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CIRCUMSTANCE. Since the 1950’s Detroit’s population has been on the decline. As the city expanded outward and fulfilled mid-century aspirations for suburban life and unencumbered industrial development, the overall population began dropping from its 1,850,000 peak. Exacerbated by the combination of seemingly benevolent post-war policies such as the 1944 Serviceman’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill) which guaranteed low interest mortgages to returning veterans, Title One of the 1949 Federal Housing Act and the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, those who were not fully incentivized to leave the city were in some cases dispossessed or ghettoized.
Vital communities broke down, functional public transportation fell into disrepair and ignorant, racially motivated segregation beseeched the city, making day to day life in Detroit quite inhospitable, promoting a sharp increase in migration to the suburbs. At the same time, larger structural economic problems, such as an abiding faith in a Fordist economic model and a dominant one-dimensional industry, took their toll. By the late 1960’s the population had fallen to 1,500,000 (while the 7-county region had grown to nearly 4,500,000) and in the late summer of 1967, the infamous riots engulfed parts of the city. With this, many who had not yet left the city did so – if they had the means and opportunity.
Over the final three decades of the 20th century Detroit maintained a steady population and employment decline as disinvestment, poor quality of life and limited services made a significant impact. Now, with the economic recession that has come to define the early years of the 21st century, Detroit’s population loss and disinvestment have accelerated (along with several other communities in southeast Michigan, highlighting the regional dimension to these pernicious problems).
Today the City of Detroit’s population is estimated around 800,000. This is less than half of its peak population 60 years earlier. According to the American Institute of Architect’s 2008 Sustainable Design Assessment Team Report, nearly 40 of Detroit’s 139 square miles of land area remain vacant along with 30,000 to 50,000 buildings throughout the city. Most recently, the Detroit Public Schools announced closure of 23 schools as the city grapples with mounting budget problems.
CALL TO ACTION. As we stand at this existential precipice in Detroit’s history we all must contribute to strategies that will stabilize and improve life in the city. From policy initiatives, to reinvestment and development strategies, we need more voices and more action to help not only the city, but the entire region. At HAA, we believe this includes architects, planners, urban designers, landscape architects and the broad, vibrant (and incredibly resilient) creative community that is alive and well in Detroit. This group, perhaps more so than any other, will be equipped to translate the myriad ideas, emotions, speeches and pro-forma into viable physical strategies that are imbued with innovative, critical and creative thought.
