A land with in a land, shielded from the outside world. All things held in square blocks. Masonry and stone rise to the sky towering above the streets below.  It  harbors of cities ills or is a  bastion of innovation and progressive ideals. The inner city lives a life cycle. It is reinvented, it grows then deteriorates into decay only to be bulldozed then reborn. The land remains, the buildings are redesigned and the people revolve in and out. Race is not important nor are ideals, all that matters is that the enclave is there. It has a high point and  a low point. It thrives then dies . It is like the Phoenix, it goes to ashes then rises from it's own destruction. This is the inner city a land with in a land of urban sprawl.