ABSTRACT
For much of the 20th century, the cities of Detroit, in the USA, and Newcastle, in Australia, were major manufacturing hubs, churning out huge quantities of cars and steel, respectively. During this period, heavy industry was central to both the economic prosperity and place identity of these cities, as reflected in their nicknames: Motor City and Steel City. Recent decades have seen industrial decline in both Detroit and Newcastle, and as a result, the cities have weathered significant economic, political, and social challenges.
