What Does Detroit's Bankruptcy Mean?

The old Ford Headquarters in Highland Park/Misty Keasler

Detroit's demise means something.  We all know that.  But there are varying interpretations of what it really "means."  What kind of story are we to tell about Detroit?  Is it a bankruptcy story?  A story of manufacturing's decline in the post-industrial economy?  A story about racism and white flight?

And most important - is Detroit's failure a one-off thing?  Or is it a prophetic call of what's coming for the rest of us?

There will be more to come, but let's start with a lovely, surprising, and artful 2007 Harper's piece by Rebecca Solnit, and an analysis of that piece by Jennifer McDonald.