DOCSLIB.ORG

Newsletterchallenge

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Newsletterchallenge le M odernization Science News letter Vol.4, No. 2 June 2014 FROM URBANIZATION TO URBAN Special Papers DECAY: THE PROBLEMS OF FROM URBANIZATION TO URBAN DECAY: THE PROBLEMS OF MODERNIZATION, URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION： MODERNIZATION, URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION：THE THE CASE OF DETROIT CASE OF DETROIT …………………………… Jin Feng 2 Jin Feng MODERNIZATION AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE 20TH Lawrence Technology University, USA CENTURY: THE CASE OF ROMANIA……… Catalin Turliuc 11 Modernization, as a process, is usually related to Books…………………………………………………… 23 the processes of urbanization and industrialization. As Kendall (2007) points out, "Urbanization accompanied Papers…………………………………………………… 24 modernization and the rapid process of Sponsor industrialization." The modernization of the developed China Center for Modernization Research country through urbanization, industrialization, and Chinese Academy of Sciences economic policy has benefited these countries Editor‐in‐Chief economically. However these places, more or less, have Chuanqi He (E-mail: [email protected]) also experienced problems that include the growing Editor disparity between the rich and poor, the urban sprawl, Xiaomei Bi (E-mail: [email protected]) the urban center decline, and ecological issues. And along with the development of industrial Contact modernization, the urban population will increase or Email: [email protected] decrease as the relocation of industrial and commercial http://www.modernization.com.cn/Index2.htm investments, associated with urban planning policy. Tel: 8610-62539187, Fax: 8610-62539103 The city of Detroit in the United States is an extreme Address example of the urban problems in the developed world. Room 726, No.33, Beisihuanxilu Zhongguancun, Beijing ……………… PR China, 100190 Continued on p.2. Modernization has been a worldwide phenomenon since 18 th century approximately, and modernization science is an interdisciplinary one dealing with this phenomena. To promote the practice and study on Modernization Science, is both of the opportunity M.S.and Newsletterchallenge. To join the List of MSN, easy and free,1 just e-mail to us, then you willJune receive 2014 MSN continually. Special FROM URBANIZATION TO URBAN DECAY: THE PROBLEMS OF MODERNIZATION, URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION —— THE CASE OF DETROIT Jin Feng Lawrence Technology University, USA Modernization, as a process, is usually related to the processes of urbanization and industrialization. As Kendall (2007) points out, "Urbanization accompanied modernization and the rapid process of industrialization." The modernization of the developed country through urbanization, industrialization, and economic policy has benefited these countries economically. However these places, more or less, have also experienced problems that include the growing disparity between the rich and poor, the urban sprawl, the urban center decline, and ecological issues. And along with the development of industrial modernization, the urban population will increase or decrease as the relocation of industrial and commercial investments, associated with urban planning policy. The city of Detroit in the United States is an extreme example of the urban problems in the developed world. As the capital of the American automotive industry, it enjoyed the economic and cultural development and prosperity, and suffered the most traumatic urban decline and decay. This article will exam the issue of urban decay in the city of Detroit, in order to help us to understand the pitfalls in the process of modernization and urbanization, and avoid similar problems in our cities. 1. The Historical Origin Detroit is located in Southeast Michigan. The Great Lakes provided for the early development of waterway transportation, while the original statewide primeval forest provided natural resources for the early economic development. Historically, the Civic Center in downtown Detroit started as trading post and grew into a frontier military station due to its strategic location. In 1837, when Michigan was admitted to the Union as the twenty-sixth state, Detroit was the largest city and economic center of Michigan. 