# Photos: The Ruins of Detroit **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855 "2009-03-18T05:32:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/21 "2009-03-18T18:05:51Z")
There is a decent blogger by the name of Sweet Juniper who blogs about living amidst the decline on a daily basis. He has some phenomenal pictures of [the old book depository](http://www.sweet-juniper.com/2008/04/book-depository-photographs.html). I consider him to be a very good writer although I’m probably to the right of him politically. He started as a “mommyblogger” but has morphed into something more. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/22 "2009-03-18T18:08:21Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I mean-BILLION of $ in good housing and office space-lost because a corrupt city government chased the decent people away! Wht nation can afford to squander its housing stock this way? Detroit 9uncer efficient, honest government0 could be just like palo Alto, Ann Arbor, or San marino-instead, we have allowed the criminals to destroy the place. > pretty sobering , and a lesson in how bad government has effects FAR beyond the immediate. Wow. That is just _awful_ “analysis,” and shows a complete and utter ignorance of Detroit’s history. As **Mr. Moto** said, the Detroit governments of the 1960s and 1970s weren’t perfect by any means, but anyone who would simplistically blame the city’s plight on “corrupt city government” just doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If you’re actually interested in learning about the city’s past, might i suggest that you start with one of the best urban histories of the past couple of decades, Thomas Sugrue’s _The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit_ (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998). It won half a dozen major awards, and is an outstanding study of the city’s postwar problems. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/23 "2009-03-18T18:09:59Z")
Here is [his Flickr set](http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetjuniper/sets/72157603302647339/). There are some he posted recently of an abandoned school, now in the middle of urban prairie that are unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/24 "2009-03-18T18:33:25Z")
Cool photos! \*DETROIT (AP) – Welcome to Landlord Nation, where foreclosure notices are plentiful and for-sale signs offer at least 1,800 homes for under $10,000 that once were worth at least 10 times more. In extreme cases, homes are on sale for $1 or less, which has enticed investors to Detroit from as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia. \ “They’re coming to us, saying `Look, I want to buy 50, 100, 1,000.’ They want to own every decent and cheap house they can find.”\* > **[Yahoo Finance - Stock Market Live, Quotes, Business & Finance News](https://finance.yahoo.com/)** > > At Yahoo Finance, you get free stock quotes, up-to-date news, portfolio management resources, international market data, social interaction and mortgage rates that help you manage your financial life. I wonder if that’s really smart or really dumb. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/25 "2009-03-18T18:50:52Z")
Some of those pictures look like Fallout 3 screenshots. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/26 "2009-03-18T19:00:21Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > He started as a “mommyblogger” but has morphed into something more. “Mommyblogger”? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/27 "2009-03-18T19:04:56Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Go to 2201 Michigan Avenue, Detroit MI in Google Maps, then go to street view. Looking north from there, across a little park you see a building about 15 stories high. It’s a derelict railway station (Michigan Central Station) – obviously it was once a great landmark, but passenger rail has gone, and the building has been derelict for many years. Wow. Scrolling northward in the map view, there are blocks and blocks that seem to be returning to prairie. I saw a suggestion on another board that the best thing to do would be to buy and demolish the remaining abandoned houses in these areas, actively restore the land to farming, and make Detroit the first large city the USA to be self-sufficient in food. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/28 "2009-03-18T19:11:02Z")
Unless outside sources supply money they can’t demolish all the buildings less alone purchase them. One problem that they considered legislation for was having to try and find the owners. I don’t know if they got around the extra hassle of searching for owners. The main issue is the city doesn’t have the money to demolish these buildings, and can only do a small percentage each year. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/29 "2009-03-18T19:18:25Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Unless outside sources supply money they can’t demolish all the buildings less alone purchase them. One problem that they considered legislation for was having to try and find the owners. I don’t know if they got around the extra hassle of searching for owners. The main issue is the city doesn’t have the money to demolish these buildings, and can only do a small percentage each year. My WAG would have been that the owners would have long since stopped paying property taxes, the city would eventually seize them, resell if possible, hold any profits in escrow. Of course, that still wouldn’t address the demolition issue. ETA @mhendo: the pdf doesn’t work. It must be available only to subscribers. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/30 "2009-03-18T19:37:08Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > “Mommyblogger”? That’s the generic term for the parent blogging community, usually even during the (rare) instances the blogger is a father. Also, he originally started the blog with his wife, who used to write on there a lot more than she currently does. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/31 "2009-03-18T19:40:03Z")
