Intense attention has been paid to Detroit as a site of urban crisis. This crisis, however, has not only yielded the massive devaluation of real estate that has so often been noted; it has also yielded an explosive production of seemingly valueless urban property that has facilitated the imagination and practice of alternative urbanisms. The first sustained study of Detroit’s alternative urban cultures, The Unreal Estate Guide to Detroit initiates a new focus on Detroit as a site not only of urban crisis but also of urban possibility. The Guide documents art and curatorial practices, community and guerilla gardens, urban farming and forestry, cultural platforms, living archives, evangelical missions, temporary public spaces, intentional communities, furtive monuments, outsider architecture, and other work made possible by the ready availability of urban space in Detroit. The Guide poses these spaces as “unreal estate”: urban territory that has slipped through the free- market economy and entered other regimes of value, other contexts of meaning, and other systems of use. The appropriation of this territory in Detroit, the Guide suggests, offers new perspectives on what a city is and can be, especially in a time of urban crisis.

A beautifully designed resource that takes readers on a tour of greater Detroit's many architectural wonders and special landmarks.

Detroit is known for its automotive heritage, the Motown sound, and American's first mile of concrete highway. But this cityon the river has more than three hundred years of history, and most of it iseasy to experience if you know where to look. There's the Michigan Theatre, theornate movie house turned parking garage with a grand stage looming over itscars. Picturesque Alfred Brush Ford Park once stored nuclear missiles among itsplaygrounds and fishing spots. Then there are incredible landmarks like Detroit'smassive salt mines and a monument to urban graffiti known as the Dequindre Cutas well as the world's oldest operating jazz club. Secret Detroit explores thisgreat American city to investigate everything that is odd, unexpected, andextraordinary. Detroit is the kind of city you need to see and experience tounderstand why locals brag about being from the Motor City. Full of stories andtall tales, this book is a must-have for urban explorers, history buffs, andtravelers of all experience levels

Seventh-generation Detroiters Andy Linn, Emily Linn, and Rob Linn, and local business City Bird produced Belle Isle to 8 Mile: An Insider's Guide to Detroit, Second Edition, the second edition of the most popular printed guide to the city in a generation. Six years since the original book, and fully revised and expanded for 2019, this new edition includes 45 new illustrations and more than 500 new entries and featured locales. In total, the book highlights more than 1,500 Detroit attractions, sites, institutions, events, restaurants, bars, shops, and curiosities, from the essential to the obscure, making this edition of Belle Isle to 8 Mile the most comprehensive Detroit guide book ever published, in the known record. The result of thousands of hours of research, thousands of site visits, and contributions and ideas from hundreds of local residents, this community-driven, streetwise guide is a key for readers to unlock the city. Led by the Linns, the Belle Isle to 8 Mile team administered surveys, conducted in-depth research, and explored the widest-reaches of the city's neighborhoods to document the full scope of the city's 139 square miles. Like its predecessor, the book builds off of this in-depth research to chronicle both long-standing institutions and off-the-beaten-path neighborhood treasures and hidden gems that make the city so special, documenting each featured locale in historical context, with informative descriptions that capture what make them special, as well as ample touches of humor along the way. However, the expanded second edition of the book also captures the ways in which Detroit has grown and evolved since the publication of the first volume, acting as a printed account and living document of a changing city, as well as a testament to the small, independent businesses that have continued to thrive in the neighborhoods and driven the city's evolution. In addition to entries that detail more than1,500 locations and destinations organized geographically to encourage exploration, the book features maps and original, intricate pen and ink illustrations to help orient readers as well as an alphabetical index to aid discovery and utility. The book also employs a star system throughout the volume to denote destinations that are exceptional, particularly unique, or essential for first time visitors. In addition, in chapter 13, the editors highlighted recommended top destinations for particular tastes to help plan a visit, including rounding up top architectural destinations, vegetarian options, cheap eats, soul food, family activities, and many other areas, for residents and tourists alike. From high art to folk art, national attractions to basement museums, haute cuisine to food trucks, cocktail bars to dive bars, farmer's markets to urban farms, and rock 'n' roll to blues and soul--and whether in Detroit for the first time or for a lifetime, or learning about it from afar--readers will delight in uncovering and discovering this great American city. This guide is essential reading, not just for visitors, but for long-time residents, as well as for anyone who loves Detroit.

A historical spa, a masonic temple for dancing, a warehouse for book lovers, daytime parties at abandoned spaces and an empty zoo...Get lost in the comeback city LOST iN Detroit is-- 68 technicolor pages filled with tips on: Eating Drinking Shopping Partying Outdoor activities & wellness - Includes 5 long-form interviews with celebrated locals on their relationship with Detroit and their absolute favorite spots - A selection of the hottest places to visit in two of the city's most charismatic neighborhoods - A selection of our top picks for the entire city - An in-depth story about Detroit's famous Coneys by Margot Guicheteau - A photo showcase about urban walls by Eleanor Oakes - An original piece of experimental fiction by Isaac Pickell -Shopping Guide Recommended books, films & music to get you in the Detroit state of mind

Detroit's auto heritage is known worldwide, but this fascinating city's history runs much deeper. Step inside the tiny recording studio where Berry Gordy, a young entrepreneur who faced tremendous prejudice, created a music empire that broke down racial barriers. Tour Art Deco masterpieces so spectacular they're called cathedrals to commerce and finance. Walk in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Cobo Hall, where he first delivered his I Have a Dream speech. Join Karin Risko for an intimate tour of the city that put the world on wheels and discover an amazing history of innovation, philanthropy, social justice and culture.

“Engaging” stories of what the Motor City was like before the invention of the motor, with photos and illustrations (Detroit Metro-Times). Long before it became the twentieth-century automotive capital, Detroit was a muddy port town full of grog shops, horse races, haphazard cemeteries, and enterprising bootstrappers from all over the world. In this lively book you’ll discover the city’s forgotten history and meet a variety of unforgettable characters—the argumentative French fugitive who founded the city; the tobacco magnate who haunts his shuttered factory; the gambler prankster millionaire who built a monument to himself; the governor who brought his scholarly library with him on canoe expeditions; and the historians who helped create the story of Detroit as we know it: one of the oldest, rowdiest, and most enigmatic cities in the Midwest.

"Whether urban or rural dweller, academic or practitioner, the reader takes from Gallagher a deeper appreciation of both the challenges and opportunities that exist within our cities, challenges and opportunities that will ultimately impact our country."-Jay Williams, mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, from the foreword --Book Jacket.

Famous the world over for automobile manufacture and the distinctive sounds of Motown music, Detroit, the Motor City, celebrated its 300th birthday in 2001. "Detroit Then and Now" is a fascinating look at this city's great history, taking historic photographs from the dawn of the camera age and comparing them with full-color photographs of the same scenes today.