2. Industrialization and Urbanization With the dawning of the Industrial Age, new products surfaced, and the manufacture of stove M.S. Newsletter 2 June 2014 and kitchen ranges became Detroit's leading industry. With the population rapidly multiplying, communities and businesses were prospering. Ford Motor Company was established in 1903, and the introduction of the assembly line revolutionized the auto industry. Henry Ford and other motor pioneers, William C. Durant, the Dodge brothers, Packard, and Walter Chrysler let the world believed that Detroit put America on wheels. In 1908, a passenger car known as Model T was produced in the Ford Motor Company. (Figure 1) This event can be seen as one of the most important historical events in modern time, or even in the history of human civilization, because the use of assembly line marked the beginning of a time of mass-production of industrial products. Henry Ford’s Model T initiated the world's first large-scale production line, thus increasing production efficiency, and accordingly making the car into public life possible. Therefore, we can say that Ford's Model T represents a new advanced mode of production and is the cornerstone of modern life. Understanding the relationship between production and demand, Ford increased the workers’ wages to make it possible for them to own cars. The five dollar daily wage of Ford Motor Company almost doubled the national average pay of that time. This initiative created a new corporate culture, attracting more people to seek job opportunities in Detroit, and also further brought prosperity to the city of Detroit. Detroit has become the world's automotive capital. Figure 1. Henry Ford and Model T1 During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the city's Gilded Age mansions and buildings arose. Detroit was referred to as the Paris of the West for its architecture, and also for the electrically illuminated Washington Boulevard.2 The rise of the automotive industry led the 1 http://www.solarnavigator.net/automotive_directory/car_images/ford_model_t_henry.jpg 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit June 28, 2013 M.S. Newsletter 3 June 2014 development of urban construction. For instance, the magnificent Cadillac Hotel, built in 1924, reflects the golden age of the scene in Detroit. (Figure 2) During World War II, Detroit played a key role as the nation's "Arsenal of Democracy." Economic growth during the mid-1940s placed Detroit at the forefront of the nation's industrial fields, including salt products, electric refrigeration, seeds, adding machines, stove manufacturing, and of course, automobiles. The world's first urban freeway system below ground level was constructed during this period in Detroit. Industry urged growth during the first half of the 20th century as the city drew tens of thousands of new residents, particularly workers from the Southern states, to become the fourth largest city in the United States. In turn, the city engineers designed a massive freeway system to transport the products of the automobile industry.3 Figure 2. Cadillac Hotel, 1924 3. Decentralization and Suburbanization With the growing of the workforce in the automotive industry, the power of the labor union grew as well. While centralized large-scale industrial production could be very efficient, the system became vulnerable to labor strikes that would give the union too much power. The automotive companies began to decentralize from their city center locations to the suburbs.4 Thereafter, the city's middle-income population began to shift to more suburban locales, and the nation's first shopping mall, Northland Mall, opened in Southfield, a suburban city northeast of downtown Detroit, in 1954. It was the harbinger of the new suburban lifestyle. Large indoor shopping center has become the center of life in the suburbs, while the city center and people's lives gradually lost connection. 