Comments on: Detroit: into the wild

By: denis rochac

denis rochac — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:02:00 +0000

It’s all too easy to sit back and pass judgement. I moved to Detroit from Portland Oregon in order to get away from the yuppie-psedu-ecofriendly attitudes of people that have now over taken that NW city. It is hard living here but its worth it of course it isn’t for everyone. It takes a sort person that doesn’t mind working hard for things that some cities take for granted. Ther are lots of good things happening here there is a very vibrant grassroots urban farming network, a prominent art scene, and a very alive music scene. The only true green city DETROIT. Check out Detroit arcadia in Harpers mag.

By: nathan

nathan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:21:17 +0000

The most incredibly strange thing is the marked difference you see the moment you cross the border into Canada. Though separated by no more than 300 yards of (disgusting) water, Windsor has managed to retain its beauty in Detroit’s decline.

To be honest though, some of the best times of my life were in those terrifying neighborhoods near C.C.S. and the Detroit Institute for the Arts. If you can get past the walk from the car, there is still an amazing music and arts community in the city. St. Andrews Hall will forever be the venue against which all other venues are measured for me.

By: yusef haen

yusef haen — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:57:30 +0000

Being a music fanatic, I have vivid fantasies about Detroit being an adventurous melting pot of races, organisms and robotics. Reading these stories of a deteriorating post-apocalyptic wasteland, only puts more oil on my imaginary fires. Should I stay or should I go? Maybe it’s time for me to travel to technocity/motown and see what it’s all about. Maybe I should buy a crumbling building and a piece of wasteland there, and try to model it to my fantasy. Maybe more people could follow. Maybe we could build a city again.

By: douglas lloyd

douglas lloyd — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:34:17 +0000

It truly is a shame that what was once a great city is now a vast wasteland. I remember growing up and listening to ‘Mowtown’ music with ‘Hitsville USA’ and how great it was. What strikes me more than anything now is that even when you had the racial strife back in the 60’s there was always hope that things would get better someday. Someday has come and there is no hope; only a quiet dispair and pity from those looking in on the remnants.

By: ron chin

ron chin — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:43:23 +0000

Whenever I hear people talking about Detroit I have to bring up the origins of techno music in that city in the 80’s. The music that came out of (and continues to come out of) that “hellhole” has changed all music that is made nowadays in a major way. I think Detroit’s modern primitivism has everything to the tone of most electronic music today, and I think reflects all of America’s, even the world’s, conflict between technology and dirt.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:59:37 +0000

There are indeed a few very exclusive neighborhoods within Detroit, but they’re very small. And there’s always the Grosse Pointes, which aren’t “part” of Detroit but might as well be. There’s plenty of money there.

Luckily, Devil’s Night hasn’t been a problem for a few years now, thanks to stepped up patrols. That said, Detroit certainly still has more than its share of problems. (We lived in a nice, safe corner of the city for seven years until 2000, by which time it had stopped being nice and safe, forcing us to retreat to the suburbs.)

I was reading in the paper a couple days ago that houses — NICE houses within Detroit — are being auctioned for $25K or so, or less than the price of a new car, because nobody wants them. It’s an absolute shame.

Detroit is actually becoming what a lot of other cities have: what I call a “doughnut.” A central area (downtown) of revitalization, an active suburban area on the outside, and then a doughnut-shaped mass of blight in-between.

By: Undeniable Liberal

Undeniable Liberal — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:46:44 +0000

Living about an hour from Detroit, I get chances to go there more than I would care for. But it’s a real shame that most of the city is going to hell because of all the cash given away to pretty up the area around Ford Field for last year’s super bowl. It really does look nice, but once you get away from that area….and no matter where you go, homeless people. Sad

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:50:20 +0000

Work brings me to Southeast Michigan fairly often and I always marvel at what a hellhole Detroit has become.

As near as I can tell, it is the ONLY major North American city that has no “rich people residential zone” within the city proper. Sure, there are plenty of well-to-do communities in the suburbs, but (correct me if I’m wrong) there aren’t any “loaded people live here” city neighborhoods. Compare this with New York, Chicago, etc., each of which have some very exclusive residential areas.

One year I happened to be in town for Devil’s Night (October 30th). We called this “Mischief Night” where I grew up in NJ. There, people would toilet paper houses or adorn them with shaving cream. In Detoit, the houses get BURNED DOWN. On the news that night were helicopter shots showing DOZENS of torched buildings all over the city, glowing all at once.

Anyhow, it’s all a shame because plenty of the old homes in Detroit were quite grand and desirable in their day… Quite sad.