Detroit photos  

in the case of Philly....
it'd be just amazing to see these building used again for manufacturing/fabrication etc....this coming from an Ex- custom sheetmetal/ motorcycle/ hot rod fabricator now working minimum wage in RETAIL!!!!....its entirely frustrating....
and yes, many of them are in dumpy neighborhoods...
just want to work in them, not live in them....this country unfortunately is becoming more and more elitist where instead of thinkin jobs/production/SELF-SUFFICIENCE we think upscale condo/yuppy-hipster mall...in many cases a disgrace to the structures original intent....
heading into the "grey matter" here...

I have a plan Matty, every...
I have a plan Matty, every time you see a friend or family member buy something made overseas they could have bought locally hit them in the face with a hammer.
I have lost 3 jobs that I enjoyed over time because of free trade agreements and offshore manufacturing but don't be bitter, if you have your own tools and workshop you can do custom things for people that are virtually impossible to get otherwise, despite all this apparant choice.

incidentally...
that has a great deal as to why i got into design...i started buying either U.S. made or secondhand via thrift store, flea market, etc....was always into "vintage items" but then became more and more surious and discerning as to what i was looking at/purchasing....god bless it all, 8 years later i am now trying to go to school for Arch. and Ind. Design.....funny how things domino.....tight budget has a good deal to do with it tooo....you can get junk or with a little diligence you can find great deals on amazing pieces from people who dont know in better...like candy from a baby........

well thats not quite my...
well thats not quite my motivation but whatever works for you.
Lately I've found doing simple domestic things for friends is very rewarding, slatted bath mat thing to a particuar size? Rip it up in a flash, lasts forever, I don't get bored, they get exactly what they want, money goes out of a corporations pocket and into mine.
Any examples of urban renewal? I think there was a really good one in Manchester with some roofed over alleys behind some terraces, can't remember the name of it.

i would
if i could...i havent got any sort of tooling to speak of other than just above basic hand tools...always worked for other people. ive just turned 28 so havent managed to get equipment into my hands, despite my best efforts....if i were less picky maybe i could jut use a MIG welder...but that just wont do. for so many reasons...believe me, id love to.I have pages and pages of designs for nearly anything {no T.V and O.C.D:}...ive done A LOT of moving in the last 7 years. dont know many people here, and the ones my age, that i know...could care less.......
here in philly there are sorted efforts at urban renewal that comprise mostly of taking empty lots{where i used to walk my 3 dogs} fencing them in ,locking them up,and planting gardens that people never maintain...so far as i know, thats all she wrote........but it is a fairly poor city....so it goes

It takes a lot of money to ge...
It takes a lot of money to get a workshop together, A LOT as I'm sure you'd know but most people don't, I think I've spent about 15 k. Anyway just be patient and as you get older will find people do start to care, especially when they have kids. All depends on the demographic you move in I suppose.
Maybe there is a workshop co op you could join? Even where I am there is a woodworking club that is really well fitted out, my father (metal worker) is part of a vintage car club that has a top of the range workshop thats never used, there must be similar there.
Yeah civic pride, not much of that around these days.
Found the Manchester terrace houses, they were all set to be demolished and the whole place was pretty awful but they've been redevopled quite well, Chimney Pot Park.
http://www.urbansplash.co.uk/chimneypotpark/

so far
i havent found anything. and for awhile man i was really looking. found artist co-ops, glassblowing, ceramics you name it...everything except for metals.....and a good friend of mine is an older gent{75} and a local artist of note...even he hasnt heard of anything and has been asking in his circles...not so sure the crowd i want to get tangled with too much anyways....
that chimney pot park is pretty sharp, very much like some drawings ive done for converting row-homes here....
there are some developments going in about 1mile/1.6km from me that seem to be based on the skeletons of what was previously there....but hardly reminiscient of what was...they look very out-of-place,ultra-contemporary...and from what i understand extremely over-priced. Model home look to them.....typical....

"snapped up and turned into expensive apartments"
It may be different in other parts of the US and in other countries, but here in California, it's often hard to turn old commercial or industrial buildings into residential housing.
Parking is a big deal, and most of those structures weren't built with garages. Even if the building can physically accomodate vehicles, city governments can make approval of seemingly minor details -- like getting a curb cut to allow cars to cross the sidewalk and enter the building -- nearly impossible.
Old buildings have structural problems that can be hugely expensive to fix. It's easy to see cracked pilings or sagging floors, but other problems can only be discovered by a structural engineer -- and he's expensive.
Environmental issues are an even bigger problem. Old factories can be FILLED with toxins: lead, asbestos, coal, metallic dust, chemical waste, carcinogenic dyes, pesticides, mold, etc. All sorts of stuff can also be hiding UNDER those buildings -- radon, toxic waste, etc. -- and you won't find it until you start digging for your parking garage or structural reinforcements. When any environmental hazards are found, you're responsible for correcting them no matter the cost.
A friend of mine discovered very late that there was a deposit of radon under his new condo building. He had to retrofit an expensive soil depressurization system, which took up space and reduced the number of parking spots in his underground garage, which brought the total number of parking spots below the city-mandated minimum, which necessitated the installation of a few lifts so two cars could fit in one spot, which meant that some ductwork and plumbing had to be torn out and re-routed, which meant it had to be re-inspected, etc., etc.
I'd love to live in a converted old warehouse... But I wouldn't want to do the converting.

i'm sure it is very difficult....
to convert such and such...but im betting even more so out there....i just moved here from four years living out there....its hard to do anything without the EPA and such pummeling your caboose....though your certainly correct about all of the above, it certainly doesnt negate the fact that apathy is staining cityscapes from one end to the other...if you arent going to use it-get rid of it..sell it, destroy it, what have you...let the devil harbor this false sentimentality that we have...make way for the inevitable....green...grass...grows-on the pastures of progress