Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of things downtown. It’s fun to explore, especially in the summer when the weather is nice and there are a lot of events happening. We live so close to places like Campus Martius and Capitol Park that it seems obvious to spend time there.
It seems perfectly natural to explore the area where we’re living. What’s been striking to me is how different the Midtown area seems from the parts of Detroit I’ve been experiencing through my internship. It is so obvious what areas of Detroit are gentrified, and which are suffering because of it. It is confusing to me that, even though I have a better understanding of gentrification in Detroit, I know I’m still contributing to it. I think I’m most frustrated by the lack of agency I feel to change what is happening.
Hello Chloe,
I’m glad you’re enjoying exploring the city! I’ve also noticed how different Midtown is from the rest of the Detroit. My work before the internship centered on a neighborhood in Southeast Detroit on the Dearborn border. So I hadn’t really experienced Midtown until coming here. It’s frustrating to be able to see the difference so easily and yet to know that most people don’t see it at all. The portrayal of the city is all about the “revival” and how positive Midtown appears to be but the truth is much different. I think it’s important to be able to see it. I think that’s a good first step to finding a way to change what is happening.
Best,
Kyle