What is the shadiest street stretch you have ever seen?

[SkahHigh]

I was doing some Streetview around Detroit and stumbled upon this beauty:

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4177...7i16384!8i8192

Just imagine how gloomy walking at night in that area is.

This made me think, what are some of the sketchiest stretches of street you have ever seen? It could be one you've seen in person, or Streetview, hometown or not, anything! I'm looking to see if anything can match Detroit's worst.

[iheartthed]

What is the douchiest premise for a thread you've ever seen?

[The North One]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

What is the douchiest premise for a thread you've ever seen?

Are you surprised?

People have a sick blight/ghetto fetish, it brings them morbid glee and fascination like animals in a zoo and they have no shame about it. Why do you think that charliebob loser on youtube gets so many clicks?

Anyway Detroit is really nowhere near the sketchiest city in the united states. Parts of Baltimore, New Orleans, St. Louis, south/west side Chicago neighborhoods are far sketchier.


Abandoned neighborhoods by white flight aren't really all that eventful (and if you're at all familiar with the lovely united states you'll know we have it in spades across the country) as said here about five times now. The "hoods" aren't really that eventful either. They're just people trying to live their damn lives. You'll find way more drugs and shady characters in wealthy white suburbia.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by The North One

Are you surprised?

People have a sick blight/ghetto fetish, it brings them morbid glee and fascination like animals in a zoo and they have no shame about it. Why do you think that charliebob loser on youtube gets so many clicks?

Anyway Detroit is really nowhere near the sketchiest city in the united states. Parts of Baltimore, New Orleans, St. Louis, south/west side Chicago neighborhoods are far sketchier.


Abandoned neighborhoods by white flight aren't really all that eventful (and if you're at all familiar with the lovely united states you'll know we have it in spades across the country) as said here about five times now. The "hoods" aren't really that eventful either. They're just people trying to live their damn lives. You'll find way more drugs and shady characters in wealthy white suburbia.

I don't think it's a coincidence that this thread was started by a Canadian, although yes it's also true that blighted/ghetto areas are also a focus of fascination for many Americans.

Like it or not, for Canadians (and also Europeans, Australians, etc.) these areas of U.S. cities have a "shock value" that can't be denied. We all have run-down areas in our cities but abandonment on this large a scale is just not something we're accustomed to seeing - especially not in one of the world's most developed countries.

It is what it is. What can I say.

Though I have to say in most of the classic (sic) blighted cities things have often improved a lot compared to what they were in the 80s and 90s when I was a kid. You can still usually get your ghetto porn fix (if that's your thing) but it's not as easy to find as it was back then.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by The North One

Are you surprised?

People have a sick blight/ghetto fetish, it brings them morbid glee and fascination like animals in a zoo and they have no shame about it. Why do you think that charliebob loser on youtube gets so many clicks?

Anyway Detroit is really nowhere near the sketchiest city in the united states. Parts of Baltimore, New Orleans, St. Louis, south/west side Chicago neighborhoods are far sketchier.


Abandoned neighborhoods by white flight aren't really all that eventful (and if you're at all familiar with the lovely united states you'll know we have it in spades across the country) as said here about five times now. The "hoods" aren't really that eventful either. They're just people trying to live their damn lives. You'll find way more drugs and shady characters in wealthy white suburbia.

I think sensible and reasonable people will realize that those cities have good sides to them. Good neighborhoods. But some don't, and its apparent. I don't think its appropriate to call that you tube channel guy a loser.. just because he showcases some of the worst hoods in the U.S.. Nothing wrong with folks wanting to see those type of areas from their PC or even if they drive to the areas just to see whats up.

Similar to how some won't venture into parts of South Africa, but are curious about certain areas that are "known" to be dangerous per capita.

In other words, we can't mask or hide reality. This is a big problem I have and can tell by some of the language used in other posts. Everyone wants to forget about reality, and suddenly, if something comes up that might showcase blight, folks suddenly get up in arms.

Now the comments on some of those videos, if you read some of the comments made, some are quite appalling, but others are genuine.

Everyone likes to play the racism card when talking about the despair of certain neighborhoods, and if you talk about it, your deemed a racist. I never understood this. What it sounds like to me is that some folks want to live in a bubble, and just talk about the happy stuff. I'm not saying you btw, I'm speaking in general.

Like me personally, I don't find this thread OP query offensive at all. Nor do I find the videos of a guy driving around certain areas, showcasing them, interviewing some of the locals offensive. On a side note, the guy who does those videos is black, so let's not get the idea that its some guy with an agenda.

Not everything is happiness and sunshine. Sometimes its good to acknowledge and study certain neighborhoods. If its to plan for life, debate, learn or just to feed curiosity.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I think sensible and reasonable people will realize that those cities have good sides to them. Good neighborhoods. But some don't, and its apparent. I don't think its appropriate to call that you tube channel guy a loser.. just because he showcases some of the worst hoods in the U.S.. Nothing wrong with folks wanting to see those type of areas from their PC or even if they drive to the areas just to see whats up.