3 See website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit June 28, 2013 4 Sugrue, Thomas J. “From Motor City to Motor Metropolis: How the Automobile Industry Reshaped Urban America” http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Overview/R_Overview4.htm. Retrieved June 27, 2013 M.S. Newsletter 4 June 2014 Packard Automotive Plant is a good example showing how a landmark motor plant in the city that had symbolized the glory time of the motor city became abandoned. The plant, with a floor area of 3,500,000-square-foot (325,000 m2), was designed by Albert Kahn, a famous architect, and is located on over 40 acres (0.142 km2) of land on East Grand Boulevard on the city's east side. (Figure 3) It included the first use of reinforced concrete for industrial construction in Detroit.5 The plant was opened in 1903 and at the time was the most modern automobile manufacturing facility. However, the factory complex was closed in 1958, though other businesses operated on the premises or used it for storage until the late 1990s. The popularity of cars changed people's lives, and also changed the city. The Hudson department store, built in 1911 in the central area of the city of Detroit, was closed down in 1983 and it was eventually demolished by implosion in 1998, and it is now ironically a parking garage. (Figure 4)This is related to the construction of a Hudson store in 1954 in Southfield. The suburban store has a large area of parking and is clearly designed for a significantly different lifestyle dependent of cars. The new store location reflected the tendencies of suburbanization. The automobiles and the system of freeways that made suburbanization into reality, and the city's suburbanization made the city center population decline, resulting in the urban decay in the city of Detroit. The final closure of the Hudson department store in downtown Detroit reflects the decline of the downtown area. It symbolizes of the rise and fall of the downtown area. The downtown Hudson department store prospered with the rise of automotive industry, but also lost its vitality because of cars produced by the automotive industry.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 4 Eloadas Modern Haboruk
    MUNKAHELYEK ÉPÍTÉSZETE 1. 4. előadás Modern „háborúk” – új igények: kényszerek és kísérletek Prof. Vasáros Zsolt DLA, építész, tanszékvezető egyetemi tanár BME Építészmérnöki Kar // Ipari és Mezőgazdasági Épülettervezési Tanszék Az előadások témakörei: 1. Bevezetés. Az (építő)anyag természete. Tapasztalat, tudás, kísérlet, kudarc és siker. 2. Anyag, szerkezet és forma. Összefüggések térben és időben. 3. Forradalmak és ipari forradalmak. Emberek és gépek. 4. Modern „háborúk” – új igények: kényszerek és kísérletek. 5. Az ember és a munka tere. Változó igények. 6. Tér és szerkezet: nagy, „okos”, gazdaságos. 7. Fény, levegő, hőmérséklet, szín, tér, anyag. A részletek fontossága. 8. Mindig változik? A technológia és a térbeli flexibilitás kérdései. 9. Jó munkahely - rossz munkahely: komfort, design, igény, presztízs. 10. A jelen és a jövő munkahelye. High-tech és low-tech építészet. 11. Lejárt az ideje! Menthető, bontandó, vagy újragondolható? Összefoglalás Prof. Vasáros Zsolt DLA építész, tanszékvezető egyetemi tanár /// BME Építészmérnöki Kar /// IPARTANSZÉK /// Munkahelyek építészete 1_5. előadás /// Az ember és a munka tere. Változó igények A 2017-2018-as tanévtől a Munkahelyek építészete 1. tantárgy előadássorozata megújult tematikával kerül bemutatásra. Az előadó az előadásokhoz különböző mértékben felhasználta Dobai János DLA egyetemi docens 2008-2017 között tartott előadásainak tartalmi elemeit és a képanyagát is, Dobai tanárurat köszönet illeti a tantárgy tematikájának fejlesztéséért. Az előadások képanyaga részben a korábbi előadásokból, illetve különböző forrásokból származik, ezek oktatási célú használatát, bemutatását a vonatkozó jogszabályok lehetővé teszik. Jelen előadás letöltése a vizsgára való felkészülést segíti, továbbadása, nyilvános, üzleti vagy oktatási célú bemutatása a Szerző(k) engedélye, beleegyezése nélkül tilos! Kapcsolódó tematikus áttekintés, szakirodalom: Lázár Antal: 1. Ipari munkahelyek. 1.1 Történeti visszatekintés.
