Detroit-is there hope?

Question

Am I mistaken? I've had the strong belief that Detroit proper is beyond gentrification, but I've had several people tell me that I'm wrong, and that things are looking very up for Detroit proper(the city itself, not burbs).
I want to hear from Detroit city and suburban residents. I know
there are tough times ahead with the auto industry layoffs.
Your area needs a shot in the arm. The Tigers might help, but
you guys need a whole lot more than that. Jobs might be a start.
Detroit is a huge metropolitan area, almost as big as Chicago.
Only prob is, residents decided to move out enmasse in the 60's and 70's, creating suburban sprawl on steroids.
What can be done with Detroit city itself? Can it ever be a tourist destination even close to rivaling Chicago? Here in Chicago, we have constant streams of double decker tourist buses filled
to the brim where I work and live....
Do you envision a mass infusion of gentrification in Detroit,
or will it forever remain a suburban city?

May I add something about Chicago, as a lifelong resident? Lots of people left the city
enmasse here too. But, .....they came back! There was a time, in the 70's, that
you would never have believed it. We used
to have ghetto clothes retails and bums all over Randolph and the loop. No one in their
right mind would come here from the burbs, and NO ONE brought families here.
Now, I have to shake my head, as I see hordes of families pushing baby strollers here in the loop every week-end.
Same with Wrigleyville. At one time, nothing
surrounded the park but blue-collar dive bars and there were NO condos or townhomes, anywhere. The only vibrant
place north of the loop was called OLD TOWN, which was a hippy-dippy place with
rowdy singles bars like MOTHERS and
pizza places on RUSH street. Now, we
have condos all over the west, south, and
north loop. 80,000 people live in the loop
area. 1 million live in and around wrigleyville. Detroit, you can do it too!
make it happen! .

BTW, I'm pretty sure anyone intelligent to be reading this board knows very well what
gentrification is......the puerto ricans in Humbolt park here know what it is too!
Roughly translated, it means "White suburban couples without kids looking to move into the city until their kids reach school age"

JOJO brings up good points....It will take a huge effort by everyone, just like a good marriage. Won't happen by people standing around complaining and venting.
It took the guts of the first urban pioneers
here in chicago, most of whom were artists
and the like, to start the movement. Then, they get priced out and move on the pioneer the next place....now they are in the south side, believe it or not, in Pilsen
and Bronzeville, starting little art galleries and theater groups and the like.
Here's what it takes.....artists and single couples with guts......investors with guts as
well as foresight.....imagination and creative
foresight...and finally, a good mayor, which
makes the biggest difference of all....
Our Daley family lives for the city. You can almost say father and son daley ARE
CHICAGO. They both love(d) it, and do/
have done so much..not kidding, they love
chicago.....could Kwame Kilpatrick say the same? Somehow, I think not! And that's most of the problem....

interesting link, to say the least....


http://detroit.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm

over 16,000 houses are vacant in Detroit..
what do we do with them? Shouldn't we at least tear the damn things down, or get Jimmy Carter and Habitat for Humanity
out here to rehab them?
And why do we have a yearly de facto
RIOT, much like the MLK riots in the 60's,
which is a defacto holiday, called Devil's Night? Is it impossible for the Detroit police to eliminate completely Devils Night? Or is the city so far down the tubes that no one cares, as the Ford Family and the other
rich watch the riots in peace on their plasma wall tv's in Grosse Pointe, with the other rich?
How can people just keep the ghetto folks
captive in the city limits, like lion country safari? Guess what, the working class
and middle-class, and rich blacks bailed
out for the suburbs too, leaving their poor
and destitute brothers and sisters behind.

Does anyone in the world care about
the hopeless folks left in the city?
Does anyone care?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Night

Port Huron, your answer is incredible...
why aren't you working for the mayors
office?..better yet, why don't you run for mayor? All kidding aside, I seriously think you should run for some kind of public
office in detroit......My personal solutionis too form a combined city-cuburban gov't that takes in all of Wayne county, along with the tax base and gov't services. Its too easy to hide in Lavonia or Bloomfield Hills
and ignore whats going on in the city proper. If the city proper was cleaned up 100%, you would have a world class city to be proud of. Why should chicago be the only midwest showplace? The hell with Chicago, you folks should make it happen for yourselves. And right now!!!

Also, why can't the two greatest cities in the midwest, Detroit and Chicago join together in this effort to revitalize Detroit?
Chicago, was as bad as Detroit is now in the 70's, actually worse. Why can't some
of the people that were a part of this join together with people that care(yes, lots
of people still care about Detroit)in city
gov't and non-profit sectors to TOTALLY
revitalize the city? It can be done. We did
it. We all share the same population stock,
polish, italian, irish, serbian, even arab......
we are all in this together, and a healthy detroit is good for chicago too. Never, ever
write off hope for the city! Look at the musical roots! Motown,techno, eminem,
The white stripes, segar, grand funk, mitch rider, etc. The auto industry transformed
america, and Detroit was the prime mover
in that, two great newspapers(Free Press
and News), the cultural center, great sports
history. You are the "City of Champions",
my Detroit brothers! Now, make it happen again!