Similar to how some won't venture into parts of South Africa, but are curious about certain areas that are "known" to be dangerous per capita.

In other words, we can't mask or hide reality. This is a big problem I have and can tell by some of the language used in other posts. Everyone wants to forget about reality, and suddenly, if something comes up that might showcase blight, folks suddenly get up in arms.

Now the comments on some of those videos, if you read some of the comments made, some are quite appalling, but others are genuine.

Everyone likes to play the racism card when talking about the despair of certain neighborhoods, and if you talk about it, your deemed a racist. I never understood this. What it sounds like to me is that some folks want to live in a bubble, and just talk about the happy stuff. I'm not saying you btw, I'm speaking in general.

Like me personally, I don't find this thread OP query offensive at all. Nor do I find the videos of a guy driving around certain areas, showcasing them, interviewing some of the locals offensive. On a side note, the guy who does those videos is black, so let's not get the idea that its some guy with an agenda.

Not everything is happiness and sunshine. Sometimes its good to acknowledge and study certain neighborhoods. If its to plan for life, debate, learn or just to feed curiosity.

I get what you're saying, and maybe somewhat agree but I'd like to point out a several things:

1 - These ruin porn fetishes are only interesting through the lens of a certain class of people, which tends to be westerners from a high socioeconomic status. And because of that, these discussions are always a rehash of classist, if not racist, diagnoses of what went wrong.

2 - Some people (actually many people), including the o/p, are confusing abandonment with "ghetto". That Detroit example is not a ghetto. It's a completely abandoned neighborhood that is the result of Detroit's long history of planning blunders and economic disasters. It more like Chernobyl, than Skid Row.

3 - Every one of these abandoned houses or lots is an example of some family's economic devastation (refer to point 2). I don't feel comfortable making light of that with some silly ass contest about finding the "shadiest" block in the western world.

[The North One]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I think sensible and reasonable people will realize that those cities have good sides to them. Good neighborhoods. But some don't, and its apparent. I don't think its appropriate to call that you tube channel guy a loser.. just because he showcases some of the worst hoods in the U.S.. Nothing wrong with folks wanting to see those type of areas from their PC or even if they drive to the areas just to see whats up.

Except literally every single one of his videos is full of racist/classiest vitriol. It is beyond disgusting yet he continues to run across the country filming and presenting "ghettos" for the entertainment of usually racist people like some sort of circus zoo, and profits from it all. It's not like he's trying to bring light to the issues people in these places face, his videos don't accomplish that.

It is reprehensible. Only shitty people participate in blight tourism and spread it. I guess I can't stop people from watching it, but at least use an ad blocker.

[SkahHigh]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

What is the douchiest premise for a thread you've ever seen?

So I have read all the exchanges between you and others regarding my original post on this thread...

What the hell is the problem with wanting to see rundown areas? They are a part of cities just like the nicer ones, no? On a website where we talk about cities and all it's components, shouldn't we be able to talk about it's uglier ones?

I'm not from the U.S and this is a phenomenon (rundown, bombed-out neighborhoods) which we're not familiar with in Canada. It intrigues me to see the worst of some urban components, because so often we are presented with the nicer ones, which is fine. Because of that, my thread is douchey? Come on...

It's been two days and this thread has garnered 130 responses, which means that people are interested by it and are engaging in a discussion regarding the subject.

Maybe my approach was a bit clumsy (calling Moenart Street a "beauty" - which is just me liking the gritty parts of cities), but overall, I don't think this thread deserves the hate it got from you. Heck, if you dont want to talk about the ugly side of America, that's fine. But please, don't come over here and rain on my parade. After all, people like talking about stuff that intrigues them. Talking about sketchy areas does not mean laughing at sketchy areas or the people living in them.

That being said, I hope you understand my point. I believe that on a forum dedicated to urbanity like SSP, we should be able to talk about all components of cities (as long as it's done respectfully) without being called out

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

What the hell is the problem with wanting to see rundown areas? They are a part of cities just like the nicer ones, no? On a website where we talk about cities and all it's components, shouldn't we be able to talk about it's uglier ones?

Because in the U.S., as has been noted, there's a strong racial dynamic to this.

Originally Posted by Razor

Seriously?

It felt pretty industrial to us.

Maybe we took a slightly different route..It was maybe a 5-10 minute walk.
I recall a walking past a park, or at least a squared off area with a bunch of park benches.

You may have walked along Federal Street, which is pretty desolate. Just a block to the north you hit the business district. A block further and it's nicer still. Not much in terms of commerce left, but the surviving buildings are are at least all in good shape.

This area is the nicest part of Camden.

I'd say this is the worst.

Originally Posted by mrnyc

no, there was a lot more to it than a decade and there was more than a narrow corridor of bx destruction.

funny enough i just saw this brand new documentary on that era last week:

http://metrograph.com/film/film/2055/decade-of-fire

it will probably turn up on pbs/netflix or the like.

