Abandoned

 

It's no secret that cities, like Detroit, have been increasingly abandoned over the past 2 decades. Enormous buildings sitting there, getting reclaimed by Mother Nature. Cities that peaked in the mid-1950s, which are now nothing more than hollow shells of their former glory. What's more disturbing than this is the fact that there is such a tremendous need for new facilities to be opened. Ones that will accommodate the average person, rather than those who live among the upper-middle, and upper, classes in our society. Of course these buildings will require millions of dollars in order to refurbish them so that they're safe, sanitary and usable. Then again, with over 700 billionaires in the United States, I cannot fathom one single reason any one of them could possibly have for not investing some of that money into a refurbishment project, especially that of a historical building/property. Wait, yes I can. Greed. That's literally the only thing that is holding back any one of the ultra wealthy people from investing their money, and resources, into such a project. It's nothing but pure greed. Of course, they will find any possible excuse that does not involve actually admitting to their greed. Still, it's greed.

     Take, for example, an abandoned hotel. Hotels already have multiple stories. Each room already has bathing facilities, and plenty of space to create a small studio apartment. There is a source of natural light. Each room already has a heating/cooling system, and plenty of electrical sockets, and switches. There is already a central laundering area in the building. There is often a central kitchen area in the building. Maintenance is typically in the basement. Sometimes, especially in the larger hotels, there is a central dining facility, as well as an area where a few small shops may have been. Let's not forget that many of these old hotels also had some type of a swimming facility. Old hotels that were not immediately inside the city, also sometimes had a playground area for children, as well as larger parking areas for the guests, and employees. This is just a near standard for hotels, especially back in the mid-1950s and 1960s. So I am to then understand that these buildings are suddenly 'impossible' to refurbish?

    Abandoned hospitals, theaters, banks, hotels, motels, larger private residences, factories and schools can all be refurbished, and used for the benefit of everyone. Yet, there they all sit. Abandoned, and left to rot. There are so many uses for these beautiful old buildings. Now, call me crazy, but since the homeless population is insanely high (and in my personal opinion, even 1 person being homeless should never be acceptable, ever), would it not be a good idea to turn an old hotel into a housing facility? I mean a really good one. Not just some type of homeless shelter. I mean one that makes full use of all the areas that hotel already has in place. One that not only offers studio apartments (the hotel rooms), and hot meals (the dining, and kitchen areas), but also other necessary things that would be needed. For example, a job center, where the residents could go to find jobs in the area. A child care area, so people with younger children could go to work, without having to pay insane costs of day care. An education area, where residents could take classes that would help them excel in their jobs and/or daily lives. A thrift shop area, so they could get better clothing, to wear to their jobs. A salon/barber, so they can get themselves cleaned up a bit more than the bath, or shower, can. A small shop that they can get personal hygiene products. You're getting the idea. See, just opening a simple shelter for people isn't enough. Yes, those provide warmth, and food. However, that's usually all they provide. Also, stays in the shelters are typically limited to a specific period of time, and then the residents have to go back to the streets.

     How about turning an old factory into a combination recycling center, thrift shop and repair center? This is not a novel idea, by the way. This is actually taking place in other countries already. People drop off (donate) their items that are not actual garbage. Next, someone in the center separates those donated items into 3 categories. Sell, repair, recycle. The items in the recycle area actually get recycled, instead of ending up in some random landfill. The items that are good enough to sell, get put into the thrift shop area. Finally, anything that needs to be repaired, goes into the repair area. It is in this area, where people can go to learn how to repair items themselves, instead of just throwing them out, because they don't know how to repair the items on their own, and also don't have the insane amount of money it costs to have a repair person come out and repair the items. So many buildings, just rotting away where they stand, being taken over by nature itself....and yet, it is rare for anyone to hear, read or even see anything being done to reuse theses beautiful pieces of architecture for something that will be a tremendous benefit to the general population. There is always the question of 'who will pay for all of that'...and yet, there are over 700 billionaires in the United States. Maybe, instead of spending billions of dollars on a space rocket, or a social media platform, these billionaires could invest some of that money into making sure that the very people that helped them become billionaires, had the means by which to also support themselves. Properly.