michigan Central Station Detroit's main train station, opened in 1913, has not been used since 1988.
William Livingstone House Constructed in 1893 in the once elegant Brush Park neighborhood, this home, designed by architect Albert Kahn, was moved from its original location several years ago by preservationists who hoped to maintain it. It was demolished last year.
St. Margaret Mary School Many of the city's Catholic schools have been closed, though the churches they are affiliated with remain active.
David Broderick Tower One of the city's most prominent skyscrapers, this 35-story tower once housed the offices of many doctors, lawyers and dentists. It has been virtually empty since the 1980s. Developers hope to convert the building to residential units by 2010.
United Artists Theater This spectacular Spanish Gothic theater, built in 1928, was closed in the 1970s.
Lee Plaza Hotel Once one of the most luxurious residential hotels in Detroit, Lee Plaza closed in the 1990s.
A different Highland Park….
"Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes ... the volatile result of the change of eras and the fall of empires. This fragility leads us to watch them one very last time: to be dismayed, or to admire, it makes us wonder about the permanence of things."
What’s next for Detroit? http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1882089_1850982,00.html http://www.urbanophile.com/2009/08/09/detroit-urban-laboratory-and-the-new-american-frontier/