Originally Posted by
Bham1982
I get that "best shape" is a subjective observation, but this statement strikes me as immune to reality.
In 1970, Detroit had a population of 1,511,000. In 1980, Detroit had a population of 1,203,000. So let's be conservative and say Detroit's 1979 population estimates [[based on 1978 count) would be around 1,250,000.
Detroit's current population estimate is 673,000. I don't know how anyone can make a straight-faced argument that a city is better off after losing nearly half its population, including almost its entire middle class.
In 1979, the vast majority of the city was still intact. The commercial corridors were in deep decline, but still existed. You could still shop Grand River/Greenfield or downtown along Woodward. NW Detroit was pretty solid middle-upper class. Hudson's was open downtown. The RenCen had luxury shops. There were plans for a subway, downtown shopping mall, and thousands of downtown market rate apartments.
Nowadays, most of the revitalization consists of casinos, sports stadia, some renovated buildings housing lofts or hotels, a relocated internet mortgage company, and institutional expansion [[hospitals, Wayne). There are bright spots but the city overall is in far worse shape.