Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1970, blacks already represented 16% of the population of the Detroit MSA
(5.3 million inhabitants). Whereas overall population increased by only 0.1% per
year, the black population increased by 1% per year. The African-American
community in Detroit rose from 0.8 to over 1.1 million members in 2000.
In 1970, nearly four in five blacks residing in the metropolitan area were
grouped within the city of Detroit, making up 44% of the city population. Detroit
then had 1.5 million inhabitants and 28% of the MSA population (1999 definition).
A measure of white flight can be inferred from the fact that over 30 years the Detroit
African-American community increased by 18% while the city lost 37% of its
population. By 2000, the city of Detroit was predominantly black when compared to
its suburbs (see Figure 8.14). And yet, averages are misleading because blacks
remain concentrated in only a few areas such as Pontiac and Flint. The city of Flint
has a majority black population (52%). Detroit residents elected a black mayor for
the first time in 1973, and blacks remain in power today.
More so than in Atlanta, the coincidence between the map of social and racial
segregation is striking in metropolitan Detroit. The brutal divisions that affect the
city's social geography are symbolized by the famous 8th Miles Point Road north of
the city of Detroit. The resemblance between the map of the black ghetto and that of
urban sprawl is also suggestive.
Populations have fallen sharply not only in Detroit, but in other towns where
there is a strong African-American presence: Southfield, Pontiac, Flint (see Figure
8.15). It may be observed, however, that inner city decline goes beyond the
traditional city center cleavage and affects the surrounding neighborhoods that are
generally inhabited by relatively poor white workers. With the urban area being
closed to the southeast by the Canadian border, growth is possible toward the north
and west in a peripheral ring between 20 and 85 km from downtown.
Forty years after the 1967 riots, polarization remains quite strong between blacks
and whites in the industrial metropolis, and remains a powerful incentive for urban
sprawl (see Figure 8.16). The density profile of the metropolitan area has flattened
accordingly: 26 inhabitants/ha for the city center and 10 inhabitants/ha for the
metropolitan area, values which are lower even than Los Angeles. Even Detroit's
city center has fallen below the break-even threshold for effective public
transportation services. With only 2.2% of person-trips in the 2000 census provided
by the public transit system versus 94.6% in private automobiles, Detroit deserves
its name as the Automotive Capital of America.
