Rethinking modern Detroit

I think we're all aware of the tough times Detroit has fallen on in the past several decades and even more so in the last 10 years. The population of the city is declining at a fairly steep rate with a predicted drop of over 150,000 people since 2000 when this next census is complete. When people leave the city (for whatever reason - seeking jobs, foreclosure, warmer climates, etc.) they leave behind vacant houses, untended land, boarded up stores and the general feeling of a growing ghost town.

So what are city officials proposing to do? The Mayor, Dave Bing, proposes that certain residents be relocated from especially sparsely populated areas to existing homes in more populated areas. This would serve a couple of purposes. First, it would create more vibrant and populated feeling communities and second, it would allow the city to buy (cheaply) the abandoned lots and homes and tear them down. This will not only make the city less creepy, but also they hope, lead to the development of a fairly significant urban farming project.



John Hantz, rich guy, proposes to sink around $30mill of his own cash into this project to create jobs, food and a little beauty in a city that's been all but gutted. In return he gets some tax breaks, etc etc etc. City officials are said to be strongly considering this idea.

Here's the issue that is raised with this concept though...it basically means they are giving up. Not giving up on the people who live there now, but giving up on revitalizing Detroit and enticing people to move back or simply get new people to move in. By razing entire neighborhoods and turning them into farmland, they are foregoing any chance at urban redevelopment and with a population still around 800,000 people, Detroit is still a major American city. Also, by creating farming jobs - which are certainly good work - they are not creating the types of jobs that lead to growth in modern cities (technology, R&D, etc.).

So what then for Detroit? I haven't spent a lot of time there but from what I can tell, it was once a really cool city. Responsible for a lot of American culture, home to a lot of brave, cold-weather loving folks, and maybe someday a winning football team (though I wouldn't hold your breath on that one).



Thanks to Fast Company for publishing a series on the Rock City and the accompanying photos.