Detroit Case Study

Question 1

What was Detroit known as?

Answer 1

‘Motor City’

Question 2

What did Detroit suffer from?

Answer 2

Lack of diversified industry

Question 3

What were the ‘Big 3’?

Answer 3

Ford, Chrysler, GM

Question 4

What did globalisation cause?

Answer 4

Increased mechanisation and competition (1970s)

Question 5

To where was GM production outsourced?

Answer 5

Mexico City

Question 6

How many people were arrested by the National Guard during the 1967 race riots?

Answer 6

7200

Question 7

How was the city segregated?

Answer 7

‘8-mile’ highway separated white and black communities

Question 8

How has regeneration recently been attempted in Detroit?

Answer 8

Regeneration of inner-city ‘Hudson’s Site’ - £1.4 billion mixed-use development completed in 2024

Question 9

What percentage of the population are African American?

Answer 9

75%

Question 10

When did the ‘Great Migration’ occur?

Answer 10

1916-1970

Question 11

When did the ‘White Flight’ occur?

Answer 11

1970-1980

Question 12

How many people left Detroit during the ‘White Flight’?

Answer 12

310,000 white residents

Question 13

How much was invested by the government for the revitalisation of the CBD?

Answer 13

$2.5 billion

Question 14

What was Detroit’s population in 1950?

Answer 14

1.85 million (5th largest US city)

Question 15

What was Detroit’s population in 2019?

Answer 15

650,000 (23rd largest US city)

Question 16

When did GM filed for bankruptcy?

Answer 16

2009

Question 17

When did Quicken Loans move its HQ to Detroit?

Answer 17

2010 (CEO - Dan Gilbert)

Question 18

How many jobs did Quicken Loans provide?

Answer 18

2010 - 1,700
2024 - 17,000

Question 19

When did the city declare bankruptcy?

Answer 19

2013

Question 20

How many buildings are abandoned in Detroit?

Answer 20

100,000

Question 21

What was the poverty rate in 2014?

Answer 21

38%

Question 22

What problems does Detroit’s scattered population cause?

Answer 22

• Expensive to maintain wide network of infrastructure due to large metropolitan limits
• Slow emergency service response time

Question 23

How much deficit is the city operating on?

Answer 23

$300 million deficit (below municipal sustainability)

Question 24

When was the ‘Detroit Future City’ plan developed?

Answer 24

2012 (By the mayor and Detroit Works)

Question 25

What is the ‘Detroit Future City’ plan?

Answer 25

A 50-year plan for sustainability

Question 26

What did Detroit host in 2006?

Answer 26

Super Bowl

Question 27

Why was the Super Bowl ineffective at rebranding Detroit?

Answer 27

• Wealth gap was widened
• Middle-class power in the suburbs increased as that is where most development occurred
• Encouraged status competition

Question 28

What is the most significant issue facing Detroit’s workforce?

Answer 28

A shortage of public service workers due to migration out of the city

Question 29

Why did competition increase in the automotive industry?

Answer 29

Consumers wanted a better fuel economy

Question 30

What are the terms used to describe urban decline in Detroit?

Answer 30

• Spiral of decline
• Cumulative causation

Question 31

What did decreased tax revenue lead to?

Answer 31

Decreased police funding and therefore increased crime