🇺🇸 Detroit: The Death and Rebirth of an Industrial City

From first spotting Detroit on a 2012 atlas to watching its bankruptcy unfold in 2013, this city—whose name means "the strait"—ignited my fascination with urban studies. By 2022, as I researched Rust Belt polarization with my professor, Detroit had become my white whale. But when I finally arrived? First thought: "This looks like Disneyland's 'abandoned city' themed ride—but real." 🔄 The Phoenix Narrative Then: The husk of America’s grandest department store (Hudson’s). Now: A glittering Edition Hotel + Hudson’s Mall rises beside Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock empire (buying downtown like UChicago did Hyde Park). Vibe: Not "post-apocalyptic"—more like "Chicago Jr." with NYC’s grittiness. 🇨🇳 Mirror to China’s Urban Crisis As China’s Dearborns and Novis (read: cookie-cutter new towns) multiply, Detroit’s hollowed core offers a cautionary tale: Population flight → budget cuts → decay. Yet since 2020? Young professionals are returning, bringing: Gucci stores Bottega Veneta runway shows in abandoned theaters 🎭 Gensler-designed offices next to Shake Shacks 🌆 The Irresistible Urban Pull Suburbs offer McMansions and lakes—but Detroit proves: Humans always circle back to cities, their cultural gravity too strong to resist. #DetroitRising #UrbanRenaissance #CitiesOfTomorrow 🏙️✨