Selling Urban Blight — New Adventure Tourism?
written by John Furie Zacharias, edited by Humberto (Plastic)
posted Wed 14 Aug 9:03am
Travel "Having lived and worked in Detroit, Michigan for 35 years, I know local politicians have continually wrestled with the problem of urban blight. It seems a new quasi-underground trend has emerged -- market and sell it," writes John Furie Zacharias. "Detroit's popular free newsweekly, The MetroTimes, features their Abandoned House of the Week with pithy write-ups for each potential crack house, such as:
The featured edifice is guarded by several hard-working prostitutes. A woman staggers through the property, trips over a fallen automatic-teller machine, then stands on crumpled "Wanted for Murder" signs. A staircase reeks of urine. The ghostly interior houses a rusty automobile that has been burned and bashed beyond identification.
"If vacant skyscrapers are more interesting to you, you can check out David Kohrman's Forgotten Detroit where he will tell you that "Detroit is known for one of the most stunning collections of pre-depression architecture in the world. The past two decades have seen several of these treasures sit vacant, waiting for economic revival". He does have some nice pictures of the Hudson building implosion. If exploring sounds adventurous to you, check out Lowell Boileau's The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit where he will tell you to "Come, travel with me, as I guide you on a tour through the fabulous and vanishing ruins of my beloved Detroit". At least, take his cave tour. The Cave Paintings of Detroit Tour is worth your time. Can't make it to Detroit to see all these wonderful tourist sites? No problemo. You may have some urban blight in your own area worth checking out for yourself. First, prepare yourself with Infiltration's Abandoned Sites FAQ before you grab your hiking boots and camera. Have fun and bring some of those suburban dollars downtown!"
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