Detroit: “I don’t know if we even measure things in tragedy any more”

Kathy Bolam sent me this video in an email. Kathy said, “I grew up in Detroit, but left in 1963 for Albany, New York and then onto Venice, Florida in 1977. There’s no doubt that the once-great city of Detroit is a financial train wreck. But that’s only part of the story.”

This video courtesy of Journeyman Pictures shows the rest of the story.

Journeyman Pictures asks, “Are Detroit’s kerbside entrepreneurs going to save the city? Detroit has become a symbol of the global financial crisis; but a group of committed micro-industrialists and artists with a DIY attitude are determined bring the old Motor City back out of bankruptcy.”

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Vx9BPNkMdgg[/youtube]

“I don’t know if we even measure things in tragedy any more”, says reporter Steve Neavling, who chronicles Detroit’s many fires. Abandoned homes are being burnt down for insurance purposes or just for fun. The population has dwindled to half the size it was just half a century ago. Yet where some see destruction, others see opportunity. “There are an endless amount of possibilities for the restoration and reclaiming of the city”, believes Bart Eddy. He teaches woodwork to the local youth, giving them new skills and jobs. From their kerbside economics to big investors looking to cash in on Detroit’s rugged charm, both manufacture and jobs are returning to the city, creating everything from high-end watches to urban fashion and refurbished bikes. “There’s two Detroits right now. If we want to measure success, we have to look at both”, argues Steve.

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