Postindustrial DIY

More about the book

Chronicles grassroots efforts to recover, rebuild, and enjoy architecturally iconic but economically obsolete places in the American Rustbelt. A pioneering automobile factory in Detroit, a legendary iron mill near Pittsburgh, and monumental train stations in Buffalo and Detroit have fallen from their former glory. While local leaders often sought to destroy these sites, citizens recognized their beauty and utility, feeling compelled to act. Postindustrial DIY tells their story through over a dozen years of investigation, ethnography, and historical analysis. Author and urbanist Daniel Campo immerses readers in this postindustrial landscape, weaving the perspectives of DIY protagonists, architects, planners, and preservationists. Working without capital or expertise, these actors are driven by passion and civic duty, transforming industrial ruins into collective preservation projects and venues for arts, culture, and community engagement. The book demonstrates that no site is "too far gone" to save, offering alternatives to development practices that prioritize profit over public satisfaction and suggesting new strategies for engaging and preserving architecturally significant sites.