Urban Prairie Views

[Zacha341]

I tend not to like to drive down the full-out 'prairie' areas of the east and west side as I think 'what's over in that field?' and hope my car does not break down in such a setting... And sadly there have been homicidal discoveries within these some of these gone wild areas.

These sections of un-use and dissipation are not the same as planned or original rural areas, or Yosemite Park as mentioned. I mostly find it depressing and rats often breed in this as well as the bunny rabbits.

[sumas]

Like I said I am spoiled by our well groomed block prairie. I try to walk to get the exercise but if I am near wild prairie or vacant buildings I do the street walk thing. No clue what could be hiding there.

Strangely, even though we have a lot of wild prairie to the east of us we don't have a rat problem. In EEV the problem was rampant.

I am not immune to the depression that settles when driving through eastside areas and see the block after block of extraordinary blight. I think to myself, people lived there, lives were played out, kids were raised. It sucks being older now and can remember when these were vibrant communities.

[Hamtragedy]

I find it fascinating as much as I find it depressing. To drive down Kercheval near Bewick, or Mack and Lakewood and see my old houses still standing, along with a handful of other ones, I'm able to visualize what that neighborhood looked like in the early 70's, from the banks converted to churches, the giant cow, or the YMCA at the end of the street. Those same neighborhoods, especially Bewick, were rough back then, and I got grounded for playing in abandoned houses.

Compare that to my favorite spot in the Huron National Forest, which burned in the early 70's, and even in the 80's you could crest a hill and see big-sky for miles. Go back there now, and the scrub-oaks that survived the fire are the three things that resemble anything I remember as a teen-ager, and the forest is alive with birch and poplar, and getting lost is easy. I'm sure my parents found it depressing the forest burned in their 20s.

To witness, over 30-40 years, the cycle, natural or manufactured in both instances has been fascinating.

[jackie5275]

I tend not to like to drive down the full-out 'prairie' areas of the east and west side as I tend to think 'what's over in that field?' and hope my car does not break down in such a setting... And sadly there have been homicidal discoveries within these some of these gone wild areas.

These sections of un-use and dissipation are not the same as planned or original rural areas, or Yosemite Park as mentioned. I mostly find it depressing and rats often breed in this as well as the bunny rabbits.

Many times I see packs of stray dogs roaming around the near east side areas too. I don't want to cross paths with them either.

[Al Publican]

I call these areas of the east side "the savanna" or neosavanna."

[sumas]

Many times I see packs of stray dogs roaming around the near east side areas too. I don't want to cross paths with them either.

Haven't seen a dog pack in a long while. They certainly exist but I suspect we have certain neighbors that took matters into their own hands. I walk often with a neighbor lady and we just don't see them like we used to.

[KJ5]

[QUOTE=poobert;398424]If what passes for nature for you are trash-strewn vacant lots [[above basements and foundations filled with the contents of what used to be the house on top of them) with weeds that grow 6 feet high in the summer time, then I really feel sorry for you.

It's not like the areas are safe, either. There's no one around to hear you scream, so to speak.

Go to Huron National Forest if you like nature.
Like I said, I don't have a car. Let me know the next time you go and maybe I can ride along with you.

[sumas]

[QUOTE=KJ5;398524]

If what passes for nature for you are trash-strewn vacant lots [[above basements and foundations filled with the contents of what used to be the house on top of them) with weeds that grow 6 feet high in the summer time, then I really feel sorry for you.

It's not like the areas are safe, either. There's no one around to hear you scream, so to speak.

Go to Huron National Forest if you like nature.
Like I said, I don't have a car. Let me know the next time you go and maybe I can ride along with you.

It's comments like that that always make me strangely defensive.

Where I live there's always someone around to hear if I needed to scream. I am careful, but I have great faith in my community. When I walk alone, often neighborhood gentlemen offer to escort me. It is so charming.

I still assert prairie beats the hell out of abandoned homes, yes of course there is major blight. I just find that our prairies are an affirmation that Mother Nature will heal what man destroys.

I have a car, a scooter and a bike, I like to walk. I live near the river, I can walk to Belle Isle, and even unkempt it is still stunning. Don't need suburban parks

[RickBeall]

Just some thoughts.

There is an irony. Around some areas, the first buildings to fall down were the commercial buildings. So the busiest areas tend to turn to country first.

Detroit is a great city for riding your bike. No traffic.

I was taking pictures around New Center on Friday and I was looking at the pictures later and I realized there were no people in the pictures. I was on Lothrup behind New Center. It looked like a segment of "The World After People". Now, there were some cars in the pictues. But almost no people.

[mikefmich]

Urban prairies depress me.

I'm with you.
Some days I get lost on Google street view for an hour or so....never believing the neighborhoods I ran as a kid & worked as a young man would ever get to this state.

When I get back home for a couple of days, I usually spend at least one tooling around the east side & near downtown. It seems masochistic of me to do so.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Just some thoughts.

