Posted on 05/18/2011 12:46:12 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Detroit was once called the Paris of the West, but at this point it’s more reminiscent of Venice. Like Venice, its demise has been imminent for some time, as crucial businesses and huge chunks of the population flee. * * * * Imagine blocks that once boasted 30 houses, now with three; imagine hundreds of such blocks. Imagine the green space created by the city’s heartbreaking but intelligent policy of removing burnt-out or fallen-down houses. Now look at the corner of one such street, where a young man who has used the city’s “adopt-a-lot” program (it costs nothing) to establish an orchard, a garden and a would-be community center on three lots, one with a standing house. (The land, like many of the gardens, belongs to the city and is “leased” for a year at a time. But no one seems especially concerned about the city repossessing.)A young man who adopts eight lots and has bought another three has an operation that grows every year and trains eager young people. A Capuchin monastery operates gardens spanning 24 lots. . .
(more at link)
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Agree. It's no surprise to see thread peppered with naysayers. I guess it's understandable why there is so much pessimism abroad. But, when folks stand up and actually DO something, when folks TRY to achieve and create, why do some folks feel the need to deride and mock?
Detroit was, is, and will be the case study of what happens when liberal politicians remain in power too long. California, New York, and several other states will provide a larger scale example.
The economic impact must be massive for the writer confessed that Detroit had to condemn and then destroy multiple city blocks because Detroit couldn't afford to provide basic civic services.
Where will Detroit go next?
The industrial base that made large cities possible is gone and quite probably will never return. With that loss goes money, the “live blood” that made the city possible. Bottom line - Detroit as I remember reading about is gone. But, unfortunately the drones, aka the political class, that feed of the city haven't left.
Eventually these new gardens and what ever economy, based on farmer markets?, will also disappear much like the heavy industries did. Why?
When you look at a society you discover that there are two “knuckles” it is development curve. While the sources of the economy will change these knuckles remain.
The first knuckle occurs when the economic community becomes self sustaining. It generates enough activity that the younger members don't have to move away to survive. The leading edge of this first knuckle drove our expansion to the west, the immigration waves, and the formation of cities. The trailing edge of this knuckle was the explosive economic growth that occurred between 1890 and 1920 - robber barons and all.
The second knuckle occurs when the economic community can no longer handle the toxic waste generated by its citizens. This waste comes in many forms - increased crime rates, collapse of the family elements, urban blight, and “quality of ;life” issues. There are medical elements too but they are very controversial. Another symptom is the concentration of economic and political power because the problems being faced are ‘too big for us to solve alone”. The trailing edge of this knuckle is Europe and Detroit today.
The good news, I think, is the whole thing is cyclic. As the economic curve follows the trailing edge of the second knuckle it reaches the self sustaining first knuckle and the cycle begins anew.
You are depressingly correct in your assessment.
IIRC, Detroit’s govt changed to liberal/progressive in early 60’s and the Feds gve it gazillions of taxpayer money to “evolve” to the utopian city they dreamed could exist.
The results have been catastrophic and the Halloween “Devils Night” destruction that began in late 60’s was just a precursor of things to come.
While I share your fear, good grief, I hope they have learned their lesson by now.
Bing is tryin’. I truly feel for the man. He seems like a good guy who is trying to to the right thing.
Why not? The Obama White House has a sludge garden. Just take the project to a city sized level.
How about replacing all the liberalism (same definition as urban decay) with conservatism. There's something they havent tried.
Just about any vegetable garden crop that can be grown elsewhere in the country.
I live in central Illinois, with a similar climate and grow a number of vegetables.
I keep remembering Mother Teresa’s battle to not put in an elevator in a building where no one wanted one. She stopped using the building as I recall.
Bing reminds me a little of Michael R. White, the former mayor of Cleveland in the 1990’s. A black fella (young in those days) who ran as a Democrat, of course. But he governed as a pro-business Republican, pretty damn conservative. AND he was conservative on social issues. He formed his own slate of candidates (whose names all began with the letter L), and had them run as “The 4 Ls” to once and for all get rid of the liberal white cabal ruining the Cleveland schools.
He also stood up against the race baiting city council members once he learned that they were allowing the school district to drop off busloads of inner city teenagers at the brand spanking new Tower City shopping complex. He was trying to attract business to this downtown retail area and they were trying to stab him in the back by making Tower City a district bus stop. These teenagers amazingly resembled gangs and scared the daytime office workers out of the place. He got in the face of these city council members who cried “racism” and reminded them that he needs people to spend money in the city limits and not the suburban malls, so they can operate the city.
Finally, he was the one who DEMANDED that the NFL replace the football team that Art Modell took to Baltimore. He made such a nuisance of himself, and raised so much hell, it wasn’t funny. And then he threatened Paul Tagliabue, telling him that if he didn’t promise a replacement team, they would enforce the “specific performance” portion of the stadium lease. Which would have frozen Modell in place for 3 years at the old stadium with ZERO fans in the stands.
In Cleveland, doesn’t matter if the person is black or white, rich or poor, Republican or Democrat: They will tell you that Michael R. White was one of the best mayors in Cleveland history.
I hope he and Bing are in contact with each other.
They might be trying it now with these mini-farms!
*fingers crossed*
the solution is simple....remove all epa rules for these area’s....bulldoze houses, asbestos and all, into the basements of the homes...get prisoners, offer them time off from their sentences for work, have them tear up the streets, and dump said concrete into the basements also. Now, we have just had floods of historical proportions in the mississippi river basin. After the clean up, the soil has to be trucked somewhere....I wonder where it could go?
Bing seems like a good guy with a good moral compass. No doubt he has his hands full but somehow he needs to destroy the thug-socialism to be able to implement any meaningful economic programs.
White sounds like he was an exception to the typical d-RAT politician.
btw, I knew a Jane from Blufton,OH who later moved to Memphis. Your screen name reminds me of her and the “America” song of “Daisy Jane”...just rambling thoughts this moning as I get my morning coffee IV.
i’ve been saying for years, lease parts of the city out for urban combat training and firefighter training. that’ll both bring income to the city and state (which is badly needed in MI), as well as will raze a number of the abandoned and condemned houses to open the area up for new development.
flint and benton harbor could also benefit from this.
Ever watch the movie “I Am Legend”? That’s Detroit in the very near future.
Excellent summary! If any of these enterprises are successful there will be an swarm of locusts coming to feed on their labors.
MI ping
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