'Venice of Detroit': climate costs imperil historic neighborhood

‘Venice of Detroit’: climate costs imperil historic neighborhood
Diverse neighborhood of Jefferson Chalmers faces ‘climate gentrification’ as home prices and flood defense costs rise

by Brian Allnutt of Planet Detroit
Fri 11 Aug 2023 07.01 EDT


In 2019, Blake Grannum experienced a catastrophic flood in her home in Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood. Water overtopped nearby canals and rushed into her basement, destroying a washer and dryer and forcing her and her mother to go to the laundromat during the pandemic.

It was one of several floods the neighborhood experienced in recent years; heavy rains overwhelmed sewer systems and flooded basements five times between 2011 and 2021. During that last major flood on 21 July 2022, 6in of rain fell on the region, inundating freeways, stranding hundreds of people in vehicles, and filling basements with sewage backup.

Jefferson Chalmers has been called the “Venice of Detroit”. It’s a unique, historic neighborhood, oriented around a canal system and waterfront parks, and built on one of the vast swamps that once lined the Detroit River and Great Lakes.

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“It’s just a vibe here,” Grannum said. “You have different income groups, different cultures, different types of people living in this area.”

But some worry the costs that come with flooding could potentially create a process of “climate gentrification” here. In cities like New Orleans and Miami, this process has seen wealthier and whiter residents displace low-income residents and people of color in less flood-prone areas. ..............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/11/detroit-flooding-jefferson-chalmers-climate-insurance