Searching for the soul of the city
CityPoem 22 - Detroit
By Hans Karssenberg
03-12-2006 /views: 15538 in past 12 months.
Motown. MotorCity. Paris of the West. Once. Detroit faced hard times in the last decades, notorious for its crime rate. Not any more, but these CityPoem show the past.
Photo: Estimmel
The last years, the city has been going through a revival. Still, these CityPoems show the recent past.
Detroit CityPoem
(On a wall of an old warehouse / factory in Detroit)
The emptiness of
guilt recaptures
senerity
Photo: Estimmel
Agression shattered
into vacant sadness
About Detroit
Founded in 1701 by French fur traders, Detroit is a major port city, located north of Windsor, Ontario, on the Detroit River in the Midwest region of the United States. It is known as the world's traditional automotive center and an important source of popular-music legacies, celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, Motor City and Motown. The city's name comes from the Detroit River (in French Rivière du Détroit), meaning "River of the Strait." The name alludes to the connection the river forms between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie.
In 2005, Detroit ranked as the United States' 11th most populous city, with 886,675 residents; this number is less than half the peak population in 1950, and Detroit is among the leaders in the nation in terms of declining urban population over the past fifty years. It is the focal city of the nation's tenth-largest metropolitan area.
Detroit's crime rate has brought it notoriety, while the city continues to struggle with the burdens of racial disharmony between itself and its suburban neighbours. The city has experienced budget shortfalls, leading to cuts in city services. Nevertheless, Detroit is currently experiencing a downtown revival with the construction of the Compuware headquarters, a recently renovated Renaissance Center, three gambling casinos, new stadiums and the Detroit Riverwalk. The city serves as an entertainment hub for the metropolitan region.
The city was called the Paris of the West in the late 19th century due to its elegant architecture and public squares; in the mid-20th century it was called Rock City due to its association with the development of rock music. Today, local colloquialisms for the city include The D, The 313 (its area code) and D City.
Agression shattered
into vacant sadness
About Detroit
Founded in 1701 by French fur traders, Detroit is a major port city, located north of Windsor, Ontario, on the Detroit River in the Midwest region of the United States. It is known as the world's traditional automotive center and an important source of popular-music legacies, celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, Motor City and Motown. The city's name comes from the Detroit River (in French Rivière du Détroit), meaning "River of the Strait." The name alludes to the connection the river forms between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie.
In 2005, Detroit ranked as the United States' 11th most populous city, with 886,675 residents; this number is less than half the peak population in 1950, and Detroit is among the leaders in the nation in terms of declining urban population over the past fifty years. It is the focal city of the nation's tenth-largest metropolitan area.
Detroit's crime rate has brought it notoriety, while the city continues to struggle with the burdens of racial disharmony between itself and its suburban neighbours. The city has experienced budget shortfalls, leading to cuts in city services. Nevertheless, Detroit is currently experiencing a downtown revival with the construction of the Compuware headquarters, a recently renovated Renaissance Center, three gambling casinos, new stadiums and the Detroit Riverwalk. The city serves as an entertainment hub for the metropolitan region.
The city was called the Paris of the West in the late 19th century due to its elegant architecture and public squares; in the mid-20th century it was called Rock City due to its association with the development of rock music. Today, local colloquialisms for the city include The D, The 313 (its area code) and D City.
Inspiring Cities Museum of CityPoems
Inspiring Cities has collected many citypoems over the years, as well as organized salons with citypoets and cities doing special projects. We have two criteria for what a citypoem is: the intention must be poetic, and it must be in the public realm of cities. Shapes, form and locations can and do differ.
The Museum of CityPoems has citypoems from cities all over the world. From Alhambra to Zonnebeke, from Taipei to Lima.
Got one yourself? Mail us your pictures (free of rights) and description, and we will publish.
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