Then and Now: An Interactive View of Southeast Michigan’s Evolution

SEMCOG Government Affairs Administrator, Mike Spence

Large-scale development trends happen gradually, which can make them easy to miss. Sometimes the pace of change can feel maddeningly slow. Wisdom comes with age, and the wisest among us can describe how much our region has changed from living through it. While most of us haven’t been alive long enough to witness all the new construction of landmarks and highways in Southeast Michigan since 1950, a new SEMCOG tool can bring us a little closer.

Then and Now, a new interactive map, shares and explores the changes and development the region has achieved by displaying 1950 aerial imagery side-by-side and the progression until the present day, including a slider function switch between past and present. Comparing aerial imagery on Then and Now can quickly illustrate how communities have changed over decades.

Here’s a quick primer on how to use Then and Now:

• Use the Swipe tool at the middle of the screen to slide the historical imagery layer back and forth to compare 1950 to today
• Use the Layer List (eyeball symbol) to toggle the 1950 layer on and off
• Use the bookmarks on the bottom left to zoom to a specific location
• Pinch to zoom and/or touch the screen to pan.

Do you have another suggested location to feature?

Let us know via email or by using this survey tool.

Southeast Michigan Through the Years

City of Monroe Mayor, Robert Clark and City of Port Huron Mayor, Pauline Repp

Oakland County Commissioner, Phil Weipert

Recent visitors to our office have also enjoyed exploring Southeast Michigan Through the Years. This installation features a timeline of Southeast Michigan’s growth since 1900, illustrating each community’s highest-growth decade.

Both Then and Now and Southeast Michigan Through the Years are on display in the same corridor of the SEMCOG office at 1001 Woodward in downtown Detroit. Check out both on your next visit!