Not a great option, but what do you do with a dying city?

Give away free tickets for an NFL game??

Approve a $500,000,000 school bond for maintenance on existing schools and new schools?

(they sure do like that half a billion dollar figure!)

Posted by: Dang at December 13, 2010 04:17 PM (TXKVh)

Fence it all in and recreate Mad Max in real-life.

This is probably the worst case of urban depopulation since Constantinople, and the plan is similar to what happened to the Byzantine capital between the Fourth Crusade and its fall to the Ottomans:  the clustering of the remaining population in smaller units, with the space in between reverting to farmland or ruin-choked wilderness.

Without an influx of people, there is no other choice.  But I'd have to imagine that there'd be the occasional show of police presence in the abandoned zones, if for no other reason than to keep the inevitable residents of the AZs honest. 

Meadows and farmland and free range for the buffalo....maybe some chickens too.

Some of the homes could be left standing as mini-hay barns and chicken coups.  Hell, just make it a state wide 4H project.

Posted by: shibumi at December 13, 2010 04:20 PM (OKZrE)

EX-ACT-LY.

Posted by: Ken Royall at December 13, 2010 04:22 PM (9zzk+)

WE CAN DIG IT!

33 I live in the suburbs of Detroit.  The death spiral started in 1967 and 5 terms of Coleman Young sealed their fate.  I am all for bulldozing it but that is expensive too.  We are ahead of the curve as far as decline but other cities are headed into the trash heap too.  50 years of unfettered liberalism will do that.

Make the bulldozing a game.  Sell tickets!  $100 gets you one hour on a dozer in X section of the city.  All you need is a valid drivers license and a hard hat. 

Same for controlled burns and small explosives (let it be used by Police and FD from all over the US as a training ground).

IÂ’m in negotiations for the rights to Hobo Hunting Safaris in Detroit.

(finally, a recession-proof business)

You let it fail.

There's a great deal of truth in that simple statement - one that few seem willing to admit.

In short, Detroit needs to "put itself out of business", that is, to shrink the municipal boundaries & limit offered services to a level matching income.  If that results in a small town bordered by long rusted cityscapes, then so be it...

I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

yes ... and all those Amish villagers will certainly make the most of that new pristine farmland

Zimbabwe Lite

gonna be a bitch to be in Livonia

@Snake

I thought you were dead.

Posted by: laceyunderalls at December 13, 2010 04:22 PM (pLTLS)

Same for controlled burns and small explosives (let it be used by Police and FD from all over the US as a training ground).

Posted by: ¤§EZB§¤ at December 13, 2010 04:26 PM (Ty06w)

HEY...HEY...we're busy enough here; don't go given' 'em crazy ideas!

1. Make the Super Bowl, NBA Champtionship Finals, and World Series all in the same week.

2. Throw the games so the Lions, Pistons, and Tigers all win.

3. Let the mutha burn.

Besides the downtown and Wayne State district, there are some nice residential neighborhoods, too:  Palmer Woods, East English Village, Regent Park, and a few others, all along the borders with the suburbs.  But the city's fallen so far even those areas are seeing blight problems. 

It's a horrible tragedy--Detroit almost got the '64 and '68 Olympics, it was that nice of a city.  But the riots wounded it, and Coleman Young's terms in office pretty well killed it.

Posted by: Cicero at December 13, 2010 04:27 PM (QKKT0)

Reminds me of those suggested bundles by Amazon.

Get both downtown Detroit and Newsweek for $1.25.  Qualifies for Super Saver Shipping.

#48,

My thought exactly.  It (Detroit) is well on it's way to "ghost town" status.  Let it go...

Couldn't they just Bus the criminals around the city like schoolkids instead of this?

IÂ’m in negotiations for the rights to Hobo Hunting Safaris in Detroit.

(finally, a recession-proof business)

Posted by: jwest at December 13, 2010 04:27 PM (wBISB)

Kind of like a re-make of 'Surviving the Game' -- SVEEET!

Detroit. The shining city leftards built. Now a rotting corpse. A victim of it's own stupidity. They don't give a fuck, so I don't give a fuck.

I want this on a bumpersticker.

Not a great option, but what do you do with a dying city?

Three Words - High Speed Rail Line.

In a one-time-only special offer, downtown Detroit and Newsweek magazine are available for a single payment of $1.50.

Rip off.

Poverty-Poverty!

Three Words - High Speed Rail Line.

Detroit to Gary.

LA to Fresno.

Baltimore to DC.

I'm telling you--this is the wave of the future.

How long have the dems been in charge in Detroit?

Long enough to kill it with progress.

Which reminds me, how come the leader of the GOP hasn't said anything about this situation and how it can be reversed?

