Detroit

Urban strife
Detroit endured painful struggles in the 1960s and 1970s, and was often held up as a symbol of urban blight. After peaking in 1950, at 1.85 million residents, the city's population began a shifting to its suburbs. The construction of the Interstate Highway system in the 1950s helped to popularize a trend of suburban living, as it shortened driving times from suburban areas to the city. By 1960, Detroit's population had dropped to about 1.7 million residents.

Detroit experienced white flight, at least partially attributed to the Twelfth Street riot in 1967 and the effects of court-ordered busing. In the Twelfth Street riot, 43 residents were killed, 467 were wounded and over 2,000 buildings were destroyed.

The riot, coupled with court-ordered busing, caused the city's reputation to deteriorate among whites. By the 1970s, African Americans formed nearly half the city's population, and the first black mayor, Coleman Young, was elected in 1973. Though popular among black residents, Young's style during his record four terms in office was not well received by many white Detroiters, who continued to move to the suburbs in large numbers.[11]

Urban flight from the city contributed to a dramatic population shift since the 1950s. Meanwhile, structures remained for years in need of redevelopment. Recent urban development in Detroit has led to some demolition and renovation. With the large number of homes razed, sizeable tracts have reverted back to nature to become a form urban prairie.[12] A 1989 Detroit News story reported that the abandonment had created a new industry: scavengers taking bricks from vacant buildings and selling them to builders. A thousand bricks, one scavenger reported, brought $200.[13]

Though the 1960s saw the rise of drug use, it leveled off in ensuing decades. The Detroit 1970s gang Young Boys Inc. were influential in the drug trade, leading to collateral property crimes and violence.