    [Show full text]
  • Vw Credit Leasing Address for Lien Holder
    Vw Credit Leasing Address For Lien Holder Sleeky and compony Averill begrudging while Kuwaiti Marlowe clatters her dress linearly and locoes unconditionally. Damon decoding his indurate.man-day symbolising deliciously, but prepaid Uriel never abstracts so distinctively. Noach canalise her shags introductorily, unshaded and Vw credit or more on the related indenture trustee will be carried with all acts which covers the address for a successor trustee. View customer complaints of O'Meara Volkswagen of Thornton BBB helps resolve. The soft drink industry véhicule appartient entièrement le véhicule vous appartient entièrement le paiement vw. They can take your vw credit leasing address for lien holder could not be restrictions on transactions. Please feel sure express your lien holder is not VW Credit that all information provided. Lien Holder Roster Iowa Independent Automobile Dealers. GM Financial Wikipedia. The credit leasing term, the underwriters are selling the. Fair The Used Car Leasing Platform. Her work with our relationship among other matters concerning their business, because a lien for holder could have no assurance that purchased securities commission nor any contact info. Paperless titles are issued only contribute an electronic lienholder is recording. Sales inquiry Service inquiry Change of ownershipaddress Reimbursement Requests Warranty inquiry Import Export. Financial institutions leasing companies or businesses located outside the state capital are. London time may suffer a lien holder could result, or any accidents it in general motors financial. HVCU vehicle refinances vintage vehicles and leases are not tame for kind offer. Since owners who decide not respected as holder or a deficiency judgment is about crédit vw.
    [Show full text]
  • Pioneers of Sustainable Mobility. Annual Report 2009
    Pioneers of Sustainable Mobility. Annual Report 2009. Key Figures Daimler Group 2009 20082007 09/08 Amounts in millions of € % change Revenue 78,924 98,469 101,569 -20 1 Western Europe 36,458 46,276 49,753 -21 thereof Germany 18,788 21,832 22,582 -14 NAFTA 19,380 23,243 25,136 -17 thereof United States 16,569 19,956 21,846 -17 Asia 12,435 13,840 11,918 -10 thereof China 4,349 3,226 1,951 +35 Other markets 10,651 15,110 14,762 -30 Employees (December 31) 256,407 273,216 272,382 -6 Investment in property, plant and equipment 2,423 3,559 2,927 -32 Research and development expenditure 4,181 4,442 4,148 -6 thereof capitalized 1,285 1,387 990 -7 Cash provided by (used for) operating activities (including discontinued operations) 10,961 (786) 7,146 . EBIT (1,513) 2,730 8,710 . Value added (including discontinued operations) (4,644) (1,147) 1,380 . Net profit (loss) (2,644) 1,414 3,985 . Net profit (loss) from continuing operations (2,644) 1,704 4,855 . Earnings (loss) per share (in €) (2.63) 1.41 3.83 . Earnings (loss) per share, continuing operations (in €) (2.63) 1.71 4.67 . Total dividend 0 556 1,928 . Dividend per share (in €) 0.00 0.60 2.00 . 1 Adjusted for the effects of currency translation and changes in the consolidated group, decrease in revenue of 21%. With the B-Class F-CELL, Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first manufacturer to put a fuel-cell car on the road that was produced under series conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • TICCIH Bulletin Number 66, 4Th Quarter 2014
    Number 66 Passing of Louis Bergeron (1929-2014) 4th quarter, 2014 Contents Report • Art on a coal mine: the new Silesian Museum, Dr Anna Sulimowska-Ociepka Dear TICCIH Members, Worldwide It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of our • Notes from Detroit: can the Packard Plant rise esteemed colleague and leader Professor Louis Bergeron on the again? Miriam Kelly evening of October 9, following one month of illness. His influ- ence and prolific work in defining the field of Industrial Heritage • New historic dockyard museum, Falkland Islands is known not only in France, but also around the world. Among • The Oil Island at Ängelsberg - the world’s oldest his many achievements was his leadership of TICCIH as President refinery, Lars M. Larsson during the critical period from 1990-2000. A more thorough statement about his life and career will be prepared for publica- • The landscape of the Minas de Río Tinto, Spain tion in due time. Eusebi Casanelles Sincerely, Patrick Martin TICCIH Congress XIV LILLE-REGION 2015 • A city-wide promotion of the industrial heritage: Opinion Elbeuf-sur-Seine (Seine-Maritime), Geneviève Dufresne Adaptive re-use of the cloud James Douet Modern industrial museums • Petr Kožíšek, Head of the Road and Water The cloud is among the most misleading metaphors that market- Transport Department at the National Technical ing has ever created. There is nothing airy or intangible about the Museum of the Czech Republic, Prague remote service centers that hold our photos, shared documents, emails and digital music. The insatiable thirst for storing digital • The Museum of Geothermal Energy - Italy information has created a major heavy industry, its centres in Dr Simona Politini, many ways not much different from the great warehouses of the age of manufacturing.
    [Show full text]
  • Innovation for Sustainable Mobility Annual Report 2008 Key Figures
    Innovation for Sustainable Mobility Annual Report 2008 Key Figures Daimler Group 2008 20072006 08/07 Amounts in millions of € Change in % Revenue 95,873 99,399 99,222 -41 Western Europe 45,916 49,289 46,999 -7 thereof Germany 21,817 22,582 21,652 -3 NAFTA 21,139 23,499 27,857 -10 thereof United States 17,922 20,270 24,943 -12 Other markets 28,818 26,611 24,366 +8 Employees (Dec. 31) 273,216 272,382 274,024 +0 Investment in property, plant and equipment 3,559 2,927 3,005 +22 Research and development expenditure 4,442 4,148 3,733 +7 thereof capitalized 1,387 990 715 +40 Cash provided by operating activities (including discontinued operations) 3,205 13,088 14,337 -76 EBIT 2,730 8,710 4,992 -69 Value added (including discontinued operations) (1,147) 1,380 631 . Net profit 1,414 3,985 3,783 -65 Net profit from continuing operations 1,704 4,855 3,166 -65 Earnings per share (in €) 1.41 3.83 3.66 -63 Earnings per share, continuing operations (in €) 1.71 4.67 3.06 -63 Total dividend 556 1,928 1,542 -71 Dividend per share (in €) 0.60 2.00 1.50 -70 1 Adjusted for the effects of currency translation and changes in the consolidated group, decrease in revenue of 1%. Cover: Mercedes-Benz showed the way ahead in environmentally responsible electro-mobility in January 2009 by presenting its near-series Concept BlueZERO at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
    [Show full text]
  • 100Th Anniversary National Press Release Tom Approved
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Jennifer Beidle 314-607-9459 [email protected] St. Louis-based Western Waterproofing Company Celebrating 100th Anniversary with New Name, Brand and Logo (St. Louis, MO, May 17, 2015) - The year was 1915, and the President of the United States was Woodrow Wilson. Gasoline was 19 cents per gallon, and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one in the World Series. America was facing uncertain times as it was being drawn into a war waging in Europe that would inevitably become World War I. Against the odds, entrepreneurs Ben Many and his brother-in-law George Bishop, Sr. started a fledgling basement waterproofing business in St. Louis, MO that they named the Western Waterproofing Company. A century later, that company would grow to become the nation's largest specialty contractor in building restoration and preservation. Owned and operated by third generation family members, Western celebrated its momentous 100th Anniversary on May 16 with an extravagant cocktail reception and gala at the historic St. Louis Union Station in Downtown St. Louis. To mark the occasion, Western unveiled its new name, logo and tagline to the nation. Today, Western and its 30+ branches and member companies, which had been doing business under their original names (Western Waterproofing Company, Brisk Waterproofing, Peoria Roofing, Western Facades and Harry S. Peterson Co.), will be known as Western Specialty Contractors - Confidence Through Performance. "In the past, Western was mainly perceived as a waterproofing company due to its extensive experience in waterproofing. But as Western evolved over its 100-year-history and branched out, we want to increase awareness of a larger breadth of services to a wider variety of industries that current and potential customers may not necessarily be aware of.
