Hammered by the auto industry’s slump, Detroit saw its population plummet 25 percent over the past decade, according to 2011 census data that reflects the severity of an economic downturn in the only state whose population declined since 2000. The statistics show that the Motor City’s population fell to 713,777 in 2010, compared to 951,270 in 2000. Buoyed by industrialization and Henry Ford and other entrepreneurs, Detroit’s population skyrocketed at the dawn of the 20th century. Home to 285,704 people in 1900, the Michigan city enjoyed a peak of 1.85 million residents in 1950, when was the fourth-largest city in the country. But the new numbers reflect a steady downsizing of the auto industry — the city’s economic lifeblood for a century — and an exodus of many residents to the suburbs. The drop-off of more than 237,000 people in Detroit helped Michigan become the only state that suffered an overall population decline between 2000 and 2010. Its 25 percent loss in this period was the biggest percentage loss over the last decade for any American city with more than 100,000 people, other than New Orleans, and one of the biggest in any decade. The site Detroiturbex.com aims to document the consequences of this transformation on the urban structure. Starting from a photographic analysis of brownfield sites and their rapid decline, in line with the urban exploration trend, it hopes to stimulate a creative reflection about possible new strategies of city management.
www.detroiturbex.com
