Hey y’all,
It’s crazy to have been learning about a complete new city outside of my hometown since it’s so much more different than where I’m from. It’s kind of weird to think that Detroit is split up into parts if that makes any sense. For example, there’s the 7.2, where most of the richer folks of Detroit live. Now I know every city probably has one of those but not to the extent where there is 7.2 square miles full of it; my hometown isn’t even a square mile! Then with our community members, Anti-racism, we went about discussing the many experiences that each one of us has experienced when it came to racism and our particular stand on when we learned about it at first. Not only that but watching the video of the people that had lived in Detroit for years and they’re now getting kicked out because of all the rich people trying to remodel everything and takeover to rise the prices of living. It’s sad to see that happen since I’ve never experienced it, but to have my family be in that situation would be unimaginable. Hopefully things turn around in that aspect and there’s consideration in the future to make it more about the people and less about the money.
I was also really surprised to hear about the 7.2! It’s incredibly sad and disappointing that a city government would allow so much money to go to just one, tiny portion of the city, and let the other ~130 miles fall into disrepair. I’m really glad that we get to work with these incredible nonprofits supporting Detroit and its residents.
7.2 square miles is a HUGE space to essentially block off and restrict Detroiters from, but that really was the impact of these development and ‘downtown revitalization’ projects. Even further, How To Kill A City discusses how this area is basically a bubble; some people can live their lives and never even have to step foot out of it. To me, that is not really how a city works. Sure, you have your neighborhood where you and your closest friends and family live, but you are typically reliant on other neighborhoods for certain products/services. The 7.2 is so built up that it has everything the new folks need/want (and nothing they don’t).
Hey Ray,
I agree, the 7.2 miles is actually crazy. I was really interested in reading this too because, if we know about it, I’m wondering, what can we do to change it? You have some really good insight about the book. Thanks for sharing your POV!