Detroit

Hub of the American auto industry and site of the celebrated Riverfront Renaissance, Detroit is also a city of extraordinary poverty, unemployment, and racial segregation. This duality in one of the mightiest industrial metropolises of twentieth-century North America is the focus of this study. Viewing the Motor City in light of sociology, geography, history, and planning, the authors examine the genesis of modern Detroit. They argue that the current situation of metropolitan Detroit economic decentralization, chronic racial and class segregation, regional political fragmentation is a logical result of trends that have gradually escalated throughout the post-World War II era. Examining its recent redevelopment policies and the ensuing political conflicts, Darden, Hill, Thomas, and Thomas, discuss where Detroit has been and where it is going. Joe T. Darden is Dean of Urban Affairs and Professor of Geography and Urban Affairs at Michigan State University. Richard Child Hill is Professor of Sociology and Urban Affairs at Michigan State University. June Thomas is Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Urban Affairs at Michigan State University. Richard Thomas is Associate Professor of History and Urban Affairs at Michigan State University.