Detroit Was ABANDONED and Left to ROT: How America Destroyed Its Most Powerful Industrial City

In 1950, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in America with 1.85 million people, producing more than half of all automobiles in the world. By 2013, it filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. By 2020, its population had fallen to 639,000. A third of its total land area — 40 square miles — was vacant. This is the story of how it happened, one decision at a time. ErasedPlaces covers the forgotten history of American cities.