One thing I've never understood about the level of blight the Bronx had is why it's so difficult to find the later infill. I mean, there are a few pockets like this, but it seems like unlike virtually every other city NYC decided to rebuild the ghetto in exactly the same density, and pretty much the same built form, as what was destroyed.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by eschaton

One thing I've never understood about the level of blight the Bronx had is why it's so difficult to find the later infill. I mean, there are a few pockets like this, but it seems like unlike virtually every other city NYC decided to rebuild the ghetto in exactly the same density, and pretty much the same built form, as what was destroyed.

You're wondering why the Bronx wasn't rebuilt in a suburban-style, like other cities? The Bronx is the second densest place in the U.S. Excepting that bizarre Charlotte St (which planners are already considering how to fix), almost all the post-decline infill is as dense or denser than the previous fabric.

A lot of those circa-1980 rubble pics are from a very small geography. When I first started exploring the Bronx in the mid-1990's, the abandonment was gone, but the bulky apartment buildings hadn't yet come. Now much of the South Bronx looks like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8303...7i16384!8i8192

[The North One]

Originally Posted by Crawford

You're wondering why the Bronx wasn't rebuilt in a suburban-style, like other cities?

Some of it it was actually, there are examples of bronx prairies that became detached suburban style homes.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Crawford

You're wondering why the Bronx wasn't rebuilt in a suburban-style, like other cities? The Bronx is the second densest place in the U.S. Excepting that bizarre Charlotte St (which planners are already considering how to fix), almost all the post-decline infill is as dense or denser than the previous fabric.

A lot of those circa-1980 rubble pics are from a very small geography. When I first started exploring the Bronx in the mid-1990's, the abandonment was gone, but the bulky apartment buildings hadn't yet come. Now much of the South Bronx looks like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8303...7i16384!8i8192

My point isn't just that they didn't rebuild at lower density, but that the building massing and setbacks are pretty similar to the historic buildings. Indeed, much more similar overall than the earlier "towers in the park" era, which sticks out like a sore thumb all over NYC.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

that said, chicago, overall, will be fine. we wouldn't have tower cranes littering the skyline with untold billions of dollars of development going on right now if there was serious concern that chicago was going to implode a la detroit.

banks don't invest billions of dollars in a given place without a healthy dose of due diligence.

as for the englewoods and north lawndales of chicago? yes, they are going to continue to struggle for a long while to come, just as much of detroit will.

Would a fair description of Chicago be a mini-Manhattan attached to St. Louis?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Because in the U.S., as has been noted, there's a strong racial dynamic to this.
.

I can appreciate that but the rest of the world won't always happily agree to be tied down by US racial dynamics. Even when discussing American cities.

I mean the racial discourse already crosses the border way too much. We have cities with BLM chapters that have no blacks. Barely exaggerating.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by eschaton

You may have walked along Federal Street, which is pretty desolate. Just a block to the north you hit the business district. A block further and it's nicer still. Not much in terms of commerce left, but the surviving buildings are are at least all in good shape.

This area is the nicest part of Camden.

I'd say this is the worst.

Yes ...It was a real desolate area, so it could of been Federal Street or near..Industrial was probably the wrong description..Desolate is more like it..Those buildings do sort of look familiar..It was the shortest walk from the Aquarium to the city bus station with a police precinct attached to it anyways..We can see the Ben Franklin bridge off to the left as we walked and at the bus terminal as well..It was definitely real sketchy..There was this white pick up truck with graffiti on the side that slowly drove by us, turned around the block and slowly drove by us again..Scoping us out, and I'm not making this stuff up!

[the urban politician]

This is just gonna be a rehashed "urban decay porn" kind of thread and, once again, Detroit will take most of the licks.

[mhays]

"Shady" would usually refer to trees.

[Hudson11]

Originally Posted by mhays

"Shady" would usually refer to trees.

haha, I was thinking the same when I clicked on the thread.

[chris08876]

Here it is:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7069...7i13312!8i6656

The shadiest people can be found on this street.

Lots of shady deals, lives have been made or ruined here. And within these office towers, many shady and unethical deals have been made.

Its a different kind of shady, not just urban decay. Can exist among the gold pillars.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Here it is:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7069...7i13312!8i6656

The shadiest people can be found on this street.

Lots of shady deals, lives have been made or ruined here. And within these office towers, many shady and unethical deals have been made.

Its a different kind of shady, not just urban decay. Can exist among the gold pillars.

Probably way more illicit drugs available on that street than on the abandoned block in Detroit, too.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Here it is:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7069...7i13312!8i6656

The shadiest people can be found on this street.

Lots of shady deals, lives have been made or ruined here. And within these office towers, many shady and unethical deals have been made.

Its a different kind of shady, not just urban decay. Can exist among the gold pillars.

Well if you're gonna go by that criteria why not suggest this one too?
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1057...4!8i8192?hl=en