The beginning of the end for America?

[Boggo]

"Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes, small pieces of history in suspension.
The state of ruin is temporary by nature, the volatile result of the end of an era and the fall of empires."

Are these pictures telling us something ?

http://www.marchandmeffre.com/detroit/index.html

 

[Datsun Disguise]

Re: The beginning of the end for America ?

wow some stunning photos - hard to believe that a major american city could decay like that. Some of the shots look like people just disappeared leaving being chairs, pianos even a library wit books still on shelves! I wonder if this is a lesson in the dangers of not diversifying - it was a motor city and when plants moved away so did the heart and soul of the place...

Love to visit it to see it for myself....

Oh, by the way the US was dead about a decade ago. China own them lock stock and barrel.

 

[RazzaDazzla]

beautiful photographs.

Hard to believe people can just pick up and leave. How can everything just become worthless?

 

[Bolle]

These photos are amazing, and very creepy at the same time. People still on the streets walking around, like a city that has only half-died... it's like seeing the Titanic or something, but finding out people are still living there. Sad to see all that amazing wealth so derelict - some of those buildings are just astonishingly lavish, such a massive shame. So very sad. Makes me want to buy one, but then, what on earth could i do with it? Couldn't afford to renovate, and if done, nobody could afford to live there, since there is nowhere to earn a living there any more. Every civilization faces this in the end, i suppose, but it's still sad to be reminded of it. Especially when it looks so very contemporary and... familiar.

 

[algis]

Detroit has been heading the way it has since the riots of 1967.

There is a perverse beauty in the urban decay.

 

[Julia]

What poignant, sad photos of decayed splendour. I suppose everything has the term of its natural life, buildings and human beings included.

The dental surgery was the one which most made me wonder what had taken place that it should be left still so equipped. Did the dentist die, go bankrupt?
A story with each of these great photographs.
Many thanks for posting, Boggo.

 

[roland]

reminds me of Chernobyl. In searching for a site on Chernobyl that I came across some time back, I discovered the following site: http://www.abandoned-places.com/index.htm

More stunning photos of urban decay

 

[Wysiwyg]

"My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember the Road Warrior. The man we called "Max".
To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time. When the world was powered by the black fuel. And the desert sprouted great cities of pipe and steel. Gone now, swept away."

 

[roland]

and, closer to home - abandonment in Perth

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wyrmworld/collections/72157607843145778/

 

[roland]

"My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember the Road Warrior. The man we called "Max".
To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time. When the world was powered by the black fuel. And the desert sprouted great cities of pipe and steel. Gone now, swept away."

coming back, so I've heard - Mad Max 3 on the drawing board

 

[Boggo]

What poignant, sad photos of decayed splendour.

I was trying to define a term to apply when you look at a city like that go from what it was in the fifties to where it is now, sad is probably it Julia.

Is it a normal cycle that causes this or is it greed or lack of foresight... or a combination of all ?

This link below from the same photographer is probably an indication of a national cultural decline, or can we just put it down to a new form of progress that we all have to learn to accept.

In Europe however they seem to retain, value and promote their culture and history as previous generations have done whereas America seems to just cast it aside.
Its a worrying indication of where they are headed I think, lets hope we don't follow them.

http://www.marchandmeffre.com/theaters/index.html

 

[Boggo]

reminds me of Chernobyl. In searching for a site on Chernobyl that I came across some time back, I discovered the following site: http://www.abandoned-places.com/index.htm

More stunning photos of urban decay

Chernobyl, some amazing pictures and an amazing story by Elena on her motorcycle.
Seems that her father got her government approval to ride through the off limits areas.

Eerie tale and pictures....

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/chapter1.html

 

[Dowdy]

China should buy Detroit. When a China crash happens they'll have some spare workers that they can use to fix it up