Last Month Imani Mchunu informed Berlin that “we’re poor, but sexy” too in her blog. I studied abroad in Berlin in the summer in 2014, and many of the qualities that drew me to Berlin drew me to Detroit as well.  In fact, that summer is when the idea of moving to Detroit first came into my head.

It all started when I registered for a sustainability class for architecture and urban planning while I was in Berlin. In that class we went on many field trips using public transportation to visit fantastic buildings and urban planning.  I was blown away how impressive Berlin was, and to think in 1945 much of the city was destroyed during World War 2, and the Berlin wall was standing until 1989.  Berlin had been through a lot, but managed rebuild and rebound to become a thriving city once again.

Having been to Detroit a few times before, I saw the comparison immediately. Detroit’s rough times began with the population starting to decline around the end of the war as well.  Population caused abandonment and blight that left many areas of the city vacant.

I wrote my final paper comparing the two cities focusing on transportation, Detroit focused on developing infrastructure for the automobile, while Berlin developed an extensive and reliable public transportation system. What actually got me interested in Detroit was researching this paper.  I ended up using a lot of the Detroit Future City Strategic framework as a resource, and seeing what some of the ideas where for the future.  It didn’t stop there, I would see buildings reimagined in Berlin that would be beautiful old structures reimagined with new uses.  It reminded me of the memories I had of Detroit seeing beautiful buildings with broken windows and graffiti.  Seeing how it can be done in Berlin, made me want to move to Detroit, and want to be there and see these old buildings come back to life.