ABSTRACT
To communicate information effectively, choosing the right tool at the right scale is important. In the 1920s, Chene Street was the second most commercially-active street in America; the Chene Street zip code is the least densely-populated area in Detroit. There are many complex factors that twine themselves around these broad concepts, in terms of political actions, and these no doubt worked together to foster decline. Krzyzowski has spent much of his career documenting the decline by archiving primary sources in numerous formats and working to understand how various forces interacted or failed to interact on behalf of Chene Street and its nearby communities. General Motors announced the closing, by the end of 2019, of its Hamtramck (‘Poletown’) assembly plant that sits at the top of Chene Street and that, 40 years ago, was built using eminent domain powers to clear the traditional neighborhood along and around northern Chene Street.
