Quote Originally Posted by FerndaleDamon View Post
I know this may be a little "off subject", but I had to respond to some of the earlier threads about the predjudicial thing. Both of my grandparents were transplants here. My father's from europe [[ Ireland) in the 20's and my mother's from Tennessee in the 50's. Both came here for the work, like many others, and both brought with them certian predjudices from that era. People from back then seem to have very little loyalty for the D. Not like us guys on D yes. Many of whom are their descendants. With so many different nationalities/races competing for jobs, and hence survival, feelings were "strong", to say the least. Many of the people who were here for Detroit's "boom town" period have since moved away, or passed away. After the prosperity well ran dry- they left. I believe that's why Detroit had 2 million people at its peak, and only less than half that now. A lot of people were just "transitory". Again- off the specific topic, but I think relevant to what happened then, and the way it is today.

This kind of comment is informative and contributes a whole lot because it is easy to find one or two major reasons for the city's decline and leave it at that. If people dismiss Detroit outside the pale, it
may have to do with quick judgement and so the idea of abandonment seems worthwhile. Many posters here have repeated that Detroit's demise is due to a wide set of variables and they are right. I wondered how it is that the city's decline wasnt curbed by investments in more varied industry etc...
I am more pondered in my opinions on Detroit. Detroit has had a complicated set of issues to deal with as it mushroomed into this massive builder of the vehicular lifestyle.Your comment on the transitory is a common thread in american life, not just from inner-city to suburbs but from state to state in search of...
So I look at Google street view again and again and find visuospatial clues that help me render judgement on a few issues. I find Detroit suburban roads and lots both residential and industrial
too wide and too spread out. I find this use of space tends to flatten everything and doesnt draw people in. It is a lot like sitting in a fast food joint and being coerced into leaving by an ingeniously engineered uncomfortable seat. This is present in a lot of Detroit proper also. The sidewalk is like a moat, oftentimes a vast expanse or grass is set forward on the city line in front of properties. I am amazed that the city has to mow so much prairie in 2010 as a security measure over and above aesthetic considerations and foresake parkland. If Detroit can make better more concentrated use of land, it will be a benefit both in ecological and social terms.