MetaFilter posts tagged with Flint

Blame Canada

various — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:02:59 -0800

This Ain't Flint Flint residents are not happy.

What to do with cities like Flint?

billysumday — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:40:07 -0800

Politicians and citizens alike are struggling with the decision to bail out the under-performing American automakers. But what will happen to the cities and towns of the Midwest if the automakers fail? Flint, Michigan provides an interesting template. In the 1960s and 70s, Flint had a population of 200,000 and was home to some 80,000 autoworkers. Today, after many plant closures, relocations, and worker buyouts, only 8,000 autoworkers remain. So, what are we to do with cities like Flint? There have been lots of ideas, like demolishing dilapidated houses, renovating brownfield sites like Chevy-in-the-Hole [pdf], downtown business renovation, and increasing community participation by giving ownership of vacant lots to local homeowners. Some progress has been made through the efforts of the Genesee County Land Bank, an organization that, "provides six services: demolition, foreclosure prevention, rental management, housing renovation, property maintenance and a side lot program, through which empty lots are sold to adjacent homeowners. It also has developed a Web site to provide quick access to real estate listings and maps, and to allow visitors to communicate with staff through e-mail." However, not everybody likes what the Land Bank is doing in Flint, including its mayor, who threatened to sue the organization for, "driving the price of real estate down dramatically. They're creating places for rats and prostitutes." The central question for those interested in the future of Flint seems to be best posed by the authors of the Chevy-in-the-Hole proposal: should developers try to renovate old buildings and build new ones in order to attract new residents and business? Or should developers realize that the people aren't coming back, and in turn tear down abandoned commercial spaces and houses, rid the ground of pollutants, and turn brown sites into greenspace and municipal/state parks, thereby creating a less dense but more appealing city in which to live? Reimagining Chevy-in-the-Hole blog and more proposals [pdf] for renovating the Flint River District.

I aint Cube and I'm havin a f*cked up day

cashman — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:24:11 -0800

Eric 'MC' Breed, a well known rap artist popular in the 90's, died yesterday at the age of 36. Back in September he collapsed from kidney failure, was on life support for a time and was told he needed a kidney transplant. In what is likely his last interview, he talks extensively about his kidney failure and hospitalization, going on to say he had been released from the hospital with a clean bill of health. He was found at a friends house in Ypsilanti, according to Darryl Morris, Breed's manager. He had 3 daughters and a son. .

A digital atlas of the new towns of Edward I

jack_mo — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 05:35:06 -0800

Mapping Medieval Townscapes: a digital atlas of the new towns of Edward I For each town you will find maps and images, as well as historical interpretation, bibliographical information, and access through to a geographical database. (The fancy interactive maps are especially good.) Warning: you'll have to click to agree to some terms and conditions before you can view the site.