THE ROMANTICIZATION OF LUXURY NEO-LOCALISM IN DETROIT

Neo-localism has become the trend of the decade in Detroit. The general consensus for the city is that it was is so bad and irreparable that any development is better than no development, and that the only key is to bring businesses into Detroit leading to the obsession with Detroit-made and Detroit-built. mentioned by Flack as a characteristic of the neo-localism trend is the  need for the “self-conscious reassertion of the distinctively local”. As a result, the historically blue-collar city is making a transformation downtown. No longer are cars the top manufacturing priority in the city. That was not distinct enough. Instead, luxury products and expensive high-rises are taking over, and consequently, outpricing many residents who have lived in Detroit for their entire lives out of their homes. The juxtaposition between the majority of the residents who currently reside in the city and the image of the luxury product companies create an unnatural transition that results in uneven development through intense gentrification. Shinola Watches are one of these luxury products that has thrived from this neo-localism. They targeted marketing through their vintage appearance and name and more significantly their “Built in Detroit” claim.  

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