Researcher(s):
Sally Bernstein
ENVS course(s): 400 Initiated: September 2012 Completed: May 2013 Go to project site
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Globalization has shifted much of America’s industry overseas, leaving a hole in the American landscape, most visible in the many cities that were built around particular industries. The transition in these cities from industrial to post-industrial has been dramatic and distinct. Cities like Pittsburgh, previously home to the steel industry, have succeeded in the transition with the help of emerging new industries brought in by large universities. Others remain decrepit and abandoned. Detroit is arguably the hardest hit, perhaps worldwide, of cities in post-industrial decline. Detroit is particularly interesting because though there are few signs of active renewal, the image of its decline has captured worldwide attention. The city is benefitting from the aestheticization of its decayed landscape. Artists, scholars, and urban explorers have become obsessed with the ruins of Detroit and are travelling to the city to experience and document them. Images, beautiful and eerie, are making their way into coffee table books and desktops. These images focus on the symbolism of the new phenomenon and romanticization of modern ruins. They have created an artistic movement that has inspired conversation and discussion concerning shrinking cities and have attracted explorers and planners to the city as both tourists and problem solvers. This thesis explores the environmental narratives embedded in the images of Detroit’s industrial ruins. I argue that the artists are constructing Detroit with the narrative of the ‘post-apocalyptic sublime’. I conclude that these photographs are acting as a medium for concrete conversations and plans for urban renewal.