Detroit: The downshift
A city tries to shift gears in the wake of the economic collapse
Detroit remains optimistic despite bleak conditions
The decline of the auto industry and the nation's economic slide have left many residents here trapped, without work, in houses they can't sell, in neighborhoods where they fear for their safety. A steadfast optimism, however, shines through. Full Story »
Low confidence in government
Most residents of the three-county area say government efforts to try to deal with the economic situation have not made a difference to their families.
Stark divisions between city and suburbs
Vastly different experiences with local services and quality of life typify the differences between city and suburb.
More Coverage
- In Michigan, a yellow light for green jobs (Oct. 6)
- Auto parts makers change tack, seek fair winds (Aug. 13)
- The trickle-down effect (July 15)
- Autoworkers pick up skills but downshift to lower pay (July 4)
- Closing the door on old Chrysler (June 11)
- Auto crisis hits home In middle America (May 9)
- In the center of auto country, adapting to an uncertain future (May 8)
- Auto woes caught in chain reaction (Mar. 19)
Multimedia
Assessing economy on the ground
- Video: Making the switch from autos to wind
- Video: An auto-parts maker fades in the fallout from Detroit
- Interactive graphic: Unemployment data by county
About this feature
In a new Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation-Harvard University Detroit poll, almost all residents of the main three-county metropolitan area of Detroit see their economy as in ruins. People throughout the region are feeling the stress of the uncertain financial landscape, with majorities worried about the economy and unemployment, along with being able to afford health care and having enough money to pay their bills.
