"The Most Dangerous City?" Really?

I noticed that some entity called the American Society of Criminology just named Detroit "the nation's most dangerous city." They based their report on recent FBI crime statistics, though the FBI quickly announced that such reports offer only "simplistic and or incomplete analyses."

I actually live in the heart of downtown Detroit and frankly -- no matter what a group like the A.S.C. says-- I'm now thinking this is one of the safest, most secure places on earth.

In just the last month I've watched comfortable neighborhoods in Orange County and Malibu nearly burn to the ground. I've read long, excellent pieces in The New York Times about how strained water supplies threaten California, Arizona, and Nevada. I've been in Atlanta, where nobody seemed too aware that they were in the middle of the worst drought of the century (this was before the governor was praying for rain on the statehouse steps). And I've traveled to the idyllic paradise of South Beach where every high tide the sea waters now flood certain streets -- making one wonder if that nutty "oceans will rise" prediction might already be coming true.

Meanwhile, back here in Detroit, Michigan's Great Lakes, though also shrinking, still promise to provide a reassuring supply of fresh water, and our location, well above sea level and -- bizarrely enough -- somewhat north of Canada, makes it as good a place as any to weather the coming climate change.

So take that column that adds up the local robberies and break-ins and add to it the crimes we have all been collectively committing against the environment and then look at the places that are only just now beginning to pay the price. A lot of sunny day real estate that once looked quite cozy suddenly seems a whole lot scarier.

While you might have issues with my simplistic and incomplete analysis, in the end it's clear that Detroit comes with an ecosystem which, unlike pretty much everything west of Denver and south of Memphis, has the rainfall and temperatures to naturally accommodate a comfortable human existence. And actually, that's probably why they built it here in the first place, because -- in some deeper, more fundamental sense -- it really is safe.

Comments

[sd72]

The reason Atlanta is having water trouble is because it is currently in a drought. A drought is a natural event that can happen anytime to Detroit. If that happens, Detroit just may find itself out of water. As a former resident of Atlanta, there is no way I'd choose Detroit over Hotlanta. Disasters and hardships happen everywhere.

[robinhood1]

If you want to live in one of those Great Gatsby type mansions and are only well off but not very rich, Detroit is your city. For only $850,000, your can buy the Charles Fisher mansion, all 16,500 square feet of it. But bring your own body guards. Detroit's homicide rate is very high and has been for years. What would $850,000 buy you in San Francisco? Not even a 2 bedroom condo in a "nice" neighborhood.

[CriminallySane]

I caught some of the discussion of this on NPR. The point made there was that crime, no matter its raw amount, is never equally distributed. There are, I'm sure, wonderful neighborhoods in Detroit. As there are bad ones. As there are both in every major urban area in America - and likely, worldwide.

Amounts without distribution are meaningless.

[maddogbitesback]

I remember the first time I saw the Detroit River. The rainbow of chemicals had a startling effect. maybe if Detroit had stopped pouring pollutants into the river and actually produced fuel efficient and safe vehicles the cities like Atlanta would be a little better off. Detroit would also have a lower crime rate as people would be employed. So Detroit had better clean up its act or it too will suffer just like the other parts of the country do.

[HermioneGranger]

The most dangerous city is New Orleans. They are just not contributing to these kind of statistics any more

[CANADIANVIKING]

When it comes to your conclusions about the benifits to Detroit of climate warming - trust me just about everyone else in that same latitude (almost the entire population of Canada)has come to the same happy unfortunate conclusion thats it's probably going to be a net gain for us.

[Tommie27]

Detroit is getting a bad rap! I was there about two months ago and got off the wrong exit on the freeway.As I was trying to navigate my way around I came up on a main intersection and there was a body in the middle of the intersection!!!But at least the Guy was decent enough to crawl into the middle of the street--so as not to hold up traffic!!I thought that was courteous of him!!!!