Urban decay...
That is not an ignorant comment. There was a mass exodus of white people from Detroit in the 60s that was partially caused by intense race riots at that time. By no means am I saying racial tension is the only factor at play in Detroit but it was definitely one of the things that contributed to its downfall.
The exodus from the inner city, happened across the US in the post war '50s,( years before the riots) ignited by, the automobile, the interstate system, and the rows of sub urban track housing, that was portrayed as the "idyllic" American dream.
Business's, and the need to no longer be as near shipping yards, due to the increase of trucking/freeways, also migrated out to the suburbs.
It was this emptying of old neighborhoods that forced property values down, and the tax base, decreasing services, and "allowed" the poor, and immigrants into these neighborhoods, and the resulting inequity, was the cause of many riots, (and the fact that "civil rights, were yet to be attained) You'll watch to many movies.
In fact, the creation of the US interstates created some of the worst public housing projects, and often cut off once beautiful neighborhoods, isolating them, and making them noisy and unattractive. So again the poor moved in, nobody forced people out of the inner city, in fact more poor people were forced into the the new "slums" , and public housing, the banks even refused to allow, many districts to be reborn , drawing red lines on maps , where they wanted to herd the "poor".
The illusions of an angry black violent movement, has been so born out of fear and propoganda....POOR people commit crime . They were handed a rough hand.
The riots were symptoms of a failing system, and a nation, verging on collapse. One that was rife with inequality, and racism, and often portrayed them as guilty, until proven innocent.
Many attempts to rebirth urban areas, through church groups, and and social clubs, were subverted by the FBI, and local police. Even the Panthers were initially about school books and food kitchens.
Economics and real estate, drove the exodus, and as always money is behind every motivation, it's never a black /white thing...it's never a Muslim/Christian thing...NEVER,................ it's ALWAYS a rich vs poor thing!!!
The creation of the suburban world, led to the state of tension, based on the inequalitys, inherent in that system. Race is always a card the rich play , to justify their immoral actions, that are truly based on greed, and selfishness. If I gotta make you think your not safe, so you will buy one of the 24 new homes I just built 12 miles south of here, I might just shoot out your windows myself, a little shoe polish on my face.......
All of this matters on this forum today , because, its the new "urban model" of integrated density, that can and will save the 21st century metroplis....The city is as vibrant as it's tax base, these are the hard lessons learned, esp in Detroit, and New York City.Toronto, is a torch bearer, in this new model, office towers will become harder and harder to build with so much technology, making an office optional. So residential towers will be this eras legacy, Aura 1 Bloor, and Trump etc, are the new breed. Love it!!! Jane Jacobs would too!!
