OK, born and raised a Detroiter. Over 60, and here's my take on what happened.

[Warpy]

11. There were white elephants in Boston, too

especially when the city planner was an idiot who had seen paved piazzas in Italy surrounded by Renaissance buildings and wanted to recreate them in Boston, failing miserably and creating only ugly expanses of brick where neighborhoods (and burlesque theaters) had once thrived and making any visitor feel like a bug on a plate when he crossed them if he didn't get heatstroke in summer or fall on his kiester in winter when they became sheets of ice.

Still, the most egregious example of urban renewal was when the poor but vibrant West End was razed and, instead of the multi income housing that had been promised the evicted residents, an ugly complex of overpriced yuppie warrens called Charles River Park went in.

Eventually they learned, and historic facades are being preserved with high rise office buildings being tacked on behind them, a few of the idiot's moonscapes have sprouted trees, and new complexes have to have retail and restaurant space on the first floor facing the street to keep the areas pedestrian friendly.