Unit8: Detroit Bankruptcy:
Intro:
In this unit, we will try and analyze the crisis Detroit has been faced with over the past few years. Although the city is officially "out of the crisis", there is still a long way to go before the process of urban regeneration is done.
We will also focus on a few other American cities along the way and reflect on how the US economy and the famous car industry in America have changed over the years.
Survival kit:
Download this file and add whatever you think is interesting.
Useful links:
STEP1. DETROIT: A CITY IN CRISIS:
Main Facts1 (City-data.com)
Main Facts2 (InfoPlease.com)
- Detroit filed for bankruptcy:
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A dysfunctional city:
Explaining Detroit's crisis to the world (Deadline
Detroit)
How Corruption deepened Detroit's Crisis
- A city in ruins:
The Ruins of Detroit (pictures)
STEP2. THE BIRTH, CLIMAX AND DECLINE OF DETROIT, AND THE CAUSES OF THE CRISIS:
VIDEO: "Portrait of a city" (1961) (doc2)
- The birth of the city of Detroit:
Histoire de la ville de Détroit (Carnet photographique)
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Detroit or "Motor City": deindustrialisation in the US:
Le Web pédagogique : Manufacturing belt et Sunbelt
Détroit, une histoire américaine (Le Monde)
- The rise and fall of Detroit:
STEP3. DETROIT AND THE URBAN CRISIS INTHE US:
- Slumlord watch doc3 (YT)
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Détroit, la ville afro-américaine qui rétrécit (Le Monde diplomatique)
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Middlesex
STEP4. THE REGENERATION OF DETROIT:
Detroit: An American Autopsy, a book review (NY Times)
"Dan Gilbert, the driving force who helped restart Detroit" (Financial Times) (doc4a)
"Detroit's Big Come Back: Out of Bankruptcy, a Rebirth" (NPR) (doc4b)
(doc4c): "Detroit showed what Build Back Better can look like", Bloomberg
(doc4d): "Detroit continues recovery from blight to rebirth" (Michigan Radio)
(doc4e) Shinola: "Made in Detroit" (0-> 3'22)
"Could Detroit become the next fashion city?" (The New Yorker)
Detroit and the auto industry (AZO)
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Detroiters' solutions for Detroit:
Artisitic projects:
As Detroit Flounders, its Art Scene Flourishes (NY Times)
Eminem's Letter to Detroit (doc5): link1, link2, link3
Cartoons:
Practice!
- Translation:
-The metamorphosis of Detroit thanks to art
-Ruin porn in Detroit (Courrier international)
-"Il était une fois Détroit" (Médiapart)
-"Pourquoi cette crise de Détroit est-elle plus grave que les autres ?" (JOL Press.com)
Go further:
- General knowledge:
-Urban crisis in the US : L'Express, Le Figaro, Pouvoirs, JDN, Métropoles en mutation
-US grid plan: Wikipedia1, Wikipedia2
-Robocop in Detroit : link1, link2, and link3
-Baltimore : Baltimore Slumlord
Watch
- Movies or documentaries dealing with Detroit or the decline of the car industry:
Roger and Me (1989)
Capitalism: a Love Story (2009)
Detroit Wild City (2011)
Quizlet revision game:
Created by Inès