Your Search for 'Empty Places' returned 33 results
This week, Changing Gears kicks off a look at Empty Places across our region. During November, we’ll be looking at empty buildings, empty property — and how we can fill things up again. In the first part of our series, reporter Dustin Dwyer explores the economic and social cost of emptiness. Things may be better … Continue reading
As Changing Gears kicks off its look at Empty property and places across the Midwest, here’s an assessment that may help put the problem in perspective. According to AtlanticCities, 19 types of buildings dominated the post-war landscape, and share the blame for dragging the country into its recession. The list comes from University of Michigan … Continue reading
All over our region, the past is still present, in the form of empty buildings, property, even corporate campuses. The cost to our cities, in lost tax revenue, and in blight, is enormous. But entrepreneurs, businesses and government agencies are taking steps to fill in those empty spaces. Throughout November, Changing Gears will take a … Continue reading
An abandoned building can be a potent symbol of a depressed area or a bad economy. Ruin porn has been decried and criticized as unhelpful voyeurism, but the pictures of crumbling buildings in places like Gary, Indiana and Detroit, MI continue to multiply on photo sharing sites across the web. Perhaps it is too hard … Continue reading
Changing Gears is starting an occasional series on innovation. Here, I kick it off with this story about 10 guys who want to change Chicago – $1,000 at a time. Continue reading
Changing Gears is wrapping up its first week as part of the Public Insight Network. Through PIN, everyone can sign up to become a source for our coverage. It’s kind of like a citizen news wire. To put your personal experiences in the spotlight, we’re introducing a new daily feature called Your Story. We’re letting … Continue reading
TOLEDO, OH –Toledo Mayor Michael Bell is serious about Chinese investment in his city. When he gives you his business card, one side is in Chinese. His office is adorned with Chinese screens and other gifts from his travels there. “America is always waiting for people to come to them,” says Mayor Bell. “Well, we’re … Continue reading
For almost a half century last century, Detroit was a boom town. Between 1910 and 1950, few cities grew faster, were wealthier, were more attractive to those seeking success than what became known as the Motor City. But for the past 60 years, the decline has been long and relatively slow — until the year … Continue reading
Pittsburgh and steel began a courtship in the late 1800s. That courtship would eventually produce a lovechild: Gary, Indiana. In the early 20th Century, Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel Corporation began searching for a spot to build its new steel mill near Chicago. It found one on the southern shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana. The new mill employed thousands … Continue reading
In Sunday’s New York Times Travel section, I write about Detroit’s Grand Circus Park. You can see some wonderful photos by Detroit-based photographer Fabrizio Costantini here. Grand Circus Park is a good example of the revival that’s taking place in downtown Detroit, and stories we are telling at Changing Gears. It has taken a few … Continue reading
