Google Street View shows us the unfortunate state of Detroit's residential neighborhood after the 2008 financial crisis that affected the global economy.
Alex Alsup of Detroit-based LOVELAND Technologies analyzes the property data of Detroit and has now mapped the deteriorating condition of the city in pictures. Alsup thinks that Detroit was already in a rough state for many years. However, the 2008 financial crisis hit the city really hard.
The property prices in Detroit were declining at a steady pace and property tax remained intact. The city's services as well as infrastructure were already declining prior to the 2008 financial crisis. However, after 2008, many people who were unable to pay taxes and sell their property started abandoning their homes.
Alsup says that the city faced over 70,000 tax foreclosures after 2008. The condition of the city has deteriorated so much that properties are now sold at auction for as low as $500. A large number of properties remain unsold and many have been destroyed.
"The financial crisis probably served as the last push to tip a lot of Detroit properties and property owners over the edge. Detroit has some of the highest property taxes relative to the value of homes in the nation," says Alsup on his blog GooBing Detroit.
Alsup's GooBing Detroit blog, which is a Tumblr blog, compares pictures from Google's Street View Time Machine feature and shows the condition of the houses when they were habited by residents and how they have gone down in shambles in the last few years.
Most of the buildings and the neighborhoods looked in good condition prior to 2008. However, the images captured after 2008 tells a completely different story of the city. Garbage piles, burnt-down ruins and graffiti on walls are regular features in the once scenic neighborhoods.
The condition of the city was such that Detroit filed for bankruptcy in 2013 with $18 billion debt. Detroit became the largest city in the U.S. that filed for bankruptcy. The pitiful condition of the city made around 100,000 creditors fear that they will never be paid.
The White House has already started a Blight Task Force for Detroit that plans to "remove every 'blighted' residential structure, commercial structure and public building, and clear every blighted vacant lot in the city of Detroit as quickly as possible using an environmentally-conscious approach."
The Blight Task Force will also focus on creating economic opportunities for Detroit and its residents, as well as work towards improving the safety of the residents.
