The city of Detroit has been defined by the automotive industry as much as America's cars bear the influence of the city's people and culture. Sadly, the city and its slow and infamous decline have been well documented over the years.
Fortunately, things are beginning to look up. A judge declared last November that the city was fit to emerge from the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. The city is beginning to reinvest in some of its blighted neighborhoods, and Detroit's "Big Three" automakers are finally running smoothly again.
However, Detroit has yet to fully recover from decades of crime, financial mismanagement, and population loss. Blight still exists. Reuters photographer Joshua Lott ventured into the city to document the noble symbols of Detroit's struggles: its abandoned and neglected classic cars.
Lott found this Chevrolet Suburban from the early 2000s in a vacant lot. It had been stripped of its engines, a few of its wheels, and most of its more valuable parts.
This 1980s-era Lincoln Town Car spends its time sitting in someone's back yard...
...while this Town Car from the early 2000s sits abandoned in front of a local business.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider