Above Metro Detroit

[LMich]

I've never seen such an extensive aerial tour. You literally got almost every major center of business in the metropolitan area. I mean, you've got Hamtramck in there, Dearborn, Mt. Clemens, Pontiac...hell, I was surprised you missed Ann Arbor as much as you got around up there.

My favorites:

The thread just kind of reminds you of how much a legitimate metropolis Detroit is. A little bit of everything, everywhere, despite the struggles.

[whatsthepoint13]

One of the best aerial threads I've seen in a very long time. I don't know what it is, but there's something very special about my city. Anyway thanks, you did a stellar job.

[plinko]

I'm really trying to decide how to explain how great I think this thread is, but I just can't. Damn. D!

[Sekkle]

fantastic set!

[Steely Dan]

thorough and comprehensive. thanks for this amazing tour from the sky!

[mousquet]

HA! when sir Helicopter and miss Camera meet up in the air above a nice looking subject...





Same viewpoint but the 2nd picture was taken in 1942 from the Maccabees Building that we can see in the foreground of the 1st photo. There was a tram back then on Woodward... And downtown skyline was likely amongst the 3 biggest in the world owing to the 1910-20's tremendous industrial growth. It'd be interesting to see some pictures of Chicago and NYC in the same period. I had found that old photo in Wiki's article about Woodward.

[giovanni sasso]

holy crap. i feel like i was just flying with god, and for some fucking reason we went to detroit. incredible series, mate. i hope you've blown a bunch of these up for your living room.

tons and tons of great shots -- incredibly thorough. i really like the ones of the suburban mcmansions, woodward ave, distant skyline, and especially the trailer park circle courts.

[The North One]

Should have went through Bloomfield hills and Birmingham so we could see all the mansions!

Great thread anyway.

[Blitz]

sweet Jebus

[c@taract_soulj@h]

You captured Motown very very, very well!

Much thanks for this thread

[pip]

wow that was great!

[jowens]

Amazing thread! Love the positive energy that's happening in Detroit. Clevelumbus, noticed very light traffic count on the freeways, streets and parking lots in the inner city. Was these photos taken during a holiday or Sunday? Hopefully this question wont bring out the trolls!

[fishrose]

Originally Posted by jowens

Amazing thread! Love the positive energy that's happening in Detroit. Clevelumbus, noticed very light traffic count on the freeways, streets and parking lots in the inner city. Was these photos taken during a holiday or Sunday? Hopefully this question wont bring out the trolls!

I remember a helicopter making multiple low passes over my neighborhood two or three weeks ago... it was after the morning rush hour but before noon, IIRC. If that was Clevelumbus, the roads are pretty clear around that time.

[pdxtex]

kaahbam..........aint no party like a dee-troit party. nice job. detroit looks massive, aggressive and ready for business. not sure what kind of business though! for a city that has not seen a skyscraper built in 30ish years, its still massive as hell. awesome.

[Clevelumbus]

Originally Posted by fishrose

I remember a helicopter making multiple low passes over my neighborhood two or three weeks ago... it was after the morning rush hour but before noon, IIRC. If that was Clevelumbus, the roads are pretty clear around that time.

Originally Posted by jowens

Amazing thread! Love the positive energy that's happening in Detroit. Clevelumbus, noticed very light traffic count on the freeways, streets and parking lots in the inner city. Was these photos taken during a holiday or Sunday? Hopefully this question wont bring out the trolls!

The majority of the pictures were taken over the weekend. While I wasn't there until a couple of weeks ago, you may have very well seen the other crew. We've been in Michigan over the past couple of months mapping transmission lines across the state.

[DecoJim]

Great set, perhaps topping that KC guy's "Above Detroit"!

Quite a contrast between the decimated old neighborhoods, some with many vacant lots and the McMansion filled suburbs.

That one distant shot of the "New center" makes the Fisher Building look rather sinister, there must have been only one cloud in the sky, directly above the Fisher.

A couple of shots of the near west side show what looks like the old Cass Tech High School being torn down.

Originally Posted by pdxtex

detroit looks massive, aggressive and ready for business. not sure what kind of business though!

General Motors is still alive and kicking after its near-death experience in 2009, racking up about $2.5 billion in profits for the 2nd quarter! Ford, just to the west of the city in Dearborn, is doing quite well.

Originally Posted by pdxtex

for a city that has not seen a skyscraper built in 30ish years, its still massive as hell. awesome.

I get your drift, but for the record, Comerica Tower, Detroit's 2nd tallest skyscraper, was built in 1993, "only" 18 years ago!

[CRE8IVEDESTRUCTION]

[QUOTE=giovanni sasso;5367695][color=navy]holy crap. i feel like i was just flying with god, and for some fucking reason we went to detroit. incredible series, mate. i hope you've blown a bunch of these up for your living room.

^^^
Good stuff in this thread. Can't believe how vacant some of these highways look.

[hudkina]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

kaahbam..........aint no party like a dee-troit party. nice job. detroit looks massive, aggressive and ready for business. not sure what kind of business though! for a city that has not seen a skyscraper built in 30ish years, its still massive as hell. awesome.

I guess depending on how you define a skyscraper, the last one was completed in 2009 and that was the Greektown Casino Hotel @ 348 ft:

Downtown, Detroit, Michigan by hudkina, on Flickr

I would say that's relatively recent, especially considering that the last time Portland built anything taller was way back in 2000.

Major buildings built in the city since 1981:

Greektown Casino Hotel - 2009 - 348 ft
MotorCity Casino Hotel - 2007 - 273 ft
MGM Grand Detroit - 2007 - 216 ft
One Kennedy Square - 2006 - 184 ft
The Towers - 2005 - 123 ft
Cass Tech - 2005 - 122 ft
Hilton Garden Inn - 2004 - 120 ft
Compuware Building - 2003 - 232 ft
IRS Building - 1996 - 128 ft
University Towers - 1995 - 120 ft
One Detroit Center - 1993 - 619 ft
Riverfront Towers 100 - 1991 - 257 ft
150 W Jefferson - 1989 - 455 ft
Harbortown Spinaker Tower - 1988 - 190 ft
Harbortown Great Lakes Tower - 1988 - 164 ft
Millender Center Apts - 1985 - 332 ft
Williams Pavillion Apts - 1984 - ~150 ft
Courtyard by Marriott - 1984 - 222 ft
Baird Detention Facility - 1984 - ~150 ft
Riverfront Towers 200 - 1983 - 305 ft
Riverfront Towers 300 - 1983 - 305 ft
Village Center Apts - 1983 - 140 ft
Plymouth Square Apts - 1982 - 140 ft
Sheridan Place I - 1982 - ~120 ft
Renaissance Center 500 - 1981 - 339 ft
Renaissance Center 600 - 1981 - 339 ft
Washington Square Apts - 1981 - 265 ft
Cambridge Towers - 1981 - 140 ft
Sheridan Place II - 1981 - ~120 ft

While that may seem pitiful compared to most cities that matured primarily in the post-modern era, it's not as if the city is completely lacking of new architecture.

[Onn]

Detroit is so beautiful from the air! I always thought our skyline wasn't as impressive as some of the other Midwest states, guess I was wrong.

The freeways can be very empty during the day, remember Detorit's poplatuion's been gutted and the downtown is still at a disadvantage. But there's still plenty to see and do, the suburbs are full of life.

[detroitmetro101]

i think america needs to see this thread, and see why saving detroit is a benefit to the country. the most impressive part of these pictures are the factories. manufacturing should be essantial in economic policy.