Many Consider Detroit, Michigan The World City With the Most Wasted Potential

There are many reasons to love Detroit. The city is special to those who love the grit of the Rust Belt. Without Detroit there is no automotive industry. There is no assembly line. And there is the undeniable truth that the city has suffered through blight and white flight.

When the question came up on the Geography subreddit of Reddit about what world city has the most wasted potential. Many pointed to Detroit.

The Reddit Spark: Defining "Wasted Potential"

There's no criteria in the Reddit thread as to what defines "wasted potential." Here's what those who named Detroit said in support of their choice.

I would say Detroit, it was one of the richest Cities in the world in the last century and now it's blocks of abandoned buildings. Granted it is currently having a moment with the downtown getting gentrified.

The Counter-Argument: Resilience and Regional Growth

A counter argument is Detroit as a metro area retains a major world-hub airport while the population of the region grew by over a million people in the last seventy years.

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Beyond Detroit, some say the entire America Rust Belt could be considered as having wasted potential. Cities like Cleveland, Buffalo and St Louis area are all, like Detroit, in geographically strategic areas but have been far outgrown by the rise of cities in more moderate climates in the Sunbelt.

Detroit's Future: On the "Come Up"

Quite simply, what could Detroit have been? "Detroit has Chicago potential." Detroit was once the 5th largest city in the nation while Chicago, just down I-94 is the 3rd largest. Can't say it's the weather - the cities share awfully similar winters.

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What so many counter with Detroit's ding for wasted potential, the city is "on the come up."