Images from above show wealth inequality in Detroit, around the world
Photographer Johnny Miller joined “The Metro” to discuss his project “Unequal Scenes” and why his images are so effective at visualizing inequality.
Grosse Pointe Park is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Detroit, but it's not technically within the city's boundaries. The Fox Canal separates it from the now-sparsely populated Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.
Photo credit: Johnny Miller
The project “Unequal Scenes” is using drones to capture aerial shots of cities worldwide.
The images offer bird’s eye views of urban areas — a vantage point that makes the unequal distribution of wealth in some communities painfully clear.
In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, shiny gleaming buildings soar over crumbling shacks and huts. In the capital city of Nairobi in Kenya, pristine gated communities flank struggling slums. And here in Detroit, a brick barrier delineates the city limits from Grosse Pointe Park.
The Grosse Pointe side is lush and well-manicured, marked by stately homes. On the Detroit side, grass is overgrown, debris lines the street, and the buildings are dilapidated.
So what lessons can we learn by viewing these images? Photographer Johnny Miller joined The Metro to discuss his inspiration behind the project and why the images are so effective at visualizing inequality.
Use the player below to listen to the full conversation, beginning at the 0:58 mark.
