Detroit presents some very interesting possibilities for reclaiming large pieces of land at low cost to be put to more sensible use. Apart from converting abandoned neighborhoods to farms, the the roads are now fairly vacant, making Detroit an incredibly bike friendly city: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Detroit

I watched that documentary on the BBC iPlayer recently. It’s well worth watching the rest too–

We need to start a commune there. Imagine if a group of like-minded folks got together to help restore a decaying city and happened to be involved in entheogenic advocacy. I know Michigan's not necessarily the ideal, but it would be a great start. Imagine a city repopulated by hardy progressives working toward establishing a more sensible infrastructure and culture while leading more productive lifestyles.

This is where I live. A lot of the footage is showing the worst of the worst. I am in love with the city, though. I am fascinated by it and enjoy exploring it on my little vintage motorcycle.

I am a supporter of the urban farming movement, and wholeheartedly believe that the artistic and progressive communities will be the catalysts to bring Detroit back to life.

However the streets are far from empty. Because of the auto industry, we do not have public transportation and there are most certainly rush hours, contrary to what the film states. I worked for many years in corporate automotive, and have since changed industries, but cars are still close to my heart.

I have travelled the world extensively, and would choose to live no where else.

I would encourage any and all of you to take action to help us reach the potential of a renaissance urban utopia.

It's good to hear that it's not quite so bad as it seems, but it definitely seems to be wide open to possibilities.

All these old industrial hubs have the same kind of problems.
I'm not optimistic about detroit, manchester, pitsburgh, etc.

There is only one way up for these city's and that is to shrink their population. The detroit metro-area has a population of almost 6 million. That is just way too much for that city, because it will never ever have enough economic activity going on to support all those people: there never will be enough jobs.
Economically detroit has the size of a metropolis of less than 4 million people so it's population is at least 50% too big.

But shrinking is a tabboo for city-planners.

I loved this video, and find places like this fascinating. I don't have any comment on the video, other than it is sad to see these things happening, but maybe they offer more opportunity than it seems.

I did read around the subject though, and have found a whole community dedicated to exploring modern ruins or unused spaces. It seems there are dozens of places near me that are worth checking out. I recommend anyone interested to have a look around them!

Not sure where you got your information, but it wasn't a good source. Detroit metro has a population of approx. 5 million, and the city of Detroit has approx. 900,000.

Utrecht, for example is far more densely populated than Detroit, at 3,018/km² (7,816.6/sq mi)compared to Detroit's 6,855.1 people per square mile (2,646.7/km2). The loss of jobs is due to the collapse of the auto industry -- this is a recent development and currently rebounding.

I disagree that Detroit will "never ever have enough economic activity" to support the population. We're still the motor city, a major R&D center, a bio tech hub, and a leader alternative fuel development. We are also growing rapidly in the film industry, as many production companies are taking advantage of tax credits available for shooting films here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit

Just because there is 14% unemployment doesn't mean the other 86% aren't working. All things are cyclical, including the auto industry. The area will revive, it just wont be over night.

The city of Detroit has been shrinking for some time http://mapscroll.blogspo...rinking-of-detroit.html And there has been serious talk about shrinking the city borders so surrounding cities can absorb some of the city's costs.

Not sure where you're getting your information on Pittsburgh either. I'm assuming you haven't been to Detroit or Pittsburgh?

Both city´s have never been on my list of places to see.

Well, maybe in america they deal in a better way with the decline of old industries. But the old industrial places i´ve been in europe are all very much like in the requiem for detroit clip. Especially rotterdam. It´s like the worst place on earth for a person to live.

This is what bothers me about media coverage of Detroit. They only show the very worst, and it communicates to the world that the whole city and region are like this, which is extremely far from the truth.

Detroit has some gorgeous neighborhoods and buildings, world-class museums, entertainment districts, music events from jazz to techno, great restaurants, ethnic neighborhoods, ect. These are the scenes that should be focused on, not the deterioration. However, morbid curiosity sells.

I thought the part with the guy talking about how Detroit is a "city of islands" covered that fairly well, and even though there some folks that are fairly well off there, it's partly the vast divide within the city that's so troublesome. It's the same for most large cities, such as Chicago, but Detroit's slums and abandonments have become much more prominent than most other cities'. It's the failure to account for this that gets people's attention and puts the situation in the spotlight. Detroit's situation is unique, and coverage is going to focus on what makes it unique, not what makes it like every other city in the country; otherwise, why cover it? Personally, I never had any thought of Detroit prior to seeing this documentary, and now I see great opportunity and a new frontier out the ashes of the failures of the modern age.

Is it possible you're taking the tone of this documentary a bit too hard? I would think that such a representation would attract all the right people to migrate there while deterring the sort that let so much of it fall to ruin.

In participating in this conversation, I am simply dispelling misconceptions and sharing my opinions as a resident. My contributions in this thread are not limited to this film, as I explained in my comments. I don't understand how my comments would be interpreted as "taking the tone of the documentary a bit too hard."

Just my tohught when reading this.
21st century one, and supposidly a leading nation. But this is on their door step. Madness. Reclaimation of land for agri/ enviro purposes would be a good idea. Its just a shame america did not sign up to kyoto protocol.

If you have money and are a US citizen, i would definatly purchase. All the best to those invloved.

R*R
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It seemed that perhaps you were a bit offended by its portrayal, which may well be merited, as you live there and I don't. Or perhaps I'm just reading too much into it. I'm not familiar with the media coverage of Detroit otherwise, because I don't watch television.

Perhaps you should re-read what I've written, as I've not expressed any offence or even a reference to tv. Media coverage includes all forms of media, print, youtube videos, international newscasts, ect.

If your objective is simply to needle me to get a reaction, I'm not going to waste my time playing that game.

? Sorry.... I'm causing some offense here that's not my intention. I just want to move to Detroit to farm and ride bikes, but if my picture of the city's situation isn't quite accurate, then it may not be worth my while. As in, if it's a city still very much in the grips of the bourgeoisie and catering to consumerist delusion, then its not much better than anywhere else.