Joel D. Skene

Detroit has become more than just a city, it’s become a symbol of the decline in America’s economy, particularly our manufacturing. It was once the richest and fastest growing city in the country, with a population only outdone by New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and we all know what happened since then. But because it’s now the symbol of American decline, it attracts a lot of people who both want to document the decline, and those who want to speculate about it’s future. The Awl had and excellent article talking about these two narratives that is well worth the read.

We hear so much about Detroit’s decline and rebirth around here that it almost feels like a joke to post something else about it, but I wanted to highlight a new documentary that is comparing Detroit to Lodz, Poland, another city that was dependent upon manufacturing, and had to deal with similar situations when those jobs left. It looks pretty interesting, and my friend Dina got her music used in the preview, so I thought I’d share it.

It looks like the film will be highlighting the artistic revival in Detroit, which seems to be what people keep talking about, and for good reason. Not only is there a lot of really interesting stuff happening, but it may be our best shot. After all, it seems to be working for Grand Rapids.

Here’s is the Michigan Radio story about the film, and the film’s website in case it caught your eye.