Hmmm…Harrisburg has had some success attacking blight with land value taxation. I wonder whether that could help some in Detroit as well. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/32 "2009-03-18T19:42:08Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > That’s the generic term for the parent blogging community, usually even during the (rare) instances the blogger is a father. Also, he originally started the blog with his wife, who used to write on there a lot more than she currently does. You mean people blogging about being parents? As opposed to bloggers who happen to be parents, but are blogging about something else? “Mommyblogger” sounds vaguely insulting; am I misinterpreting that? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/33 "2009-03-18T19:44:40Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Hmmm…Harrisburg has had some success attacking blight with land value taxation. I wonder whether that could help some in Detroit as well. Detroit has the highest tax rates in the state. It’s a large, urban city where there were a lot of things, now the people are gone. The people are still around, however. The Metropolitan Detroit area is huge and there are many folks there, but the white flight scarred the city. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/34 "2009-03-18T19:44:49Z")
This links to a page of articles that discuss various contributing factors of the decline of a particular street/neighborhood in Detroit. > **[Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com](https://www.detroitnews.com/)** > > Get the latest local Detroit and Michigan breaking news and analysis , sports and scores, photos, video and more from The Detroit News. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/35 "2009-03-18T19:53:00Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > You mean people blogging about being parents? As opposed to bloggers who happen to be parents, but are blogging about something else? “Mommyblogger” sounds vaguely insulting; am I misinterpreting that? Bloggers who are about to be parents, or are parents, who blog about raising children, their children in particular, and generic parenting issues. I don’t really think mommyblogging is a dismissive word, as many or most of them use the same word to refer to this genre. The reason it’s called mommyblogging is that a solid 90%+ of parent blogs are run by mothers. When I said his blog has become “more” than what it used to be (focused on parenting), I meant that he has moved on from that particular sub-category of blogs, though it’s hard to peg him these days. He consciously quit blogging about his children, I think for privacy reasons. There are some rare posts about parenting as a general topic. So is it a Detroit blog? Political blog? Lifestyle blog? It’s hard to say because he jumps from subject to subject. However, the blog is no longer focused on his experience of raising his daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/36 "2009-03-18T19:56:19Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > The people are still around, however. The Metropolitan Detroit area is huge and there are many folks there, but the white flight scarred the city. Is that the reason Detroit still even exsists? Is the metro area doing well? It must be. For a city that looks so awful, is empty, has houses selling for $1, etc. I don’t understand how they can still be hosting NCAA finals and have 4 major sports teams (Lions, Pistons, Tigers, RedWings) that other cities would kill to have. There must be two seperate worlds there, dying and dead city of detroit, and thriving and bustling metro Detroit. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/37 "2009-03-18T19:59:04Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > However, the blog is no longer focused on his experience of raising his daughter. Ah, okay, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/38 "2009-03-18T19:59:28Z")
Not all of Detroit is decayed. There’s still plenty of modern technology to be found. [LINK](http://lh3.ggpht.com/choengweng/SLPShVyyBEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/cWEGamJEJck/Robot%20-%20ED209.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/39 "2009-03-18T20:00:13Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > ETA @mhendo: the pdf doesn’t work. It must be available only to subscribers. That’s odd. The link is actually to a blog, and the person has downloaded the PDF and put it on their own site. There’s shouldn’t be any subscription issues. On the _Harper’s_ site the article is, indeed, only available to subscribers. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855/40 "2009-03-18T20:01:17Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Detroit has the highest tax rates in the state. Right. My folks live in a distressed community in Pennsylvania that implemented this system - they saw their rates go down. A higher rate of tax was calculated on the value of the land, but the value of the buildings on it were ignored. There was therefore no longer a disincentive to improve property. And while it has been too early to tell how this has worked for my folks, it seems to have worked in Harrisburg. Imagine if the owners of those downtown skyscrapers were taxed on just the cost of the land. They might be sitting on a more valuable property that they’d repair. And this might raise the value of the surrounding properties - it certainly wouldn’t hurt at this point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-the-ruins-of-detroit/489855.md?page=3)