There is an irony. Around some areas, buildings to fall down were the commercial buildings. So the busiest strips tend to turn to country first.

Detroit is a great city for riding your bike. No traffic.

I was taking pictures around New Center on Friday and I was looking at the pictures later and I realized there were no people in the pictures. I was on Lothrup behind New Center. It looked like a segment of "The World After People". Now, there were some cars in the pictues. But almost no people.

I'd be careful riding my bike. Too many idiots in cars that hit people walking, riding, pushing wheelchairs and keep going.

[sumas]

I'd be careful riding my bike. Too many idiots in cars that hit people walking, riding, pushing wheelchairs and keep going.

last I looked those incidents are in the burbs. More and more I see people riding bikes to work or just for pleasure. Our current lack of density is more a tax/monetary issue then a traffic issue.

There is an opportunity in our current emptiness to create a new vision.

[220hendrie1910]

And one from the West Side near the former site of a sign all West Siders who are over the age of 40 should know very well.
Attachment 21062

That one has an excuse for being an urban prairie; a tornado leveled much of that neighborhood.

[DetroitVideoDaily]

While not a prairie, nature has a way of taking over.



As much as I find this building interesting because of what's happening to it, I really would like to see it torn down because I'm pretty sure nothing good transpires inside.



Believe it or not there's a sidewalk that cuts through here. I'm actually more bothered that someone littered an empty box and chip bag. Don't get me wrong I would like the city to come through and cut the lot and clear the sidewalk, but I'm not expecting that anytime soon.
-DVD

[sumas]

There are many civic organization and churches that will help if you call. And don't get me started on litter again. As stated on this thread, we do many clean ups a year, call it civic pride. I cuss the whole time to myself that I am picking up other peoples shit.

I just do not get/comprehend such complete disrespect for neighborhoods and nature.

[ordinary]

There is an opportunity in our current emptiness to create a new vision.

I think that all the time but just never could put it into words. Thank you.

[marshamusic]

When I saw this video in ModelD's site, I remembered that someone in one of these vacant lot threads asked "who takes care of some of these lots?".

On blocks all over town, a neighbor will pitch in and mow the lawn of an empty lot when they mow their own. In this case, these guys do it; this is a sweet little video:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/mowergang913.aspx

[sumas]

We seem to have a problem getting our block club meetings scheduled this summer. I know we have close to $2,000 dollars and feel strongly that we should hire a neighborhood teen to maybe clean up for a couple hours on Kercheval. There is a gas station and a party store a little further up. The litter in that expanse of land is stunning in its excess. On the street not much just that one lot or two.

I did a mental inventory of our block and realized every home owner is 50 plus.There are several kids being raised by grandma. We still have some trash bags in our inventory maybe pay a teen 10 or 15 an hour for a few hours once a week.

[LeannaM]

This is 16th, just north of W. Warren.

That one is actually kind of pretty.

[LeannaM]

Living in a rural area I'm used to trees and wildlife. Urban prairies are fascinating to look at, but it might creep me out a little bit to actually be there, especially since I don't know the neighborhoods.

There is a town near me that was really booming when the railroad was important. Now it's just falling apart. So is the town next to it. The highway I take to my Grandma's goes through the first town I mentioned and along the highway you can see 5 houses in a row [[which is 1/3 of the houses in the town) falling apart. This little town isn't useful anymore and there are no jobs, so there are very few people left. In the country a lot of the decay we see is from towns that lost their jobs or farms that the family left. It eventually turns into forest or urban prairie. It doesn't take long for nature to take over.

[motz]

Being that I live in Woodbridge, it is amazing to see how the areas contrast. I visit friends on Euclid west of the Lodge, and the drive up Rosa Parks is really other worldly. From Putnam up to Grand, its just... a hollow shell, lots of prairie and dying buildings. Hit Grand and everything north is fairly busy. So odd to me. If anyone wants to post more areas where you can get totally lost in, PLEASE let me know

[Honky Tonk]

Being that I live in Woodbridge, it is amazing to see how the areas contrast. I visit friends on Euclid west of the Lodge, and the drive up Rosa Parks is really other worldly. From Putnam up to Grand, its just... a hollow shell, lots of prairie and dying buildings. Hit Grand and everything north is fairly busy. So odd to me. If anyone wants to post more areas where you can get totally lost in, PLEASE let me know

Try the Southwest Detroit/Delray area.

[motz]

Try the Southwest Detroit/Delray area.

That IS one place I haven't explored... I will note that the corner of Vermont and Putnam sports some super scary trailers, I recommend checking them out.

[DownriverGRap]

Urban prairies depress me.

You are forgetting the best part of Google StreetView.....the sight of all the new ADA approved easements at intersections in the middle of nowhere!

[Honky Tonk]

That IS one place I haven't explored... I will note that the corner of Vermont and Putnam sports some super scary trailers, I recommend checking them out.

I can't locate them on Google Street view.......