The Continuing Destruction of Detroit

[Editor’s Note: Here is an interesting Tumblr site that documents the decline of Detroit in photographs.]

Healy Streat, north of Hamtramck

Of the 32 properties on this stretch of Healy Street between Fenelon and East Davison, 22 are owned by the City of Detroit or the Michigan Land Bank. Of the five properties that have gone to the foreclosure auction in the last three years, none have been purchased.

Healy Street around McNichols has been an area of high arson activity the last couple years, as well.

With property deterioration and tax foreclosure, it’s always a question of correlation or causation. I can’t tell when the property on the right burned down, but my guess is that property caught fire and emptied the houses to its left. Tax foreclosure followed. Only a guess though.

Exeter between Seven Mile and Penrose Northern Detroit

This whole neighborhood–east of Woodward to the railroad, and south of State Fair to Seven Mile–is really rough.