When was Detroit blight at its worst?

**night-timer** · October-29-13, 11:58 PM

What year/s was Detroit's urban blight at its worst? Downtown has had a few famous refurbs in recent years.

If Dr Jill Van Zorn out of Texas needs a plant to house her new business in, what makes her think the trashed Packard plant is such an ideal choice? If you've got $6 million to spend, you'd have plenty of other choices. With many of them, you could possibly move in right away, which is not the case with Packard.

Seems she also claims she might put down the money to buy every abandoned structure in Detroit.

**begingri** · October-30-13, 12:30 AM

Blight peaked at its absolute worst on October 30th, 2013.

**Bham1982** · October-30-13, 06:37 AM

Is this a serious question? The answer is obviously right now.

Detroit is hemorraging population, businesses and vitality. There has been no change, overall, over the past half-century, except perhaps that the decline has accelerated somewhat.

**Honky Tonk** · October-30-13, 06:41 AM

It's probably serious because they're looking @ and thinking Downtown and Midtown. Both appear to be on the up and up. The rest of us? Not so much.

**Hermod** · October-30-13, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

It's probably serious because they're looking @ and thinking Downtown and Midtown. Both appear to be on the up and up. The rest of us? Not so much.

Both appear to be improving from their nadir might be more accurate.

**313WX** · October-30-13, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Both appear to be improving from their nadir might be more accurate.

^^^What he said.

The city as a whole is far worse now. Just take a drive through any part of Detroit besides downtown/midtown and you will see this.

Downtown/Midtown have improved from where they were in the 90s/2000s blight-wise, but compared to how healthy it was in the 40s-60s, well yeah...

**Bham1982** · October-30-13, 07:13 AM

Downtown isn't even back to where it was around 1990 or so.

Back then, you had a legitimate shopping district along Woodward [[much diminished and rather ghetto fabulous, but still thriving), a packed Trappers Alley, a real shopping center at the RenCen, and the older downtown towers [[Buhl, Penobscot and the like) were still filled with blue chip law firms and the like.

**DetroitPlanner** · October-30-13, 08:02 AM

Right now it is an absolute mess.

**canuck** · October-30-13, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Right now it is an absolute mess.

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!

**Honky Tonk** · October-30-13, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Downtown isn't even back to where it was around 1990 or so.

Back then, you had a legitimate shopping district along Woodward [[much diminished and rather ghetto fabulous, but still thriving), a packed Trappers Alley, a real shopping center at the RenCen, and the older downtown towers [[Buhl, Penobscot and the like) were still filled with blue chip law firms and the like.

Yes, but NOW we have a cufflink shop, and Ho' Foods.

**jaytheory** · October-30-13, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Downtown isn't even back to where it was around 1990 or so.

Back then, you had a legitimate shopping district along Woodward [[much diminished and rather ghetto fabulous, but still thriving), a packed Trappers Alley, a real shopping center at the RenCen, and the older downtown towers [[Buhl, Penobscot and the like) were still filled with blue chip law firms and the like.

i think we are are missing the point on the Dtown Midtown side. the neighborhoods are mostly declining [[ few have seen some improvement, they arnt better than before but have at least appeared to bottom)

Referring to downtown and midtown. while they were more active in the 70's 90's early 2000's.

From what I know about Detroit history. the trajectory has been down until recently. it may have fallen fast in some years or slowly or flat in others. But i think this is the first actual time that it has incrementally gotten better, has it gotten to old levels not even close. but the point is the needle is moving to the right not to the left.

**TTime** · October-30-13, 08:40 AM

Anyone with some background on the city as a whole knows the answer to this question is clearly right now. Also, while Downtown and Midtown have seen some improvements they are not "vibrant" as many people like to say so quit with the bs. [[Not directed at any of the previous comments just a preemptive strike against someone who is sure to join in talking about how Midtown and Downtown are "thriving")

**Hamtragedy** · October-30-13, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by begingri

Blight peaked at its absolute worst on October 30th, 2013.

There are now burned out houses, albeit a few, in Grandmont, Grandmont 1 and Rosedale. Something I thought I would never, EVER, see. Sure there have always been the occasional housefires, but not arson, to the extent visible now.

In my opinion, the scrappers have done more to destroy this town in the last five years than the 40 years of white-flight preceding it.

**preserve** · October-30-13, 11:05 AM

Taggers and scrappers, arsonists. The City looks awful, all of the arteries coming into the city are a disgrace. I don't remember it ever looking as bad as it does right now. Just this past couple of months, the amount of tagging and
graffiti have turned the city into a huge comic book with nothing to laugh at.

**motz** · October-30-13, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy

There are now burned out houses, albeit a few, in Grandmont, Grandmont 1 and Rosedale. Something I thought I would never, EVER, see. Sure there have always been the occasional housefires, but not arson, to the extent visible now.

In my opinion, the scrappers have done more to destroy this town in the last five years than the 40 years of white-flight preceding it.

