America 20: Rebirth

It's easy to see the only the worst of American patriotism, when it manifests as jingoism, intolerance, or warmongering. In Detroit you can see patriotism at its best. There are perhaps no people more in love with a city than Detroiters with Detroit, and you see it in how they respond to the decimation of their hometown. In other places, perhaps, the losses would turn into a full-on rout as people flee the city for somewhere on the way up instead of down. Here, you get a sense of grim optimism, like a doctor desperately performing that last-ditch CPR: "no, damnit, I won't let you die". Detroiters won't let Detroit die. Despite the abandoned buildings and empty lots, you can still feel something unmistakeable underneath. A heartbeat. Life.