The population would be condensed into a few viable areas. So would stores and services. A city built to manufacture cars would be returned in large measure to the forest primeval.

NPR says, Flint, Michigan Sheds Foreclosed Properties

It made me want to scream to see such potential in the structures, major ones along Woodward and lovely old houses. Automobile culture based sprawl, decayed inner city, no alternative economic drivers. Humans wanting new New NEW instead of reuse, repurpose, reimagine. What waste. While we nicely recycle our garbage, we don’t consider the value of investment in building and infratructure, much less the social costs of lack of investment in human capital.

It would be interesting to know why the price changed from the customary $1 and also to know what BNSF actually got out of the sale. I understand the cost of renovation is an expensive undertaking but the land is worth a fortune. Is the land subject to special regulations since (I’m guessing) it was deeded to the railroad originally as part of the incentive for the railroads to expand.

Also, Detroit was an early 20th century boom-town where people flooded in from all over the country. Like most cities these groups then self-segregated into ethnic neighborhoods. The WASPs, jews, ethnic catholics and blacks were all mistrustful of each other.

Another factor is cultural. It wasnt just any blacks who came in the great migration. It was southern and rural blacks. Even the northern blacks in Detroit felt superior to these country folks and worried that whites would judge them by that standard. WHich of course they did. And years of resentment led the emergence of the black power movement and seperatist elements in the black community. You can see that today with the hostility and suspicion with which the city, and city council in particular, view the white suburbs.

The migrations that took place in and around Detroit are pretty interesting. It’s an example of how the melting pot doesnt always work as advertised.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_Tower_of_Terror

Look, Detroit has tons of buildings that ought to be saved. But the (racist) ruling class in Detroit gave up on the city long ago and packed up to Bloomfield Hills. So don’t get your hopes up since that might mean some return of wealth from the landed gentry back to the actual city that gave them their wealth once-apon-atime.

Like Duany points out, go to the center of Detroit and the center of Berlin at 5pm local time in each city and tell me which city produced the bulk of the machinery that defeated Facism in the last great war.

You know that the answer is Detroit, but your senses will of course say Berlin.

Perhaps it is time to drop a large amount of explosive material on Detroit and start again?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JR_Central_Towers.jpg

It absolutely has nothing in common except for the fact that there’s a high rise above the station.

But yes, it is really sad to see our history and such a grand structure be destroyed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Seattle)

I do agree that having Sound Transit use Union Station for its headquarters and having the City of Seattle purchase King Street were both excellent and far-sighted actions.

I read that the cost to renovate would be in the $100-300 million dollar range. It was supposed to house a hotel but the top floors were never finished. It’s literally been unfinished since it was built in 1918 or something.

There is another building in downtown Detroit that is in danger of demolision, the Lafayatee building. I’d rather that was saved over the MCT but I doubt either will be saved.

Some years ago, when Sound Transit was looking for a permanent headquarters, we decided (I was on the Board) to renovate Union Station instead of renting plain vanilla office space. Train Stations are important landmarks in a city’s life.