Detroit Aerial 1997 or How I Learned to Stop Urbaning and Love the Parking Lot

[1953]

In his book, "Downtown," Urban historian Robert Fogelson writes about how many building owners demolished their structures and paved surface lots in the 1930's because they couldn't fill buildings with tenants, but they could earn enough parking money to pay their taxes. Hence, they came to be known as "tax payers."

This goes along with his ideas that much of the urban decay that later swept America was emerging in the 20's and 30's. There is a similar sentiment in Christopher Lineburger's work, "The Option of Urbanism." He uses the town square imagery from Back to the Future to show how the America of 1985 and the America of 1955 and 1935 are basically one and the same.

Links here:

http://www.amazon.com/Downtown-Its-R...words=downtown

http://www.amazon.com/The-Option-Urb.../dp/1597261378

[Khorasaurus]

In his book, "Downtown," Urban historian Robert Fogelson writes about how many building owners demolished their structures and paved surface lots in the 1930's because they couldn't fill buildings with tenants, but they could earn enough parking money to pay their taxes. Hence, they came to be known as "tax payers."

This goes along with his ideas that much of the urban decay that later swept America was emerging in the 20's and 30's. There is a similar sentiment in Christopher Lineburger's work, "The Option of Urbanism." He uses the town square imagery from Back to the Future to show how the America of 1985 and the America of 1955 and 1935 are basically one and the same.

Links here:

http://www.amazon.com/Downtown-Its-R...words=downtown

http://www.amazon.com/The-Option-Urb.../dp/1597261378

The Back to the Future thing is really interesting. They put a lot of effort into the background of that movie. In 1955, the little town's downtown is thriving, with the courthouse square full of people and lots of stores. In 1985, it's struggling, with porn theaters, a vacant courthouse, and part of the square converted to parking. Meanwhile, all the retail businesses are out at the mall. In 2015, the courthouse has been renovated, there are lots of stores again, and the town is bustling. We don't see the mall, but we do see a subdivision on the edge of town that is now considered a rough area.

It's pretty interesting how it predicted correctly that downtowns would come back.