Edwin Good was born and raised in Detroit on the city’s northwest side. Growing up, he experienced the rough side of the city, falling into drugs and gang violence before moving out to the suburbs for a fresh start.

Years later, his job led him back to the city, where urban-renewal efforts were starting to take hold. Returning to Detroit sparked his interest in photography and he began documenting the city’s transformation.

His early iPhone shots of Detroit were picked up by the Italian magazine SpeakUp, and he’s been sharing his vibrant cityscapes ever since on Instagram @allthingsdetroit2. For My Modern Midwest, Ed gathered some of his favorite shots of the Motor City.

The Old Main building on Wayne State’s Midtown Detroit campus. Old Main went up in 1894, built out of limestone quarried nearby. It was originally home to Detroit’s Central High School, but the building fell into disrepair over the next century. WSU restored Old Main in the 1990s.

The Fox Theater in Detroit was the first theater in the country designed with speakers for talking films. Today, it’s one of the last 1920s movie palace left in the country. After a full restoration in 1988, the theater’s iconic marquee is brighter than ever.

Everyone knows about Chicago’s Great Fire, but Detroit had one as well in 1805. The five-acre Grand Circus Park downtown was a key piece of the city’s rebuilding plan.

Harmonie Park in downtown Detroit.

This view of Detroit across the water was shot in Milliken State Park.

Detroit lights up at night — a view of the city from Brush Street in downtown.

A stunning view of the skyline from a high-rise apartment in Midtown.

Detroit gets a futuristic glow in this shot from Jefferson Avenue in downtown.

Adventures in Greektown in downtown Detroit.