Texte

Text 1

The city of Detroit, in the USA, was once compared to Paris. It had a big river, smart road network and beautiful architecture. Since the 20th century it was called ‘Motor City’, because for a time, most of the world’s cars were made here. There was regular work and a good salary in the motor industry. A worker at one of the car factories could own a home, plus a boat, maybe even a holiday cottage. New highways made it easy for workers to move from the city center to the suburbs. But in the early years of the 21st century, Detroit became America’s poorest big city.

Vocabulary Text 1

once = einst

to compare = vergleichen

smart = clever, intelligent

regular = ständig

salary = Lohn

cottage = Häuschen / Hütte

suburbs = Vororte / Agglomeration

Text 2

In less than fifty years the once lively Motor City lost more than half its population. It became known as a city full of ruined buildings, derelict homes, empty streets, poverty and crime. Photographers went to Detroit to record the strange beauty of buildings and city blocks where nature was taking over again. What went wrong in Detroit?

Vocabulary Text 2

lively = lebendig

derelict = verlassen

poverty = Armut

strange = seltsam

to take over = übernehmen

Text 3

The city is now 69th among US cities for the number of people per square mile. The population fell for many reasons. First, it was because people moved to the suburbs in the 1950s. Second there was a dramatic fall in car manufacture as companies like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler had huge difficulties. WHY And finally, in 2008, came the global financial crisis. Many of Detroit’s people are poor – half of the city’s families live on less than 25,000 dollars a year.

Vocabulary Text 3

square mile = Quadratmeile

Text  4

In 2013, the city did something unusual: it declared itself bankrupt. It was the largest city bankruptcy in US history, at approximately 18-20 billion dollars. Now that the city is free of debt, it has money to do some of what needs to be done. It has replaced about 40,000 streetlights so that places feel safer. The police arrive in answer to calls in less than 20 minutes now, instead of the hour it used to take. And about a hundred empty houses are demolished each week to make space for new buildings. With the nation’s biggest city bankruptcy behind it, Detroit is also attracting investors and young adventurers. The New Economy Initiative gave grants of 10,000 dollars to each of 30 new small businesses. It seems that every week a new business opens in Detroit – grocery stores, juice bars, coffee shops, even bicycle makers. Finally, the city is working again.