Detroit : then and now - 1
105,967
Published 2021-11-13
I thank him by this way! ✌
The American city of Detroit was like Paris, some people said. It had a big river, beautiful wide streets and important buildings. Then, in the 20th century, it was called ‘Motor City’ because of the number of car factories there. Workers in the car factories had good jobs and they earned good money. It wasn’t unusual to own a home, a boat and even a holiday home. In the 1950s, new highways were built and lots of people moved from the city centre to the suburbs. Life was good. But at the beginning of the 21st century, Detroit became America’s poorest big city.
In a period of fifty years, more than half the people left Detroit. Houses and buildings were empty. Poverty and crime increased. Plants and trees grew in the empty houses. What happened in Detroit?
The city’s population fell for several reasons. One reason is people moved to the suburbs in the 1950s. Another reason is that in 1967 there were terrible riots. A lot of people were scared of coming to the city. Also, the big car companies like General Motors and Chrysler had huge problems. And in 2008, the world financial crisis had a big effect on many cities, especially Detroit. Now, a lot of people in Detroit are poor. Half of the city’s families have less than 25,000 dollars a year.
In 2013, the city of Detroit was bankrupt. It was the biggest bankrupt city in American history. But then something began to change. It was a new beginning for the city. It had some money to improve small things like lights in the streets and so people felt safe. The police came quickly when there were problems. Old, empty buildings were demolished. There is now space for new buildings. And there are new businesses too. The city gave 10,000 dollars to 30 new small businesses. Now there are grocery stores, juice bars, coffee shops and even bicycle makers. Finally, the city is working again.
All Comments (21)
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It's shocking to see large industrial buildings, some that take up several blocks, completely disappear and nature reclaim the land. Those buildings, and the jobs that meant so much to the people of that time totally wiped off the map. It's surreal.
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Makes you realize.... we are going backwards, not forward
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Great video. The folks who built all this would be rolling in their grave if they saw what it looks like today. Thanks for taking us down memory lane.
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The best now and then I’ve ever seen!! The denigration of our cities is tragic.
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A whole lot of effort went into the angles and obtaining the correct heights of the after shots to make this really spectacular, I bet it took a whole lot of ingenuity and a bit of bravery too. Thanks and hope you continue to do this work in and around the metro area. Ill bet Flint would be a treasure trove as well..
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so sad particularly the Highland Park scenes - you showed what once was an industry that not only produced transportation but works of art as well - automobiles today are nothing but monotony . Thank you for a job well done !!!
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By the 1920s many of the wealthiest families had already left Detroit for sprawling estates outside the city. The wealthy class still maintained positions in civic institutions, but just as once prominent church congregations moved out of the city, the people of vision had less and less of a stake in the affairs of the common resident. It was a matter of time before the middle class professional class would follow the wealthy. Increasing the administration of the city was left to people lacking in urban skills, poor choices were made. Some politicians used their influence for corruption, but few watchdogs were looking over their shoulders. The riots of 1967 had a catastrophic impact on property values. When families saw their neighborhoods being devalued, they saw little risk in abandoning the city. A city needs to attract the brightest and most ambitious, it needs an ethical police force, well run schools, when it lacks these things, the poorest and vulnerable will fall prey to the short sighted. Most of Detroit's riverfront was dominated by industry. Chicago's wealthy lived in lakeside luxury dwellings, they all didn't pack up and leave because the city planners had preserved a beautiful place for them. Detroit's riverfront was filled with smoke and rusting industrial sites. A city must attract and keep the brightest and most ambitious, Detroit failed to do that.
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Great video. All of these old plant buildings would be over 100 yo if still around. What manufacturers would still be using them? They were obsolete and abandoned. Of course they were torn down. There was never going to be a another use for the giant Ford or Packard plants.
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It is sad to see these buildings that are no longer there or left abandoned. You don't have to be super smart to understand how Detroit went to hell. The video was well made, the eriee music was perfect. I enjoyed it!
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I grew up in Detroit. (I’m 50 now and still live in MI) This is just sad. Even where I grew up, looks like an old WW2 bombing zone that never got cleaned up and all around there, I couldn’t even drive there during the day and be sure to make it back again alive. Whoever made this did one fkin awesome job. It’s just unbelievable.
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We gave away the store. Between cheap labor overseas purchasing corrupt unions and very corrupt politicians as we are seeing today are decimating this country. Sad state of affairs.
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Respect to whom put this master peace together
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i prefer looking at an abandoned building than a parking lot. Even if the building is empty and rotting its still cool piece of history back when buildings still had architecture
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As a filmmaker I am beyond impressed at how this was presented the simplicity of it and how the wipes allowed you to really take In the differences..amazing how shots of buildings can actually be moving ! Lol
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Wow I've lived in Detroit all my life this is a beautiful video
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This video should be the standard for side-by-side photographic comparisons. Outstanding job! It is sad to see but the truth of Detroit withering away is an old story that's been going on since I was a little boy back in the 1960s. The industry moved from a centralized area (Detroit) to now different parts of our country.
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Great video! What a shame to lose these pieces of history. Just one suggestion. Consider adding the name and address to each slide. Some sites I know but there are some that I don’t. Thx
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My home tpwn, I'm 76 so saw most of the before, sad to see the after. Thank you, great picture's, great memories
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Amazing before and after. Huge amount of time and effort and talent went into this. Wish my Dad was alive to see this.
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This is the heart of USA and Industrialization. Cars are a metaphor of the classic American culture. The death of Detroit, Flint, etc. is the beginning of human surplus. Amazing moment when Moore asked Roger, in Roger and me, if he did not feel bad about closing the factories destroying the legendary automobile culture, and Roger answer, No, because business are business...
