Detroit Startup Week

Everyone wants Detroit to be an illuminating detail for the rest of the country -- either as the canary in the coal mine, or a symbol of recovery and renewal. The reality, as it seems to insist on being, is more complicated. The financial crisis of 2008 ignited a period of expedited population loss and deterioration of property unmatched in Detroit’s history -- even compared to the era including the 1967 riots. Some of the most poignant evidence of the post-financial crisis fall of this impoverished city was incidentally captured by one of the most valuable companies on earth -- Google Street View has documented most powerfully the impact of this metaphorical hurricane on Detroit.