"What a beautiful brick house, they have been abandoned for many years, the entire district are dead." Looking barren Community, a native of Detroit, Mike Hawley kept shaking his head.
For decades, the decline of the automotive industry and an unprecedented outflow of population, coupled with the complete collapse of the real estate market in recent years, Detroit was in serious financial crisis. Once the most prosperous manufacturing center of Detroit, today's decline is shocking. Recently, this reporter walked into the city, feeling helpless lives of ordinary people in the shadow of the crisis, explore the root causes of the crisis behind the truth.
Vacant for many years the building became a nest, pigeons freely out from the broken windows
The Americans nicknamed "Motor City" Detroit, it was fame automobile capital. One of the three major U.S. car company General Motors world headquarters is still located in the center of Detroit. In addition, the two companies - Ford and Chrysler headquarters is also located in the suburbs of Detroit.
Riverside's central business district in Detroit, up to 73 layers of the General Motors headquarters building - the Renaissance Center, and some financial institutions, accounting firms, casinos and other buildings still tell the city to its former glory. In addition to the city center also slightly vitality, Detroit, the rest of those who languished scene. Numerous high-rise buildings vacant. An old man said, pointing to the city center in a vacant building for many years, you see that there have become a nest, pigeons freely out from the broken windows. Woodward was on both sides of the street in the heart of Detroit, who have represented the many landmarks of Detroit's most glorious era, some have been demolished, no demolition has been vacant for many years, has become the urban explorers and graffiti artist's paradise.
Out from the downtown area, into a piece of abandoned residential area is like to experience the ruins of war. Disorder, outsiders generally not dare to enter. Taxi drivers, led by Holly, the reporter walked into the many communities in the eastern part of Detroit, was once a middle-class residential areas, Today, these standards garden houses single-family residential, a one to be discarded , and some still preserved better, and some had almost collapsed, there are many to be arson, only ruins. These neighborhoods where there are few people stick with their lives in the shadow of the high crime rates. The reporter has to pass three houses are hung in front of faded puppet. Holly said, those houses have been occurring in the murder of people in order to mourn the dead.
The problem has become, the international financial crisis further into the abyss Detroit
"Detroit today's crisis is the economic downturn in decades, population loss and tax base and the destruction of the results." Wayne State University in Detroit, "the revitalization of Detroit talent Project Director Robin Boyle told this reporter, Detroit fell into a corporate move out of the loss of population, the sharp drop in government revenue, the vicious cycle of deteriorating security, fire, education, health care, infrastructure and other public services.
Heyday in the 1950s, Detroit's population has reached more than 180 million people, the U.S. top five cities today, the population dropped to about 710,000. Famous Detroit automotive industry, the remaining two fairly decent car assembly plant, a Chrysler Jeep factory production, the other is generic factory for the production of electric cars, Detroit's only two manufacturing plants, employment of less than 1 million people. The reporters found in the east of the city of Detroit Chrysler plant. The fenced factory became a local manufacturing island, empty residential areas outside the plant. Chrysler plant is only separated by a wall, a large auto parts factory closed down a few years ago.
The Detroit City hollowing contrast, the rise of satellite towns. Wayne State University assistant professor of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Ding Detroit "suburbanization" phenomenon likened to a filtration process: the rich and the middle class continue to move to the suburbs, leaving the less educated and the poor in the city , leading to the impoverishment of the entire city. Of Detroit families median annual income of only $ 26,000, and close to the poverty line in the United States. In addition, due to the civil rights movement of the 1960s triggered by the tense race relations, in particular the 1967 riots resulted in today's Detroit residents in the city, 90 black, suburban, 90% white, forming a de facto apartheid.
Ding believes that "a single economic structure, ethnic conflicts and contradictions of powerful labor unions and the employers, and the entire metropolitan area is the lack of co-ordination" the Detroit problem has die-hard, the recent international financial crisis has further Detroit into the abyss. He predicted that the population will continue to diminish in the next few years, Detroit.
Ding's research shows that this wave of pre-crisis, Detroit, housing prices peaked in 2003, when the average price is $ 100,000 Each, and now the most common transaction price is about $ 7,000 Each. The real estate market collapsed, cut off the source of wealth of the Detroit city government, because the property taxes are the main sources of income of the local government.
The new Detroit family, they bet on Detroit tomorrow
The 55-year-old Dean Smith fled nearly 60 years one of the more than 100 million people of Detroit in 1978, he moved from the city to the Detroit suburb of Berkeley City. He said that people follow the jobs go, the suburbs safer, cleaner, better schools. Another point, the low cost of living in the suburbs.
Now, the city of Detroit hardly a decent shopping center, only a few small food shops, is not only expensive, but the quality is not reliable. Holly said, the city plagued by drugs, gambling, alcohol and other issues. Holly's stepfather was fired because of drug use. Today, Detroit still has three large casinos. Poverty did not prevent some Detroit to gamble, Holly said, even can only cast a penny slot machines in the casino.
However, it was Detroit did not despair. Work in the Government of the State of Michigan Brian Connors 3 years ago moved to live in downtown Detroit, he told reporters that the recent emergence of "new Detroit family like him well-educated, higher-income people move to the city . " In downtown Detroit and Wayne State University Medical Center and the concentration of a number of small technology companies in the city ", the housing market appeared to pick up. , Hawley said the negative when asked whether they intend to move out with the flow. "I want to stay here, I bet the future of the city."
The problem is structural, not just government mismanagement
In response to the shrinking of the city, Detroit government announced in January this year, a city of the future development of strategic planning. Professor Boyle said Detroit's challenge is long-term, the problem is structural, not just government mismanagement. Detroit City area of nearly 200 square kilometers, government finances have been unable to maintain such a big city. He believes that Detroit can no longer "peanut butter and put it on the whole slices of bread, but to focus its resources together, selected several target area, providing high-quality public services, the formation of employment centers, attractive to work, live .
Currently, the U.S. manufacturing sector is recovering, once fell into bankruptcy, GM and Chrysler restructuring to return to profitability. However, the recovery of the U.S. auto industry, in terms of taxation, employment and locals almost nothing to help, "said Professor Boyle. Ding also believes that engage in the manufacturing sector in the city of Detroit has no advantage, the U.S. manufacturing sector from the city to the suburbs, flowing from the north to south, from the United States to Mexico, China and other emerging market countries, the trend has been difficult to reverse.
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