Detroit municipal bankruptcy (2013)
Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in July 2013, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. The city had lost more than a quarter of its population since 2000 and struggled under heavy debt and widespread blight.
The city exited bankruptcy in December 2014 after restructuring billions in debt.
Finances stabilized and population growth returned, but neighborhoods lost housing for a generation.
It explains the backdrop: North Corktown has so little new housing because the city spent years shrinking. Each new permit measures how far the recovery has come.
