January 2011: I am preparing for my first real visit to Detroit, the city of my birth. I am a Californian, where I have been since age one when my parents packed me into a car to seek fame and fortune in LA. It is strange to be defined by something unknown but when asked if I am a "native" Californian, I answer, "No, I was born in Detroit." It seems time to investigate what that means. So I have come "home" on my birthday to photograph Detroit.

This blog is part of an accompanying journal about the project.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

DETROIT RISING

 Courtesy of Atlantic Cities


A series of short videos/conversations, about Detroit, posted by The Atlantic Cities and Senior Editor Richard Florida.   http://www.theatlanticcities.com/special-report/detroit-rising/


Three installments so far.    An overview yet valuable as well for the comments which should be read, giving a diverse set of perceptions about the City.

1. INTRODUCTION/ THE STATE OF DETROIT  

 Courtesy of Atlantic Cities


From this installment: "
We’ve all read the story of Detroit’s downfall by now. Once a booming hub for automotive manufacturing and a center for technological innovation, the veritable Silicon Valley of its day, the city has witnessed devastating economic changes. Between 2000 and 2010, the city's population fell by 25 percent, the largest drop of any city with a population over 100,000. Even New Orleans, despite Hurricane Katrina, didn’t see a population plunge as dramatic. At the height of the recent economic crisis, Detroit’s unemployment rate was 18.2 percent.
But the other story of Detroit, the bigger one – is of its rebirth, its rising. Given the austerity of these times, this is less a story of top-down government efforts, and much more a story of the organic efforts of the entrepreneurs and artists, designers and musicians who have chosen to live in Detroit and be the stewards of its resurgence."  http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/05/how-detroit-rising/1997/

2. DETROIT'S CREATIVE POTENTIAL

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/05/detroits-creative-potential/2068/



  
Courtesy of Atlantic Cities


 3. THE FACES BEHIND DETROIT'S REBIRTH/Who's Making A Difference





 Courtesy of Atlantic Cities