Urban Vignettes Week 8: Diversity is Diverse

I think that when people think of diversity, in America at least, most people point out the colors of our skin, or the languages that we speak. True, that's a part of it. But I'm not here today to talk about that. I think I touched a little on Detroit's racial composition in the first weeks, and the difference in the suburbs of Detroit. But today I want to think differently: Detroit as a city of diverse places/spaces and economic structures. 

Eastern Market on Flower Day

When I think of economic diversity (or dichotomy) in Detroit, I think of the paleterias ambulantes in Southwest Detroit contrasted with the soaring towers of the auto industry in the Renaissance Center in the heart of Downtown Detroit. What comes to mind are the stark difference between a Meijer or Kroger (major supermarket chains) and the authenticity and rawness of the Eastern Market. 

Packard Plant Spring 2012

When I think of diversity of spaces, I think of our well tended River Walk, and our deserted, overgrown playgrounds. I envision our blocks upon blocks of abandoned lots, where houses once stood, contrasted by our many historic districts. I think of the fires that constantly plague the poorest districts in town as abandoned houses are burned out of desperation, accidental fires in homes of the poor or crumbling homes and industrial buildings. While only a few blocks away are thriving neighborhoods with new developments. 

Smoke from a House Fire

I think of the spaces that are polished and kept afloat with money, and the others that are surviving on the hard work and determination of neighbors.

Skillman Foundation Office Building

A Brightmoor Community Garden & Salvaged Garage

Detroit is diverse in venues - you can go see a world class opera or orchestra performance in a hall with impeccable acoustics, or go to something like the Detroit Night Market, which operates out of the backs of moving trucks in an abandoned field.

Detroit Night Market 2012

There is no end to the possibilities that Detroit can offer. You can live in a burned out home that you've restored. You could live in a mansion owned by a former world-renowned record label owner. 

Burned Home in Corktown

The Motown Mansion

The fact is, we live in Detroit. This is the home to people, businesses, and spaces that are as diverse as our population is numerous. We are all different, and yet, we all live here together.

Sincerely,

Kaity Nicastri, Detroit Lover

If you want to see the post in other formats, go to Urban Vignettes.

Urban Vignettes Week 7: Signs

Signs of Another Reality

When I look at the signs that I pass on a regular basis, it initiates a train of thought about the dynamics of politics, social structures, and economics in Detroit. 

Let's start with the following signs:

The first on the top left is between two thriving neighborhoods: Mexican Town and Corktown. The idea of a car that cost $10,000+ at some point being sold at 1% of its value or less is strange - the disposable nature of such a core part of our economy in the US, and especially Michigan, is ironic. Is our economy also disposable?

The large picture is of a construction sign that appears temporary, but has been present for nearly half of my life. The Detroit International Bridge Company has been "working" on a project with the Michigan Department of Transportation to alleviate bridge traffic and decrease truck traffic in the neighborhoods, but they did not live up to their end of the bargain. This led to the two executives of the company to be jailed for a night, and at least part of the project was completed quickly thereafter. The Ambassador Bridge is the property of Manuel J. Moroun, a Detroit suburban billionaire who owns a trucking empire, It is one of only two privately owned bridges along the United States’ entire northern border and by far the most economically significant privately owned bridge in the nation. It makes me question who really controls the economic culture of the largest city in Michigan.

The middle left reflects the growing culture in Detroit of growing our own food to combat the issues of being a "food desert" - fresh fruit and vegetables are hard to come by. Urban agriculture has been a way of taking ownership of health and food in a city once listed as the fattest in the United States. Growing our own food has been a way to reclaim land, and our health.

Lowest on the left: this type of sign is seen all over Detroit. I think of it as larger than just the building: Detroit is for sale and can be built to suit the needs of a family, business, or community. In Detroit, the only real limits for the future are your imagination.

Another set of signs I want to address are those of social and community trends:

Working clockwise from the top left: Gang Signs spray painted on a disused mechanic garage. 1/2 signs of the Southwest neighborhoods - one was ripped down. The highway signs that mark our Motor City and direct our primary product (cars) through the city. The signs of homeless men and women are all over the city - they are a sign and reminder that our economic plan does not include everyone as a general rule. These are signs that are present in many cities throughout the nation and world, but the backdrop changes.

The signs of Detroit show our character; our strengths and weaknesses. Our direction is defined by how we interpret the instructions found on each one.

Sincerely,

Kaity Nicastri, 
Detroit Lover

If you want to see the post in its edited form, go to Urban Vignettes.

Urban Vignettes Bid for Detroit

This is my bid for Detroit to be in the new and very exciting blog: Urban Vignettes. 

I would like to bid for Detroit, MI. Our past, present and future are unique as an industrial & post-industrial city, and one picture I would like to share is from Detroit's oldest neighborhood, Corktown. This neighborhood is a symbol of stabilized neighborhoods in a city where most neighborhoods are unstable and suffering from depression and housing issues. It has maintained its value and its neighborhood spirit for nearly two centuries.

Another picture I would say is a defining feature of Detroit is that the "Detroit River" is an international waterway dividing the U.S.A. from Canada. This waterway includes several parks belonging to one country or the other and is spanned by the only known, privately held international bridge in the U.S.A. The Detroit River Walk is a public area for walking, running, biking or generally enjoying the skyline and waterfront.

Another unique feature about Detroit is the amount of repurposed materials used in art projects, building features, new buildings and neighborhood projects throughout the city. I am including a couple of interesting samples - one being a fountain made out of old sinks and a tube, and another is from the renowned Heidelberg Project on Detroit's East Side, initiated by Tyree Guyton (a local artist).

Let's take a stroll through Detroit together...