"Driving Detroit: impressions of the city"

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

There may not be much classified as prairie, but a significant portion of the city is "mixed", which is described as including a significant percentage of abandoned buildings. There are also two large squares of "much abandonment" on the vaunted northwest side. This map isn't exactly selling me on the city.

I believe the much abandonment on the northwest side of Detroit is a neighborhood called Brightmoor, (nicked Blightmoor). Apparently for a very long time is was one of the worst and everyone wanted to get the heck out of that neighborhood.

Have you looked at the nice areas on google street view??

To each of his own, but if you love early 20th century

I love how all the nice areas of Detroit proper look like Chicago areas like Oak Park/River Forest (where I live) or BeverlyMorgan parka and similar type of neighborhoods in Chicago. (Leafy and charming, but close to areas that look like have been hit by bombs)

Thats a little bit like the South and west sides of Chicago. You have just gorgeous stable neighborhoods ( that are not too far from areas that almost look like a warzone. That proximity makes those neighborhoods a bit less expensive and also theres always a sizeable middle to upper middle class African American component. Those neighborhoods (Beverly, River Forest, Kenwood, etc. etc. are a bit similar to nice areas in Detroit in that regard).

Contrast that with the NORTHWEST and north side of Chicago, many gentrified neighborhoods that generally was never upscale in the old days and therefore most of the housing and commercial boulevards are kind of dense and drab (although I know some people like that), and on top of that were rough back in the 80s, and still have some of that gang-component nearby (Wrigleyville, Wicker Park). The northwest side is so dynamic and has experienced so much turnover that you really never know whats what. An area can look nice, but really isn't. I don't like that.

I want to know exactly what the bad areas are, as noted by actualy physical urban decay. And the good areas to have trees, lawns, and houses.