In my Deviance and Social Control course, I was recently reminded of my family’s summer road trips to Detroit (my mom’s hometown).
After one such trip, I returned home to PEI in this t-shirt (below): “DETROIT. where the weak are killed and eaten.” I loved that shirt.
Social disorganization theory reminded me of this shirt.
You see, for a time in the 70s and 80s, Detroit was the murder capital of the world. How did it go from the great Motor City to murder capital… and then to the first US city to ever declare bankruptcy in 2013?
Social disorganization theory suggests that structural inequities segregate people who are disadvantaged and weakens the social fabric of these communities. And, the theory goes, this “social disorganization” increases deviant/criminal behaviour.
But… the theory also explains why the city’s revitalization is so exciting!
So, a major consequence of the structural segregation was a mass exodus of Detroit. Tons of homes were just left empty (still 100,000 vacant structures in 2020).
… a symbolic manifestation of “social disorganization.”
But now vacant lots are turned into urban farms, including the “first sustainable urban agrihood” in the US. Other vacant lots are sold to community organizationsto support people in the neighbourhood.
Using mostly Detroit-owned companies, the city’s Blighted Homes Initiative is set to demolish 8,000 vacant ‘blighted’ homes and restore another 8,000.
So, it seems that this so-called “social disorganization” has actually enabled a creative and innovative resourcefulness and new opportunities.
“Detroit represents a city filled with possibility,” writes one scholar.
It’s the possibility to tell a different story of renewal.