    [Show full text]
  • DETROIT, Michigan (MI): an Abstract
    DETROIT, Michigan (MI): An Abstract Detroit is a significant case study of urban decline. To understand the fundamental issues in Detroit one must understand the symptoms of urban decay. Urban Decay is the process in which a functioning city, falls into disrepair; its major symptoms are de-industrialization, depopulation, restructuring, abandoned buildings, high local unemployment, fragmented families, political disenfranchisement, crime, and desolate, inhospitable city landscape.1 Detroit’s urban decay, (as with many other cities afflicted with urban decay) has no single cause, rather it was the result of inter-related socio-economic conditions to include: urban planning decisions, poverty and its causes among local populace, construction of freeways and rail lines that by-pass afflicted areas, de-population by suburbanization and real estate neighborhood redlining, among others.1 In addition to these issues, other symptoms unique to Detroit that further exasperated its urban decay, included: significant and intense racial tensions (including two race riots 1943, 1967), extreme corruption and mismanagement, and Detroit’s inability to severe its economic ties to the auto industry. The decline of Detroit wasn’t one thing over another, rather it was a lethal cocktail that brought the economic powerhouse of a city to its knees. In examining the City of Detroit during our Field Studies Program, we should: (1) evaluate how enduring philosophical, historical and contemporary issues contribute to the current state of the city; (2) aim to understand how the environment presents a strategic challenges to governance and planning for the city; (3) seek to understand and think critically about how the strategic thinking, planning and decision- making of federal, state and local leaders in response to the urban crisis affect the lives of its citizens; and (4) understand how the use of resources and strategic planning will aid in the re-building of a failed city.
    [Show full text]
  • Detroit's Sport Spaces and the Rhetoric of Consumption Anthony C
    Wayne State University Wayne State University Dissertations 1-1-2015 Detroit's Sport Spaces And The Rhetoric Of Consumption Anthony C. Cavaiani Wayne State University, Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations Part of the Communication Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Recommended Citation Cavaiani, Anthony C., "Detroit's Sport Spaces And The Rhetoric Of Consumption" (2015). Wayne State University Dissertations. Paper 1307. This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Wayne State University Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. DETROIT’S SPORT SPACES AND THE RHETORIC OF CONSUMPTION by ANTHONY CAVAIANI DISSERTATION Submitted to the Graduate School of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2015 MAJOR: COMMUNICATION Approved by: __________________________________ Advisor Date __________________________________ Date __________________________________ Date __________________________________ Date DEDICATION For Detroit, stay strong ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have to begin by thanking my parents, Fred and Alice Cavaiani. Their unwavering support throughout this process has been unshakable. I would not have reached completion of this dissertation without them. Their persistent encouragement and love has helped me grow as a person, teacher, and scholar. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They are the bedrock upon which I stand. Thank you to Dr. Kelly Young, my dissertation advisor. Kelly has helped me transition from a graduate student who was curious about everything, to a student with a clear focus, and to a scholar that thoroughly enjoys what I do.
    [Show full text]
  • Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(F) Evaluation August 2019
    Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Evaluation August 2019 Prepared for the I-94 Modernization Project in Detroit from I-96 to Conner Avenue FHWA-MI-EIS-01-01-S1 I-94 Modernization Project in the City of Detroit Wayne County, Michigan DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND DRAFT SECTION 4(F) EVALUATION Submitted Pursuant to 42 USC 4332(2)(C) and CEQ Regulations (40CFR 1500 (et seq.)) by the: U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and Michigan Department of Transportation Cooperating Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Date of Approval Russell Jorgenson Division Administrator Federal Highway Administration This document describes the social, economic and natural environmental impacts associated with the modernization of approximately 6.7 miles of Interstate freeway (I-94) in the city of Detroit, Michigan between I-96 and Conner Avenue (Project). Improvements include adding a travel lane in each direction, modernizing system and service interchanges, reconstructing bridges crossing over the freeway, and changing existing service drives to maximize efficiencies of the connected local travel patterns. This document includes a summary of the planning basis and of the impacts associated with the proposed Project and the process involved in determining the preferred alternative. Proposed mitigation measures are also included. After circulation of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS), and consideration of the comments received, the Federal