Sexy says Detroit proper is 1/4 the size
of chicago....first, chi. proper is just a tad less than 3 mill, detroit a tad less than i mill,
so it's 1/3 less....second, Detroit city proper
lost more people in last 30 years, percentage AND number-wise, than any city in USA, including Philly.

now, look at this link below

http://physics.bu.edu/~redner/projects/population/cities/detroit.html

1n 1950, Detroit proper had a carrying capacity and population of 1.85 million.
At that same time, 1950, CHicago, had a peak pop of 3.5 million, so detroit city was almost exactly half the population.
Sexy said it is 1/4 now, not only is that incorrect, in that it's 1/3 now, but it has the potential to carry 1.85 mill or more, which
would give it a very plausible potential
of 1.85 or more, especially with mixed-use
and multi-unit housing, like in Chicago now.
Even at the present time, there are only 4 cities in the USA with a current pop over 1.85 million

Those 4 vities with a larger current population over 1.85 million are NYC, LA,
Chicago, and Houston. Surely you can see that populations that size are plenty vibrant.
If Detroit reached its carrying capacity
of 1.85 million, you would have plenty of people to create a critical mass of gentrification cycles like Chicago did.
That would be 2/3rd's the size of present day Chicago. This can be done!
What you have to do is rip the creatives,
tough-minded pioneers, entrepreneurs,
and other like minded souls out of the burbs, and into the city. I don't believe for
one second that the Detroit suburbs consist solely of brain dead soccer moms
and vegged-out dads. And push the cultural institutions and festivals HARD in the burbs, get the requisite policef protection, and finally, do what Mayor Daley does, and tear down whole neighborhoods that are blighted. We just tore down Cabrini-green and the Robert Taylor homes completely. Don't give up out, because thats a cop-out!

BTW, I work in Sears Tower about a mile and a half walk from United Center(Bulls).
Tonight, Eric Clapton is playing there, and
I'm walking all the way there and back.
Think of the implications of what I'm saying.
I'm walking 1 and a half miles down Madison st., skid row in the 40's-60's, and
site of the MLK riots in the late 60's.
It was so bad there up to 1993 that when we'd go see hockey games at the old stadium, we'd pray we would get back in one piece from the car to the Stadium entrance. There were projects directly across the street, and they were beyond scary! Projects in the 70's and 80's out
here were like bagdad green zones.
NOW, I can walk the whole way, and look
at single white yuppie couples walking
weiner dogs, million dollar loft spaces,
and high end restaurants and bistros.
Chris chelios started the whole process,
and now he is trying to do the same thing around Comerica Park

http://atdetroit.net/cgi-bin/foroum/discus.cgi?pg=next&topic=36206&page=42773

Lastly, you Dettroit folks need some balls
to take the city back from the crack heads.
Again, bulldoze for days. Mandate that state
chartered banks must invest a certain percentage of funds in the city. Force
all commercial institutions to play the
gentrification game. Shake suburbanites
out of their antiseptic chain-franchise,
big-box existence. If there is the requisite
will, anything can happen! You have to WANNA! You think it was easy for us in CHiacgo to take back the city? It was excruciating, but people had the balls to do it, from homeowners and investers, and now we have double-decker tourist buses, which we NEVER had in the 70's when the city was shot.
The big three are letting go of reems of people in the next year or so, I hear around 100,000 in the Detroit area alone.
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060920/AUTO01/609200394

This change has to happen now. Detroit
needs a shock that will transform it beyond recognition. NOW. Not later...

Nate, there is an urban renassaince happening all over the nation, even in brain dead cities like Phoenix and Houston.
Detroit might be the only major city missing
out on this. I find it hard to believe that
the "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" world is acceptable for creative and adventurous types in the burbs. I would go frickin' CRAZY if I had nothing to look at but strip malls and big box stores and Mcmansions. Nothing can compare to the dynamics and excitement of urban living! Theaters,
clubs, ethnic restaurants, museums,
festivals, ect.....you can't tell me that its
exciting to live in Rochester Hills or Livonia!
Sorry, but there is nothing like an urban oasis.

I would be willing to chat by phone on this
stuff anytime!
My name is Scott, and I can be reached at
[phone].

