People keep telling me all about The Problem with Detroit. Mainly they want to tell me all about the problem with the auto industry. I've stopped listening to that one - mainly because the conversation is based on prejudice rather than evidence and I'm too old and too weary to spend time arguing opinion.
One quick example of this though. Car and Driver just reviewed the new Ford Fusion Hybrid. It's great they said.
In fact what they said was
"The first thing you need to know about the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid is that it’s the best mid-size hybrid sedan on the market. Yes, that’s right: it wipes the floor with the Toyota Camry hybrid."
In their tests it drove better, was more fun and got an overall 3mpg better than the Toyota.
The first comment in the thread that followed?
" i would still pay a little more for a more refined and better mileage Toyota Camry hybrid"
People are LITERALLY blind to news of US superiority, it's so surprising people just block it out. And that, rather than 'decades of mismanagement' is why the industry may be doomed. Well that and some really crappy Chryslers.
Anyway that's not the point of this one. The point of this post is 'the problem with Detroit' or rather the problems in Detroit.
Why the hell isn't congress talking about THIS?
The first thing you need to know about Detroit is that it's losing people - fast. This started with the move to the Suburbs in the 1950s. The highways went in, the streetcars came out and about 10% of the population left for the leafy surrounds. The 60s saw the city lose another 9% of its population. The city lost another 20% of its population in the 70s. The 80s saw another 15% fade away and the 90s yet another 7.5%.
At its height Detroit was home to 1.27% of the US population. By 2000 it was home to 0.34% of the population.
Why are people fleeing?
Well Marvin Gaye thought that he knew way back in the 70s
Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we’re heading
Where we were heading was to a place where compared to the national average you're
7 times more likely to be murdered in Detroit
4 times as likely to be robbed
5 times more likely to have your vehicle stolen
4 times as likely to be assaulted
As of 2005 Detroit became the poorest city in America too.
47.8% of children live below the poverty line (then $19,000 annually for a family of 4) This year average HOUSEHOLD income dropped almost 21% to $29,109 - that includes ALL people working. Not one suburb or area posted an income gain
In terms of health Detroit is the 5th most obese city in the US with many areas now designated 'health deserts' - places where fresh food isn't freadily available.
Forbes voted Detroit "Most miserable city" based on unemployment (around 8,5% before the economy hit the toilet), violent crime and Superfund sites.
Commute times are good but we have some of the worst roads around - and as you can see from the image above our train station isn't exacly spick and span.
So why post this? I don't know. I'm just sick of being told that the problem with Detroit is that auto execs have private jets. No the problem with Detroit is that it's a city that's been abandoned to poverty, crime and ill health. A city that's literally being allowed to crumble. A city with huge issues - and huge potential that's being left to fester.
Sure America loves to hate Detroit, to hate its cars and to scoff at its miserable weather. But the decline of Detroit should stand as a warning to the rest of the country. What happened here can happen anywhere. And you don't even know about it. You look the other way - and try to stop the change in your pockets from jingling as though we're beggars standing between you an a $4 coffee.
The problem with Detroit isn't the businesses that it has left. It's the fact that Detroit has been abandoned. And that's a crying shame.
1 comment:
Very interesting. I've long been puzzled by the relatively small size of american cities relative to the population, but i didn't realise it had shrunk quite so much. Although as the rich flee of course the crime stats will look worse.
Re: american cars. The economist Roger Bootle laments that so much business is conducted on a 'look back over last 15-20 years' assume no change, and base future decisions on that model. There's a lot of theories, that 15-20 is the lifespan of an exec in a top job, that that's the length of time it took a decision maker to get where he is in the first place, etc. But it certainly isn't healthy. It's wrecked the financial markets and sounds like it's wrecking motor city. Crying shame.
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