Best of 2012 July – Detroit Could Become ‘Zombieland’ If Developer Has His Way

What better use of the run-down and abandoned buildings in Detroit than to turn them into a zombie-land apocolypse?

Detroit has seen more population erosion than any major U.S. city in the last 30 years. Once bustling with over 1.8 million residents in 1950 during the automotive boom, the 2010 census shows the city now has fewer people than Seattle (714,000)!  In addition, Detroit has become famous for it's block after block of abandoned homes, churches and car factories. These shocking images have you thinking, this is real? They look like something out of a war zone, or an apocolyptic movie.

Now, a developer named Mark Siwak has an ambitious plan to turn 200 acres of abandoned downtown buildings into a zombie apocolypse theme park. Critics say it's an insensitive way to deal with the city's problems. Well perhaps, but such a park, says Siwak, would drive in massive amounts of tourism, employ workers and bring back life to the city. Park-goers would be exposed to a cityscape not different than Will Smith in "I Am Legend" - run down buildings, zombies popping out from everywhere, hiding in rusty cars. The official terminology being used is 'live-action terror theme park'. It's never been done on a large scale, and with the growing obsession with zombies that shows no sign of slowing down, why not?

Yes, the critics say it's insensitive, but until the leaders of Detroit can come up with a better way to curb the bleeding of money and residents, we like it.

(NOTE: A followup to this story found that no further action has been taken, other than the usual criminal activity in this tragically blighted city.  No zombies - yet!)