Why Detroit Matters

Abstract

Detroit has come to symbolise deindustrialization and the challenges, and opportunities, it presents. As many cities struggle with urban decline, racial and ethnic tensions and the consequences of neoliberal governance and political fragmentation, Detroit’s relevance grows stronger. Why Detroit matters bridges academic and non-academic responses to this extreme example of a fractured and divided, post-industrial city. Detroit has long been portrayed as a metonym for urban failure, most often depicted through its ruins and abandonment. However, more recently, a new narrative of comeback has emerged. While both narratives depict parts of the city, they do not tell the entire story and need to be critically examined and placed within wider socioeconomic-, political-, geographic- and racial-contexts. This edited volume seeks to critically understand these contexts to examine both the lessons from Detroit’s recent history and the new and inspiring visions which can currently be found there. Rather than only seeing decline and abandonment, these visions and the scholarly pieces within the book offer hope for a fair and just urban future. Contributions from many of the leading scholars on Detroit are joined by influential writers, planners, artists and activists who have contributed chapters drawing on their experiences and ideas. The book concludes in a unique way with interviews with some of the city’s most prominent visionaries who are engaged in inspiring practices which provide powerful lessons for Detroit and other cities around the world.

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