Posted by: Frank-Zappa-sez-eat-yur-beans at December 13, 2010 04:38 PM (4sQwu)

Kwame Kilpatrick?

What would Governor Kolp do?

Posted by: Sponge © at December 13, 2010 04:36 PM (UK9cE)

1962.  Before then, mayors had been almost always Republican.

Posted by: Frank-Zappa-sez-eat-yur-beans at December 13, 2010 04:38 PM (4sQwu)

Pitt moved quickly to transform its economy and regionalized government -- I'm sure someone else more familiar can jump in to clarify; basically, they DID what others only talk about (i.e, Detroit, Cleveland, et al).

The Walking Dead show, season 2! Live from Detroit!

Wait one... Undead from Detroit!

I hope it's not a death spiral. I was born there. I still love the city. But yeah, the corrupt liberal reign of the city has devastated it.

What a shame.

Posted by: John Galt at December 13, 2010 04:41 PM (F/4zf)

Too bad we couldn't de-annex ourselves from the Fed for all local issues.

Not a great option, but what do you do with a dying city?

Green Jobs!

Posted by: ef

I've seen millwork and plasterwork in row homes in Wilmington that owners of custom homes today would kill for. Some of it has been saved, and much has simply been knocked down. The stonework around lintels and stoops is something that is simply unobtainable today.

Detroit is “shovel ready”.

Evict everyone, knock it down and build a new city. 

The only thing "free range" in Detroit are the roving packs of feral dogs.  And no I am not kidding. 
They are becoming a serious problem no one wants to talk about.

I want to talk about them. I want them rounded up and shot.  They're a menace!

The only thing "free range" in Detroit are the roving packs of feral dogs.  And no I am not kidding. 

Did you say Free Dogs?

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 04:46 PM (R2fpr)

Oh, it's obtainable all right -- no one wants to pay for it though! 

The only thing "free range" in Detroit are the roving packs of feral dogs.  And no I am not kidding. 

Did you say Free Dogs?

Posted by: Dirty Dog-Fucking Hobo in L.A. at December 13, 2010 04:47 PM (SAeJo)

Nice dogs.

Posted by: John Galt

This presumes that locals will be allowed to live or develop there. I doubt that it will be allowed. They were talking about forced relocation.

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 04:46 PM (R2fpr)

Oh, it's obtainable all right -- no one wants to pay for it though! 

Posted by: billygoat

My impression here is that there is both the cost issue, and that there are few people who can even do this sort of work. The fact that there is a market to rip some of these features out of existing homes and fiting them to other homes makes this stranger still.

Does this mean that Michigan will lose Electoral Votes and maybe if The purple lipped commie wins the state it doesn't matter? 2010 census baby.. Here it comes Detroit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What up?

Time's Up.

Nice dogs.

Posted by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Korean Grocery at December 13, 2010 04:49 PM (6kyQC)

And the climate on the AoSHQ thread is dominated by a new low.

And that's your Moronic weather report!

This presumes that locals will be allowed to live or develop there. I doubt that it will be allowed. They were talking about forced relocation.

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 04:49 PM (R2fpr)

Yeah. Our Cali cousins get protection, so we demand equal protection. No farming allowed!

The only thing "free range" in Detroit are the roving packs of feral dogs.  And no I am not kidding. 

Did you say Free Dogs?--Posted by: Dirty Dog-Fucking Hobo in L.A. at December 13, 2010 04:47 PM (SAeJo)

Nice dogs. -- Posted by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Korean Grocery

Shishkadogs

#111,

Pittsburgh did exactly that - "managed" it's downsizing.  Over a span of 20 years boundries were redrawn, areas were rezoned, and the City focused on drawing new businesses by changing a number of local taxes.

It's a far smaller city than the one I remember, but the 'Burg is doing well.

My impression here is that there is both the cost issue, and that there are few people who can even do this sort of work. The fact that there is a market to rip some of these features out of existing homes and fiting them to other homes makes this stranger still.

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 04:51 PM (R2fpr)

It is peculiar, I'll admit -- century + barns near me are prized for their old lumber; we regularly have people come in from Boston (proly building homes on Mahtha's or the Cahpe) to take them down piece-by-piece and ship them up to the NE...plus it's GREEN, don't 'ya know!

“Shishkadogs”

I thought the gyros in GreekTown have been tasting a bit gamier lately.

Unions have overstayed their welcome, they are the destroyers of the middle class.... the hell you say?

is there any better example than Detriot to prove my point?

companies don't move because they want to, they move when they have to in order to maintain a profit.

who made it so hard for GM to make a profit?

Union pay, pension and medical.

Government over regulation and overzealous labor laws.

Pittsburgh did exactly that - "managed" it's downsizing.  Over a span of 20 years boundries were redrawn, areas were rezoned, and the City focused on drawing new businesses by changing a number of local taxes.