Will the Michigan State Legislature do anything about? Stayed tuned, more at 11! [[Protip: They won't do shit because that'd be "strangling small business with regulation" or some republican/tea party barf)

**Gistok** · October-30-13, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by TTime

Anyone with some background on the city as a whole knows the answer to this question is clearly right now. Also, while Downtown and Midtown have seen some improvements they are not "vibrant" as many people like to say so quit with the bs. [[Not directed at any of the previous comments just a preemptive strike against someone who is sure to join in talking about how Midtown and Downtown are "thriving")

You're dissin' "vibrant" as BS.... that word isn't even mentioned on this thread until you brought it up.... funny that??

The retail district along Woodward Ave. is still not up to the wig store and nail salon standards of the 1990s... but the buildings are in MUCH better condition... back then you had first floor stores in very dated unremodeled storefronts... in decaying unmaintained buildings unheated above the first floor... that had pigeon poop littering the interiors to floors 2 and above.... I once worked in one of them in the 1970s and the farther up the buildings you went... the more decayed and disgusting it was.

So the store fronts may be empty... but they are in far better shape, and the floors above in many of the buildings are generally occupied by renters in remodeled apartments.

So while an upscaled retail scene is not yet present... many of the buildings are generally in much better condition than they were 20-30 years ago.

**Baselinepunk** · October-30-13, 01:07 PM

"Taggers and scrappers, arsonists."

Let's not forget Suburban Dumpers

**313WX** · October-30-13, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Baselinepunk

"Taggers and scrappers, arsonists."

Let's not forget Suburban Dumpers

And drug dealers and squatters.

**EastsideAl** · October-30-13, 01:30 PM

I think things were probably incrementally worse about 3 years ago, in the years just following the big mortgage collapse. At that point it truly looked like all was lost. Now there is some hope in the Downtown/Midtown revival, and an uptick in better neighborhoods nearby like Indian Village, Corktown, Woodbridge, etc.

Also, it is ahistorical to say that the entire momentum was downwards. There was a moment for a few years in the late '90s when property values were actually going up [[quite a bit up in some places) in a lot of the city, crime was falling, and some new houses and stores were actually being built. Alas, it was short-lived, but it lasted just long enough for many people to be fooled into taking out money against the rising value of their home equity, or either moving or refinancing and taking out a higher value mortgage, which really exacerbated things when the crash came a few years later.

But I absolutely agree with Hamtradgedy that the scandalous failure to do anything meaningful at all about scrapping has made everything much, much worse, and has hurt the aesthetics and "save-ability" of much of the of the city worse than any other single factor.

It's absolutely unconscionable what the "who me?" scrapyard owners and their GOP allies in Lansing have done, and continue to do, to us. And, frankly, I'm so sick of them and their ongoing intransigence and profiting off of the misery of others, that I think there should be a mass movement to go strip the living hell out of their properties and see how they feel about it. Direct action, baby...

**jackie5275** · October-30-13, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Now there is some hope in the Downtown/Midtown revival, and an uptick in better neighborhoods nearby like Indian Village, Corktown, Woodbridge, etc.

Yes, but in the meantime other neighborhoods that had been in decent shape have gone into a downward spiral. I'm speaking specifically of Warrendale, which had been decent as recently as 10-12 years ago. So, I guess it's really where you're looking at in terms of improvement.

**jackie5275** · October-30-13, 02:53 PM

Now that we've arrived at Devil's Night how many arson fires will we have over the weekend? Yeah, I know the numbers are always reported as down. Some years I question the accuracy of them. But I wonder are we ever going to run out of vacant buildings for arsonists to torch?

**illwill** · October-30-13, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by preserve

Taggers and scrappers, arsonists. The City looks awful, all of the arteries coming into the city are a disgrace. I don't remember it ever looking as bad as it does right now. Just this past couple of months, the amount of tagging and
graffiti have turned the city into a huge comic book with nothing to laugh at.

I could not have said it any better myself...

It literally makes me sick to my stomach to see Detroit in its current condition.

I dislike hearing outsiders always saying the city is a "blank slate" for people to come here and do ANYTHING "in" or "on" Detroit. Honestly, I NEVER thought I'd see the city look as bad as it currently does. The graffiti is out of control, the massive number of vacant lots, the run down buildings and the strange feel of quietness in a former city is just plain freaky!

The current state of Detroit is keeping the middle-class population from even considering the city as a serious alternative for raising a family.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's hit bottom. Once the Bankruptcy is finished, the city will STILL suffer from the same problems that lead to its demise. Except ten-fold. Crime, poor educational system, a steadily declining population, steadily declining property tax base, lack of non-skilled jobs etc.

Detroit is a beautiful place, but it is what it is...

**softailrider** · October-30-13, 08:01 PM

I would say it was probably a bit worse about a year ago then it is now. I think that Brightmore has been cleaned up a noticeable amount. Far Northeast side, near the fairgrounds looks a little better, by better I mean more empty lots rather then burned out hulks. North End is maybe looking a little better too.