There's no question that a lot of small towns and medium sized cities have suffered badly over the last half-century. Many of them have emptied out cores, few or no street-level businesses, very sluggish or dead economies, and shrinking population - particularly in areas formerly dependent on some form of industry or manufacturing.

But Detroit's suffering has really been on a scale unmatched by any other place in the country. Detroit is not Camden, AK by a long-shot, but the former 5th largest city in the country, which is what makes its decline both remarkable and one of America's biggest challenges.