Abandoned areas of Detroit

The city of Detroit, in the U.S. state of Michigan, has gone through a major economic and demographic decline in recent decades. The population of the city has fallen from a high of 1,850,000 in 1950 to 680,000 in 2015, removing it from the top 20 of US cities by population for the first time since 1850. Local crime rates are among the highest in the United States, and vast areas of the city are in a state of severe urban decay.^[1]

Coverage[]

Detroit already has a future that happened in some parts of the city, where a population exodus has decimated once proud factories and crowded city blocks. From 1900 to 1930, the burgeoning motor industry powered a growth spurt and skyrocketed more than fivefold to more than a million and a half inhabitants. Steven S. Ross explores and analyze the abandoned areas of Detroit and the progress of decay.

Packard Automotive Plant[]

PackardPlantbeforeabandon — The Packard Plant before its closure.

Abandoned for 40 years, the 5 stories and 47 buildings of the Packard Automotive Plant is a sad reminder of an once thriving car industry that pumped life into the city. The Packard name was once synonymous with luxury and churning out everything from convertibles to limousines. However, the public stopped buying it's designs and burdened with a crushing debt, Packard closed it's doors.

PackardPlantwoodwarp — The hardwood warp inside the Packard Plant.

Showing then is what nature achieves in 40 years without people. Steven S. Ross stated that plants and animals have colonized the area. The episode stated that even the plant's roof is slowly turning into a forest. Steven S. Ross shows the trees right along the wall cause by windblown seeds that wedge themselves into the crack that almost inevitably exists where pavement meets a wall. He identifies the plants are goldenrod, a pioneer plant, and it is very old, ancient times, and grow in almost anything like many gardeners know. Without the windows, the inside is beginning to look like the outside. Steven S. Ross explains they're on the fifth floor and show the original hardwood floor that it's bowed upward. He explains that the wood has been soaking all through the winter and the result is that the wood expanded and underneath the wood are dirt, which are blown from the outside. He continues that in another 30 to 40 years, most of the wood will be gone and will be turn into a giant flower bed. Where workers once assembled Packard engines, saplings take root and moss has begun to colonize the floorboards. Meanwhile, the harsh climate is eating away at the plant's foundations. Steven S. Ross shows the entryway wall and over time from freezing and thawing has warped away and cracked it. He shows the crack at the guard which is a bell of very thick cast and iron then he shows the other side of the entrance where the logical conclusion has happened.

60 Square Miles of Detroit[]

AbandonedhousesatDetroit — The abandoned houses in Detroit.

The seasons also haven't been kinder to homes once cared for by people. As competition from foreign car manufacturers intensified, one million residents fled the urban center from 1950 to 1980 and left behind are blocks of abandoned neighborhoods. Of the 137 square miles that make up the city of Detroit, 60 were only abandoned and what's left are ugly reminders of former elegance.

DetroitBuildingdamage — Damages at a brick and mortar building.

Steven S. Ross shows the building that have been abandoned for 40 years caused by the harsh climate of Detroit which accelerated the deterioration of the building. He continues that in its case, the freezing and thawing during the winter and fairly heavy rainfall during the year were what finally destroyed the building. The brick and mortar structure have decayed from the top down. Steven S. Ross stated that the weather have let water through the roof, which destroyed it and seen are a building with very solid walls. The water seeps into the brick which expands and contract as it freezes and thaws, prying it away from the facade. Another 75 years would make the entire building to collapse into an unrecognizable heap and nothing will remain in a century. In a harsh climate, it wouldn't take long for a building to crumble. Steven S. Ross stated that the brick and mortar are clay and limestone which is like surrounding soil. He continues that an expert to know where a house was ever in the area.

Abandoned School[]

AbandonedDetroitSchoolInside — The interior of an abandoned school.

It doesn't take long at all for a building to crumble in the harsh climate. A school has only been abandoned for two years cause by the decline of population in Detroit making fewer students to teach and the schools to keep closing. Steven S. Ross shows the damage by one summer and two winters. He shows that the paint is meant to be an interior paint and was not meant to withstand water and temperature changes. He shows the collapsed plaster ceiling cause by water coming in the classroom above. He continues that over the next few years, the rest of the ceilings will collapse and the plaster dust would catches dirt and seeds, and while it is not nutrient itself to nurture a plant life, it could be the beginning.