Detroit in Ruins

Detroit's demise is far more about corporate flight than either of those factors. And it is immensely greater than anything St. Louis has ever experienced. The difference in the entire state of Michigan from before free trade policies took over our federal economic policy in the 80s and 90s compared to after is incredible. There's nothing local govt could've done to combat the economic forces that drove this.

 

A lot of those Rust Belt/Northeast industrial cities that fell on hard times are being hard pressed to get back to their former glory.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-01-townhangingon_N.htm

Its from March and looks at cities a bit smaller than what I was thinking, but its still the same M.O. Factory leaves, people out of work, town faces a depression.

Here is a bit more of what I am talking about

http://www.cityofbinghamton.com/history.asp

Binghamton ranked only behind New York City as the top cigar-making city in the country. Immigrants from Eastern Europe and other countries poured into the area to work in this industry, or one of the many other companies producing over two hundred different types of products in Binghamton by the turn of the century.

Binghamton's population began to increase -- doubling every ten to fifteen years. It reached its height of 85,000 by the mid-1950s.

Binghamton's effort at "Urban Renewal" in the 1960s only led to large empty lots and empty storefronts.

Now down to a population of just under 45,000

Another case in point: New Haven, CT Population in 1950 164,000. White Flight, urban renewal and condensing poor residents in inner-cities left behind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven,_Connecticut#Modern

In 1954, then-mayor Richard C. Lee began some of the earliest major urban renewal projects in the United States. Certain sections of Downtown New Haven were destroyed and rebuilt with new office towers, a hotel, and large shopping complexes.[13] Other parts of the city were affected by the construction of Interstate 95 along the Long Wharf section, Interstate 91 and the Oak Street Connector. The Oak Street Connector (Route 34), running between Interstate 95, downtown and The Hill neighborhood, was originally intended as a highway to the city's western suburbs but was only completed as a highway to the downtown area, with the area to the west becoming a boulevard (See "Redevelopment" below).

From the 1960s through the early 1990s, central areas of New Haven continued to decline both economically and in terms of population despite attempts to resurrect certain neighborhoods through renewal projects.

Today's population of New Haven, 123,000

I am sure you can point to just about anywhere on a map and find these once great cities struggling to get by: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, et cetera. Some are doing better than others. But Detroit seems to be a case study all its own.

 

My understanding is that they thought about it, but most everything was so old and just wasn't worth it. Not much of a market for school desks that are 20 years old.

Also my grandparents, after immigrating from Greece, settled in Binghamton. My grandfather, being Greek and a cliche, owned a diner for all those eastern European workers. My aunt, at 84, moved back last summer to the family home.

 

Here are some links for you all. One coworker and one former coworker's takes on the topic.

http://www.lostdetroit.com/

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114667-109.stm

 

Yes, but it's 60 miles north of Detroit-Windsor. If it doesn't affect the mileage of your route, great.

Detroit-Windsor has two crossings: the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge. In the interest of national security, it needs a third. If some nutjob takes out the bridge, Michigan spirals into an instant depression. And, the bridge also is privately owned, something no international crossing involving the U.S. should be. Moroun could close the bridge and walk away if he damned well pleases.

For the new bridge, the Canadians said they'd pay for the Michigan/U.S. costs, then recoup the costs through tolls. What the hell is the holdup? Oh yeah - Moroun bought off enough politicians in Lansing. He wants to build a twin span at the Ambassador. Yeah, and one bomb could take out both.

A few months ago, there was a press conference of area leaders who supported the new bridge. It was quite a cross-section: Republican, Democrat, city, suburban, state, business, government. Just get the effin' thing done, will ya? Eff Moroun.

 

The bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor is privately owned?

How did that happen? Has it always been?

That just sounds so odd.

 

It gets even better: Moroun is a Rupert Murdoch-style American-for-profit-only naturalized citizen -- a fake American.

And, his personal background makes it VERY questionable (if an international terrorism crisis erupted and border access suddenly became crucial for the U.S.) which side he would be on (either he would deny U.S. access at whim or gouge the U.S. for multi-billions in cranked-up fares).

The Ambassador Bridge (which the nickel-pinching Maroun has let go to rot -- it's barely drivable) should be seized by eminent domain for national security reasons. Utterly insane it hasn't been done decades ago.

 

I spent the good part of Saturday evening drinking with several Michigan fans in the lobby bar of our hotel. I asked them point-blank several questions about Rich-Rod and hockey and life in general. I asked them how Flint was doing and how Detroit was doing.
God's truth, they answered Detroit was fine. It was doing really well.
Flint, they said, was a shadow if its former self and a goner.
I've never been to either place and only hear stories.
Is Detroit that bad off?

 

Detroit is in great shape in the 16-square-block downtown area owned and operated for the complete profit of Mike Ilitch (and to some extent the Fords). Other than that, it's a disaster.

Every square inch of Flint is a disaster.

 

Actually, there are some other areas of Detroit not owned by Ilitch which are doing just fine. But they need to build that other bridge. Of course, now that the Republicans have taken ownership of the Michigan House, Michigan Senate and the Governor's house, I'm sure everything is going to be fixed, post-haste. I mean, Snyder said it was so, so it will be, right?

 

Sure. Snyder can sell off the Mackinac Bridge to Moroun, and let the self-made businessman work his free-market magic up there. We'll be paddling canoes across the Straits in five years.

 

Well, today Snyder said he'll have the budget done by July. Can't wait to see how he's gonna balance it without any federal funds to prop it up. But he's a miracle worker! He's a businessman! He worked for Google! He's soooo cool! All the young hipsters say so!