
In 1950, Detroit was America's fifth largest city and one of the most prosperous on the back of its booming motor industry.

It prompted the construction of skyscrapers on the banks of the river and the development of vast suburban housing projects in the surrounding areas.

But almost 55 years on, a dwindling motor industry and a dramatic fall in blue collar jobs has caused people to leave the Michigan city, abandoning their homes and businesses.

These aerial photos reveal the tiny urban island that is left - a clutter of high-rises surrounded by empty housing plots now covered in grass.

There are vast areas of open spaces dotted with crumbling industrial buildings and barely-standing Victorian homes until you reach the upmarket suburbs.

The land then fills up with gated communities and huge estates complete with swimming pools, tennis courts and multi-car garages.

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Aerial photos show how downtown Detroit has been turned into a tiny urban island, surrounded by abandoned housing blocks

A city block, that was once the site of the John A. Own Elementary School, has been covered in grass to hide the rubble and the remains of the building. It was demolished as part of an initiative to get rid of vacant schools

The Jefferson/Mack neighborhood, which has suffered high rates of abandonment. Since 1950, when Detroit was the fifth largest city in America, around 1.3million people have left

Few homes remain in the Brush Park neighborhood outside of the city, however work is being done to regenerate the area

Graffiti covers the walls of Victorian homes in the area. Many of the two-storey properties stand alone while the surrounding roads are practically cleared of cars

The Packard plant on the outskirts of the city, regarded as a sophisticated auto production facility when it opened in the early 1900s, is now in ruins. It is surrounded by blocks of houses that have been left empty

This area at the edge of downtown Detroit is covered with parking lots. Many are completely empty and some have simply been abandoned

The photos taken by pilot and aerial photographer Alex MacLean, and first published in the New York Times, show the empty parking lots in the city bordering rows where only one or two houses are left.

Following the recession in 2008, the metropolitan area was covered in rubble left from demolished homes as the the foundations in between the remaining properties.

Now these spaces have been covered over with grass creating a countryside just outside the dense urban area.

One building, The Packard Plant, was home to a sophisticated automobile production facility in the early 1900s, now it lies in complete ruin.

In Detroit, the median household income is just $26,955 - with many of the poorest residents taking home much less - compared to a higher $101,094 in the suburb Grosse Pointe Park.

Similarly, the Motor City last year declared the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history, while its neighbor's quaint shops, beer gardens and antiques stores are thriving with residents.

And in relation to crime rate, Detroit's Precinct 4 takes an average of 30 minutes to respond to an incident, while Grosse Pointe Park police typically arrive in just 3.4.

This is perhaps unsurprising considering that Detroit, once the industrial capital of the nation, was voted the most dangerous city in the country in 2012, for the fourth year in a row.

The city, left ravaged by dwindling blue-collar jobs, the decline of the auto industry and rising unemployment.

It has lost more than 200,000 residents in the last decade - and 1.3million since the 1950s - as citizens have fled the blighted city for better-off suburbs with lower crime and better education.

Cordons surround the foundations where houses have been knocked down in the Fitzgerald neighborhood. Those still standing have boarded-up doors and windows

Beyond the collection of empty properties and crumbling industrial buildings lie the sprawling estates. This home in West Bloomfield, Michigan, is around 25 miles outside of Detroit

Just 10 miles from downtown Detroit is this mansion which sits on the banks of Lake St. Clair. The gated communities outside of the city have remained despite the 2008 recession and the declaration of bankruptcy

The historic James Scott Mansion, that was built in 1877, was abandoned and its structure is now crumbling. Developers have reportedly said it will take $7million of investment to restore it

Some of the spaces left vacant by abandoned houses have been turned into community gardens. In this North Cass Community Garden, there are 75 plots distributed to local businesses and residents

An enormous swimming pool and tennis court can be seen outside this enormous property in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, around 25 miles northwest of downtown Detroit

Earlier this year, the 'haves' of Grosse Pointe Park erected a fence on Kercheval Road, one of the few streets via which drivers can access Detroit.

Officials claimed it was set up for a farmers' market, but the move sparked anger among Detroit residents. And last winter, the suburb allegedly deliberately plowed snow to form another barrier.

The tension is such that at the five Grosse Pointe municipalities, dubbed 'the Pointes', residents must show an ID to enter public parks.

It has also been reported that newly-elected Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has now signed a deal with Grosse Pointe Park that could help ease the tensions.

In accordance with the deal, Detroit will tear down some of the dilapidated houses around the border, while Grosse Pointe Park will remove the 'haves/have-nots' fences in return, it is said.

In the booming post-Second World War era, Detroit was America's fifth-largest city, boasting an enormous population of 1,850,000 in 1950.

The roofs of the houses in have crumbled and some have burned in Buena Vista Street in West Highland Park. Only one car sits outside a house on the street

Graffiti covers the walls of the buildings left in the East Market District. Many are still occupied but some have been left surrounded by rubble and debris