It's a far smaller city than the one I remember, but the 'Burg is doing well.

Wait what?

We still have Steel making capacity. Surely it isn't what it once was.

Also, the fact that we didn't collapse like detroit is far more complex and had nothing to do with government planning. It wasn't a dictat from Harrisburg that made UPMC isn't a powerhouse or cause internet companies to settle here.

Also, a major difference between the American auto industry and steel industry was the reason for decline. The auto industry declined for two reasons, the expense of labor and the shitty products. The american steel industry went into decline solely because of the labor costs. The quality of product was and still remains superior.  Southwestern PA still has plently of steel, aluminum, coke and other metals plants and works.  The difference is that our steel isn't subsidized by the US government, so we have to remain competative, whereas the auto industry has unlimited federal funds. So it can keep puting out junk and it not matter.

Also there are some towns in the Pittsburgh area that are essentially ghost towns since the decline of the Steel industry in the 1980s.

Posted by: Crusader at December 13, 2010 04:45 PM (xAhWg)

You could have included the clip.

who made it so hard for GM to make a profit?

Union pay, pension and medical.

Oooh, oooh, don't forget us!

It is peculiar, I'll admit -- century + barns near me are prized for their old lumber; we regularly have people come in from Boston (proly building homes on Mahtha's or the Cahpe) to take them down piece-by-piece and ship them up to the NE...plus it's GREEN, don't 'ya know!

Posted by: billygoat

My understanding is to gain access to old hard woods, particularly wide cuts and planks.

The cost of obtaining the wood itself is expensive. I worked at a place that had beautiful floors consisting of wide planks. The building had been neglected for several years and was refurbished, but several planks near doors had to be pulled. The replacement boards were poor copies. When they did a re-modelling job, they crowed about how they had obtained old planks from another structure and re-did the repair.

I thought the gyros in GreekTown have been tasting a bit gamier lately. Posted by: jwest

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 04:56 PM (R2fpr)

Went up to Day-Toit last year to have dinner at 'Roast' (I admit it...I'm a foodie; it's located in the old Book Cadillac Hotel).  Awesome dinner and they did a sterling job on the renovation of this place...but cripes, there's nothing else in town.  Did go to the Detroit Institute of Art (also a pretty fab building)...but, like I said -- your bailing out a boat (using a coffee can) with some big-ass holes.

Population of Detroit in 1950: 1,859,000

Population of Detroit in 2010: 900,000 (est)

Tells you all you need to know. Half of the population has died off or moved away in the last 50 years. There's too much infrastructure -- housing, plumbing, roads, culverts, etc. -- for the people living in it. The people who are left are by definition the ones least able to contribute economically to the city: the people either physically or fiscally unable to move.

Detroit is a haunted house, a dilapidated dream of a 1950's America that was the industrial engine of the world. Generations of who-gives-a-shit unions and crooked politicians have sucked all the blood out of a once-great city.

Posted by: Ben

We were told when we moved to Delaware that Wilmington had over 100,000 people during WWII. By 1970, there was supposedly about 60,000. It has rebounded somewhat, but the suburbs and now lower Delaware are still taking most of the population growth here.

I should note that Wilmington had some of the worst rioting in 1968; the NG was deployed for 15 months here.

“And the French do rat so well, perfected since 1789.”  Posted by Maverick Muse

Their one contribution to civilized society, the French could make a sauce that would make not only the rat, but the rat turds worth eating.

164  Sacked by unionized barbarians.

It might make a nice place for an urban warfare school...or a new type of wilderness explorer tour.

Posted by: ef at December 13, 2010 04:59 PM (c7Pp2)

That "Wag-U" market.

I'll be here all week.

Nice dogs.

Posted by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Korean Grocery at December 13, 2010 04:49 PM (6kyQC)

And the climate on the AoSHQ thread is dominated by a new low.

And that's your Moronic weather report!

You should see my new book....101 Ways To Wok Your Dog

No, KISS is from NYC.  I said all the GOOD music comes from Detroit...

Like Kid Rock and Emminem?  What's come out of Detroit recently?  We're not talking about what the city used to be, but what it is now.

Detroit's city motto should be "Detroit- it's not that bad".  Every thread about Detroit always brings someone who says "it's not that bad", immediately followed by how they actually live in the suburbs. 

 Every thread about Detroit always brings someone who says "it's not that bad", immediately followed by how they actually live in the suburbs. 

The Mono-Rail will fix that.

Spent a lot of time in the Traffic Jam & Snug pounding cheap vodka while convincing liberal girls that taking it in the ass was the new hip thing.

Institutions of such import should not be allowed to die.

My understanding is to gain access to old hard woods, particularly wide cuts and planks.

The cost of obtaining the wood itself is expensive. I worked at a place that had beautiful floors consisting of wide planks. The building had been neglected for several years and was refurbished, but several planks near doors had to be pulled. The replacement boards were poor copies. When they did a re-modelling job, they crowed about how they had obtained old planks from another structure and re-did the repair.

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 05:00 PM (R2fpr)

Yep -- it's what they do.  They want the old-growth timbers and will even go for the (less desired) pine planking....crazy.

I propose that our diplomat to Canada make a deal to have them annex Detroit.  Sweeten the pot with a few truckloads of maple syrup and Clamato if necessary.

Posted by: AmishDude

Simple. it's a city, with the additional taxes, narrow roads and typical Dem machine politics. Gentrification has taken place, but most families live in the suburbs, which now reach as far south as Dover almost 50 miles to the south.

We do have an income tax, but no sales tax.

I propose that our diplomat to Canada make a deal to have them annex Detroit.  Sweeten the pot with a few truckloads of maple syrup and Clamato if necessary.

Posted by: Hollowpoint

Good idea. The Canadians are desperate to import maple syrup.

Well, strike me down for a racist, homophobic mysogynist, but Coleman Young's gang stole whatever came thier way and left a culture where the Kilpatricks and Conyers pinch the public purse with impunity. The retiring queen of the moles and her RINO Cox-sucker A.G. stood by and let it happen.

Woe is us. Snyder has a Herculean job ahead.

I've been working on a project for the past 18 months that might be just the thing for Old Detroit. We can guarantee complete pacification in just 21 days with our new technology.

See our website at www.ocp.org

Sparty, remember the Chief of Police, I think it was William Hart, that had shoeboxes full of cash meant for "undercover" operations stashed in his house.  And, of course, Coleman Young was that bad.  Imagine if you actually elected Al Sharpton and a group of his clones to run a city-you don't have to imagine, it's Detroit.

Liberal relations of mine, living in Traverse City--waaaay north in Michigan--said, with shining eyes, that people will be able to grow their own food.

I elected to avoid the toxic contaminants issue and instead said that people would be stealing what other people plant and grow.  They looked at me, uncomprehending.

All college-educated.

@164: "Rome was sacked repeatedly by barbarian invaders. What's Detroit's excuse?"

The very same....

Hey guys! this is a world class oportunity. The Empty Zone will be time shared by various organizations. Sometimes we'll even run them together for more and greater splatter.

1) Running Man. "You've seen the movie. Now see it for real!"
2) Spec Ops 'city' training. We turn a dozen gang bangers loose in there with AK-47's, RPG's, etc. and then send in the black hats.
3) SWAT/police/fire combined ops. You start a couple fires, report a couple shootings (leftovers from the hobo hunts) and then send in the cops and fire brigades while the hobos and welfare cheats harass them

and finally the piece de resistance!!

4) Hobo hunting!! with free Valu-Rite vokda for all participants including the hobos.

The TV pay-per-view alone should bring in millions I tell ya!!

Despite all of the funny comments above, I think that it is really sad that a very large group of people let this happen to their city. As Neil Boortz says, never underestimate the stupidity of large groups of people, or something like that.

There were/are so many beautiful buildings in Detroit. And look at them now.

I was in Michigan about 10 years ago doing a route study for a fiber cable from downtown Detroit to western MI. I spent 20 minutes in the downtown area, and decided, if I want to live to see the next day, I needed to leave. I drove 30 miles west and told the client to guess on the route for the first 30 miles. It was a shithole back then.

Liberal policies are nothing but future disasters.

First sentence:  depopulating horrifying pint;

Did you mean "pit;"?  It would read better if you meant "pit;".

First sentence:  depopulating horrifying pint;

Did you mean "pit;"?  It would read better if you meant "pit;".

Posted by: tea drinker at December 13, 2010 07:17 PM (4HFqM)

Yes, Typing Class Nazi, he meant "pit"

Posted by: AmishDude

Simple. it's a city, with the additional taxes, narrow roads and typical Dem machine politics. Gentrification has taken place, but most families live in the suburbs, which now reach as far south as Dover almost 50 miles to the south.

We do have an income tax, but no sales tax.

Posted by: Blue Hen needs braiiiiiinss at December 13, 2010 05:22 PM (R2fpr)

Ah, but we do have a sales tax.  It's called the gross receipts tax.  The tax is figured in the price, but not listed seperately so you don't see it.  Delaware's dirty little secret.

They that lived there, destroyed it....as they will destroy where-ever it is that they end up.  Even Obama the Great's dream
of redistribution will end up like paper money in a bonfire....
of no use to anyone.....and the black armies leave the Detroit
zone of battle and spread to other venues.....and all they know
and do habitually goes with them.