Answer 1

hey, i'm from the D. I hope they do something to make the area better. Its on its way, but we're no where close to other cities like Chicago. We have good areas, but considering the size of the city itself, that's not enough. Not to mention that no one wants to go downtown anymore, not from the burbs. They're all afraid of getting shot, mugged, car jacked, etc. There are a few things to see in Detroit, but probably not enough to make it worth the trip. Its not just the lack of jobs tho. Its the city itself. You can't go a block without seeing the burned remains of an old building, or an empty lot filled with trash, or a drugged out homeless person begging for money. The police presence is a joke, unless there's a major event going on, like a game or the auto show. They need to get more businesses in the city, get affordable (and NOT sh*tty) housing, work on cleaning up the streets and the empty lots, get rid of the burned out and/or abandoned buildings, and get more cops out there to keep things safe. More accessable and cheaper public parking would be nice too, since very few people want to park out on the streets because of all the car break ins. I think its possible to completely revitalize the city, but it's gonna take a looooooong time!

Answer 2

First, all of Port Huron's answers are cookie-cutter. He displays just about the same answer for every Detroit area answer.

Detroit is doing much better than it was when Coleman Young was Mayor. Dennis Archer was the Mayor in the mid to late 90s and he brought back many buisnesses to Detroit in which Kilpatrick has taken credit. With Kilpatrick in office the city has not done much. When the cities government is stagnate the city will remain stagnate.

I've been to Chicago and many other cities around the world and they all have something Detroit doesn't have, public transportation. Detroit is not a tourist friendly city meaning tourists barely have a way to get around in the city. Detroit has to create a better transportation system than the People Mover, some busses, and some taxis.

The suburbs of Detroit are nice. There are large houses going up everywhere and the price on the houses is fairly low cost. The county I live in, Macomb (which borders Detroit city limits), has many sub-divisions being built. With the housing being developed there is not much incentive for moving back into Detroit.

I know many people who want to move into Detroit because they love city life. They will only move into the Wayne State University area or downtown. Those areas are nice within the city. But many other parts of the city are run down. All metropolis cities have run down areas but Detroit's bad areas seem to be blown out of proportion because of its history.

Detroit also has a bad history of getting suburban help. Former Mayor Dennis Archer went to the suburbs for help and thats when Detroit went out of its decline. Kilpatrick since has gone away from the suburban help and Detroit became stagnate. If Detroit wants people to move back in I think they will have to get a public transportation system that touches the suburbs so people will not have to live within the city to get to work. I think some people would much rather ride a bus to work than drive themself because it would be cheaper.

People will not be moving back into the city in masses any time soon. The suburbs are too nice with moderately priced housing.

Answer 3

Well first of all you are comparing apples to oranges. Detroit is 1/4 of the size of Chicago, so obvioulsy there is more room for suburbs here. Second, I really don't think Chicago is that cool. It is way dirty, your freeways are impassable, the segregation problem is embarrassing for a major city, and your winters are unliveable. Of course, with more people there are more attractions, but as a major destination - I don't think so.

If you've actually BEEN to Downtown Detroit and some of their beautiful neighborhoods (which by the way, are actually AFFORDABLE unlike Chicago), you would know for yourself what our possibilities are. The average new homes and condos being built are averaging from $300-500k each. I say that is definite signs of "gentrification".

Answer 4

I WISH Detroit would someday be as cool as Chicago, but I don't see it happening as long as the place continues to be run by losers and jobs continue to be scarce. Our public transportation sucks, no one feels safe walking around there, etc.
It does have a few places that are nice, but those are few and far between.
Detroit is called the Motor City for a reason - and the more automotive jobs we lose, the more everything else is effected even if you don't work for one of the big 3.

Answer 5

Well, first of all, if you continue to use the word gentrification, nobody will understand what you are talking about.

And, as to your specific question, I feel that Detroit proper is doomed to a future of mediocrity and deterioration. What was once the manufacturing center of the Midwestern states has declined so fast that the only help for it is to secure a major new enterprise like memory chip manufacturing, or working fuel cell production. With Ford and GM on the run right now, things look really bleak.

Answer 6

confident there is wish for Detroit. the city's financial device is thoroughly based upon a sturdy national financial device. whilst the rustic heads into recession, human beings quit paying for automobiles and Detroit is going right into a deeper financial recession than the rustic. whilst the rustic's financial device gets better, Detroit's will save on with.

Answer 7

the worst thing that could have happened to Detroit was when Mayor Archer signed the residency law that ok'd for all the police/sherrifs/firemen to legally move out of the city
Before than law came into effect- yeah there were some breaking the law and living somewhere else but that was not the norm

Answer 8

The blacks are happy to run the city into the ground. Any attempt to make things better will be derided by the black leadership as the "outsiders" trying to take "our" detroit.
Let them have it.

Answer 9

hey man, don't diss on DETROIT. sure we got our problems, but things are looking up. there's no way we are rivaling chicago for tourists, but we do have some good attractions.

Answer 10

Detroit?? You mean WORLD...Is there hope?!