NYT: How Detroit Became the World Capital of Staring at Abandoned Buildings

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New York Times

by Mark Binelli

For decades, a succession of city officials has struggled mightily to rebrand Detroit’s battered image. Their ideas have included casino gambling, an ’80s festival mall, new ballparks, hosting a Formula One grand prix, hosting a Super Bowl, even commissioning [[this was Mayor Coleman Young, in 1984) Berry Gordy [[who fled Detroit for Los Angeles by the early 1970s, taking the entire Motown operation with him) to write a city theme modeled after Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York.” Another member of the Rat Pack, Sammy Davis Jr., was conscripted to handle the vocals, but sadly, Gordy’s song, “Hello, Detroit,” failed to burn up the charts.

But now much of the attention being showered upon Detroit from the trendiest of quarters comes, in no small measure, thanks to the city’s blight. Detroit’s brand has become authenticity, a key component of which has to do with the way the city looks. Does fixing the very real problems faced by Detroiters, I began to wonder, mean inevitably robbing Detroit of some part of its essential Detroitness?

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To read the rest of the article, click here.

This was posted a a day or two earlier.

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Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

This was posted a a day or two earlier.

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Sorry. I had not read the Forum this weekend and did not notice it. Lowell, please feel free to delete.

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But now much of the attention being showered upon Detroit from the trendiest of quarters comes, in no small measure, thanks to the city’s blight. Detroit’s brand has become authenticity, a key component of which has to do with the way the city looks. Does fixing the very real problems faced by Detroiters, I began to wonder, mean inevitably robbing Detroit of some part of its essential Detroitness?

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If this is the kind of horseshit this guy plies in his trade I don't need to read anything more from him.

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Originally Posted by brizee

If this is the kind of horseshit this guy plies in his trade I don't need to read anything more from him.

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This is a perfect example of why I hate ruin porn and the glorification of dysfunction.

For years, New York was identified as a city in decline. From the Bronx burning, to the national notoriety of New York drug kingpins, to the graffitti and trash covered subways, to the 2,000+ murders in the city every year, to the brink of bankruptcy, New York City was defined by dysfunction for decades.

What kind of person asks if fixing our problems in Detroit will rob us of our essence? Did the recent drastic reduction of murder, vandalism, and other societal dysfunction in NYC rob New Yorkers of their essence? Do New Yorkers bemoan the fact that they are now far less likely to get mugged on the subway or killed in the streets? Do they feel robbed of their New Yorkness because they haven't had a riot in Brooklyn in 20 years?

With everything that New York City has been through in recent decades, I would think that the NY Times would have some understanding and empathy towards the situation that Detroiters are dealing with. This type of smug assertion that Detroiters are defined by dysfunction, and are somehow deserving of it, or enjoy it, is so completely fucked up, I can't even wrap my head around it. It is disturbing to see people get a thrill out of watching others deal with challenges and adversity.

I have always felt that the glorification of the ruins of Detroit isn't doing the rest of Detroit or the region any favors. Many people have made their "name" [[for what it's worth) on this exercise in futility.

There's nothing ironic about a ruined building. Nor is it a desirable subject for photography, despite what many feel about the subject. Face it, if you've seen one rubble strewn hallway, you've seen them all. There's only so many ruined theatres, so that's been done. Same with churches. It's all so much blah blah blah for me anymore.

So, for those that think that if fixing the problems of Detroit would rob the D of it's essence, I'd say rob away. I look forward to the day that the purveyors of "ruin porn" are put out of their misery and sent in more constructive directions with their photography. What a real waste of natural or trained talent, to crawl around in ruins taking photos of something dead. Concentrate on life. There's lots of it out there, and you'll be a better person for it. :D

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Originally Posted by erikd

What kind of person asks if fixing our problems in Detroit will rob us of our essence? Did the recent drastic reduction of murder, vandalism, and other societal dysfunction in NYC rob New Yorkers of their essence? Do New Yorkers bemoan the fact that they are now far less likely to get mugged on the subway or killed in the streets? Do they feel robbed of their New Yorkness because they haven't had a riot in Brooklyn in 20 years?

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I guess you don't know too many NYers. There is a lot of bemoaning by New Yorkers about how less "authentic" the city has become. I have native NYer friends who constantly complain about how Brooklyn is being ruined by people from the Midwest.

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Originally Posted by iheartthed

I guess you don't know too many NYers. There is a lot of bemoaning by New Yorkers about how less "authentic" the city has become. I have native NYer friends who constantly complain about how Brooklyn is being ruined by people from the Midwest.

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That's funny. Are you sure that they aren't commenting on you? Sounds pretty close to home. ;)

i'd have to agree...the one major gripe i hear from my native NY friends is that gentrification has pretty much kiboshed the "true" NYC in a tidal wave of newcomers and the greedy speculators and developers willing to accomodate them by wiping out large swaths of old NY for glitzy new residential highrises in areas where such construction dont really belong to begin with, and thereby jacking up the cost of living and renting in the city to levels that force most natives out.

what i get by reading between the lines of this Binelli's guy's story is the question of whether working class detroit is about to be wiped out by outsider yuppies moving in the same way as it was in NYC. in, of course...politely encoded language, if you will, heheh. he carefully says "young white people with facial hair" instead of saying "hipsters" :D

A lot of young adults grew up in bland suburbs, surrounded by houses that looked pretty much the same. They were probably told horror stories about the cities and crime there. So I think to them the old buildings in old cities represent some authenticity they didn't have growing up. The blight is interesting to them because somehow it seems more real. It's also somewhat of a rebellion, going back to what their parents and grandparents fled from.

Some of the young adults will buy delapidated houses and fix them up. Most will just take pictures of them. The houses represent authenticity to them. Ruins are obviously not so interesting if you live near them regularly.

When you see a house falling apart and phantom steps and sidewalks going nowhere, it makes you wonder about what's gone on in those houses and how the neighborhood got that way. People seem to be drawn to it, but I can understand why it's annoying to people who live there. I think most people would rather have a city of nice houses rather than ruin porn, but ruin porn does bring in a lot of visitors. It fascinates them for some reason.

I admit, I'm somewhat fascinated by abandoned buildings myself, but only from a distance. I don't walk into potentially unsafe buildings, mostly for safety reasons. I do look at photos of abandoned buildings, but I don't seek the buildings out. I also like to research the building's history. I prefer to do photography of nature and I document cemeteries for genealogy reasons. I like cemeteries, which is weird, I know. When I see a building in bad shape I hope somebody fixes it up, and I prefer to see buildings that used to be rough and are now in use again.

I understand why ruin porn is popular, and I also understand why the local residents are so annoyed with it.