Creating Places: A Citizen Observer's Look at Nashville's Built Environment


Writer's Note: William Williams' interest in the manmade environment dates to 1970, at which point the then-young Williams started a collection of postcards of city skylines. The collection now numbers 1,000-plus cards. Among the writer's specific interests are exterior building design, city district planning, demographics, signage, mixed-use development, mass transit and green/sustainable construction and living. Williams began his Creating Places column with The City Paper in February 2005. The column in its original form was discontinued in September 2008 and reinvented via this blog in November 2008. Creating Places can be found on the home page of the website of The City Paper, at which Williams has worked in various capacities since October 2000.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Creating Places: A Journey to Detroit

I just returned from a two-days, three-nights stay in one of the nation's most important - and misunderstood - cities: Detroit. Overall, I was very pleased to see that the Motor City, though having suffered horrendously for years, remains resilient, its citizens determined to move the Rust Belt city forward. Of note, Detroit has seen some very impressive infill development(both in its downtown and near Wayne State University), although the number of projects has been limited for a city of this size (a result, no doubt, of Detroit's struggles). I will be posting about Detroit during the next week.
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 15, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    I've been to Detroit once and was not impressed at all. Of course this was in the early 90's. I look forward to your perspectives.

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  2. MyronAugust 16, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    I assure you that it has not improved in any way since the early 90s.

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  3. Living DetroitAugust 16, 2011 at 1:15 PM

    Ah so sad to read the comments so far... before a posting even! I can assure you, Myron, that there have been vast and numerous improvements since the early '90s. They've never been overnight and they're spread around the vast 140 square miles that comprise the city of Detroit, but they are there!

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  4. MyronAugust 16, 2011 at 2:30 PM

    I lived in Troy, MI from 1985 to 1992. I have made about 10 visits to Detroit proper in the past 19 years.

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  5. William WilliamsAugust 16, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    Myron,

    You know the city better than I do, but there have been improvements. And I saw them first-hand. The area around Wayne State U. has gotten some quality infill. Tigers Stadium and Ford Field in the Central Business District. More young artsy people moving into the core. It will time, but slowly Detroit is getting better.

    WW

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  6. Living DetroitAugust 21, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    If you've been here 19 times then you have to have seen improvements--it would be literally impossible not to. I simply take issue with your initial statement that you "assure" that it "has not improved in any way"--simply not true.

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  7. LauraAugust 23, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    I'm from Detroit and moved to Nashville in 2006. It's a great city with a lot to offer, especially for someone who is an architecture buff. I hope you enjoyed your visit.

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