Keep an eye out for this (non-photography related) ... Requiem for Detroit?

pdh

Legend
I just watched this ... BBC iPlayer - Requiem for Detroit?

If you can find a way to see it, I recommend you do so.

I'd be fascinated to hear reactions from Americans (perhaps especially any who knows or knew Detroit well) to this British-made documentary.

[Although of course (as per site rules) political discussion will have to be off-limits ... ]
 
Detroit is a fascinating subject. At times hope-filled, at times frustrating, at times heart-breaking. I haven't been able to view the BBC program yet (it seems to be unavailable as I type this). But, as a member of the financial news media (specializing in the auto industry as well), I can tell you that Detroit is not dead.

The city's recent decision to file for bankruptcy may seem like a psychological low point, particularly to the general public. But, in reality, Detroit reached its nadir a while back. The bankruptcy is merely a public acknowledgement of the path the municipal government must take to restore services and finances to an acceptable level.

Already, homesteaders and the artistic community are setting up shop in Detroit. And the urban agricultural movement is just one example of how residents are thinking outside of the box. And, too, the domestic auto industry is clearly recovering from a low point that included two of the Big Three filing for bankruptcy themselves. From that saga a better future for the city itself can be imagined.

Of course, there's still a long, hard road back for Detroit. Crime and unemployment remain high. Blight is still widespread. But the turnaround has begun. I can't predict the exact path of the city's recovery. But I'm sure it will be interesting and highly educational for other troubled urban areas.
 
I'll try to find somewhere to download it. What has happened to Detroit is a travesty. If you haven't seen the film "Roger & Me", I also recommend that.

One of flickr contacts who I met through Facedown Tuesday lives in Detroit and is a very skilled Urbex photographer. God, what a city to live in if you like shooting urban decay. You can see a set of his Urbex work here..... Abandoned Detroit - a set on Flickr Despite the fact that the city just declared bankruptcy and the whole city seems to be falling in around you, he remains an optimist that Detroit will turn around.
 
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