    [Show full text]
  • Case 4 DAIMLER CHRYSLER and the WORLD AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY
    Case 4 DAIMLER CHRYSLER AND THE WORLD AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY* T HE M ERGER The merger between Daimler Benz and Chrysler Corporation announced in May 1998 was the biggest industrial merger in history. It created the world’s third largest automotive company (after GM and Ford) with 421,000 employees worldwide and sales of over $130 billion.1 The prospects for the merger looked good. Because of the two companies’ complementary product ranges, regional concentrations, and capabilities, its logic was acclaimed by both investors and auto industry analysts. The extent of the companies’ pre-merger and post-merger planning by the two companies was also unusual. Under the vision of “one company, one vision, one chairman, two cultures,” the merged company establis hed an elaborate structure of joint Chrysler-Daimler integration teams which began work on reconciling and integrating almost every aspect of the two companies development, technology, operations, and marketing with a view to achieving the $3 billion in cost savings that the merger anticipated. Within a year, however, the merger had run into trouble. The rapid exodus of Chrysler’s senior managers made it clear that the deal was not so much a merger of equals as a German takeover. Despite the efforts of the post-merger integration teams, few of the anticipated cost savings had been realized. Most serious was the rapidly deteriorating performance of Chrysler. With its dominance in the once-lucrative sport-utility and minivan sectors eroding, and a dearth of new product, revenues and profits sagged during 2000. By September 2000, Daimler-Chrysler’s share price had almost halved from its post-merger high, and Chrysler’s losses for the second half of the year were forecast to reach $700 million.
    [Show full text]
  • A Dutch Urban Geography Field Trip to the Motor City
    Belgeo 2 (2013) Excursions et travail de terrain en géographie ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Brian Doucet Four Days in Detroit: a Dutch urban geography field trip to the Motor City ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Avertissement Le contenu de ce site relève de la législation française sur la propriété intellectuelle et est la propriété exclusive de l'éditeur. Les œuvres figurant sur ce site peuvent être consultées et reproduites sur un support papier ou numérique sous réserve qu'elles soient strictement réservées à un usage soit personnel, soit scientifique ou pédagogique excluant toute exploitation commerciale. La reproduction devra obligatoirement mentionner l'éditeur, le nom de la revue, l'auteur et la référence du document. Toute autre reproduction est interdite sauf accord préalable de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Revues.org est un portail de revues en sciences humaines et sociales développé par le Cléo, Centre pour l'édition électronique ouverte (CNRS, EHESS, UP, UAPV). ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Why Detroit Matters – Lessons and Visions
    why detroit matters – lessons and visions Simplistic narratives of Detroit as an urban failure or as a ‘comeback city’ are equally problematic, says Brian Doucet; but while the city may be an extreme example of many of the challenges facing cities around the world, its experiences – and particularly the pioneering initiatives of its people – also offer hope Pictures Brian Doucet (unless otherwisePictures stated) Heading into Downtown Detroit For several years I have taken Dutch university There are an estimated 90,000 vacant buildings in students to Detroit. I never have to work very hard the city. My students come to Detroit wanting to to sell the trip to them. Detroit. The very word see them. I take them there because I want to evokes powerful images and strong meanings, challenge them to look beyond them. especially to those who study cities. While Detroit Detroit attracts more than its share of visitors is known for its cars and its music, it is perhaps who come to see these ruins for themselves. Most most famous for being a symbol of urban failure. head straight for the city and some of its infamous Town & Country Planning March 2017 97 Michael J Doucet Michael Gratiot Avenue in Roseville, one of Detroit’s north eastern suburbs (above), and a few miles further south, in the City of Detroit (below) landmarks: Michigan Central Station – an 18-story When we cross the famous 8 Mile Road and shell of a building that has not seen a train depart enter into the City of Detroit, the students watch, from it since 1988; or the Packard Automotive Plant as virtually all of what they think they know about – which was the largest factory in the world when cities literally crumbles right before their eyes.
    [Show full text]