  Darwinism Member Username: Darwinism Post Number: 727 Registered: 06-2005 |
http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/0 8/real_estate/radical_city_pla n/index.htm?cnn=yes Would that strategy work to help Detroit shrink the area's footprint to a more manageable level, hence saving big money in the process ? | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2998 Registered: 04-2006 |
No. | ||
Wash_man Member Username: Wash_man Post Number: 729 Registered: 05-2006 |
Darwinism, I was thinking the same thing when I read that. Granted, a much smaller city, but a lot can be learned from that article. Also this one: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20080414/BUSINES S06/804140363 | ||
Crumbled_pavement Member Username: Crumbled_pavement Post Number: 336 Registered: 08-2007 |
Wow... Katherine Yung of the Freep said: quote: Almost the exact opposite of how many people in Metro Detroit feel about Detroit. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 1947 Registered: 08-2007 |
There are many empty areas in Detroit. Do you suppose the city is still supporting garbage pickup, water and sewer service, and streetlighting in these areas? (Message edited by gazhekwe on April 14, 2008) | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 95 Registered: 03-2008 |
Crumbled_pavement, I strongly disagree. I think it is the devotion of the residents, business people, and maybe even a few of the tourists that is holding Detroit together as we speak. | ||
Detroit313 Member Username: Detroit313 Post Number: 646 Registered: 02-2006 |
I think Detroit should offer grants to areas, but not to remake open spaces, but to rebuild homes and shops. There is a block for example, Euclid between Woodward and Second Ave where new development (row house) is interrupted by a house, that is about to fall apart. <313> | ||
Crumbled_pavement Member Username: Crumbled_pavement Post Number: 337 Registered: 08-2007 |
Sean, remember I said "many." Not most, not all, many. All you have to do is look at a few threads on this very web site and you will see the hate constantly being spewed all over the place. | ||
Magnasco Member Username: Magnasco Post Number: 254 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well you also said "Metro Detroit" and those aren't the people who are going to be instrumental. It is the actual Detroit City residents. The ones who are living it every day, not just arm-chair quarterbacking it. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 100 Registered: 03-2008 |
Good choice of words, nevermind then. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 906 Registered: 05-2004 |
People need to clean up their own pig pens. | ||
Kaptansolo Member Username: Kaptansolo Post Number: 334 Registered: 07-2007 |
Pride does not pay bills. Money does. As much as I loved Detroit and the "rust-belt" for that matter...I cannot deny that it was contingent on the auto industry and high-paying jobs. Every aspect of my childhood was directly affected by GM, Ford and Chrysler. From Blue Cross and Blue Shield to whether we shopped at at Hudson's. What neighborhood you lived in and whether you owned the property, taxes and being able to go to Cedar Point in the summer. And of course the opportunity for me to go to college. All of these things were directly affected by the auto industry. There always has to be money. Period. Without that...this article just indicates that the city of Youngstown has become a large "park" and the people who lived there who were offered the "incentive" "When only one or two occupied homes remain, the city offers incentives - up to $50,000 in grants - for those home owners to move, so that the entire area can be razed." ...well...where do they move to? What this amounts to...is shrink the town and not include anything or anyone that does not generate money. Wow! Great solution! We created a small town out of a big city...I thought the objective was to grow...not downsize. And if you are going to "downsize"...why call it a success? Why don't we just downsize the entire country? Give land back to the Indians. Oh my God...I said a cuss word there. I am sure if we all moved to the east or the west but not both and concentrated our money and pride...we could have a great looking country for everyone....right? What cities need are gainfully paid occupations. Wall Street of course is not interested in hearing anything like this as I would imagine any of you here that are stockholders in any company that has laborers. (Message edited by KaptanSolo on April 15, 2008) | ||
Crumbled_pavement Member Username: Crumbled_pavement Post Number: 338 Registered: 08-2007 |
Ah, looks like I struck a nerve. Good! | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 2605 Registered: 07-2004 |
kaptansolo, you complain about Youngstown's solution, but if the jobs aren't going there, then there has to be an alternative to saving the city for the people who remain. In the thread the "Worst Parts of Detroit" I advocate that certain areas of the city should be mothballed like what they are doing in Youngstown. I'm concerned with the city saving money by concentrating city services among a denser population. Jobs would be great, but until that happens the population of the Detroit will continue to shrink. Why not shrink the size of the city or mothball areas with little population until Detroit can turn things around and finds that miracle that will repopulate the city? Being smaller and efficient is always the preferred business model. Detroit should give it a try. What's to lose? Oh, yeah, more of the population who's unhappy with the level of current city services. (Message edited by royce on April 15, 2008) | ||
Kaptansolo Member Username: Kaptansolo Post Number: 338 Registered: 07-2007 |
Ok Royce, I will meet you halfway. The land that is "unannexed" will become farmland available to those who just did not have a job and could not find one. Yes a good ole fashioned land grant. 40 acres and a mule if you will. You can certainly grow your own food that way and that eliminates the government handout other than the land. We will have to work out more details...I have a shovel and I can get a rake and be in Detroit in the morning... Let me know... | ||
Funaho Member Username: Funaho Post Number: 43 Registered: 11-2007 |
Maybe if we create enough farmland it'll get developed into suburban sprawl inside the City limits.  | ||
Trainman Member Username: Trainman Post Number: 678 Registered: 04-2006 |
Privatize DDOT | ||
Missnmich Member Username: Missnmich Post Number: 640 Registered: 11-2004 |
I have not posted much lately, since Miss Cleo came back with a user name too close to mine (Missmich vs. Missnmich),but funaho's solution is the best farmland proposal I have ever seen. Thanks for the laugh ... | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 129 Registered: 03-2008 |
The biggest obstacle I see for you guys is locations. To many people want a urban environment. Strong opposition would make it very hard to create any farms within the Grand Boulevard Loop or immediate surrounding blocks. So your left with uptown (between the loop and outskirts) and the outskirts. Unfortunately, most of the vacant neighborhoods are within that loop, and the outskirts are still pretty dense. You could buy up some of those semi vacant areas, as they are often very cheap. But then you're displacing residents, and possibly fueling more moves to the suburbs. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 935 Registered: 05-2004 |
A new kind of urban renewal in Youngstown. Tear down abandoned buildings and leave things empty. The mills were taken away and that has also left a lot of empty space. At least the air is better although with fewer people to breathe it. I have an aunt still there and crime is a major problem. Housing is dirt cheap and it's a rundown area. There is a lot of Detroit there. | ||
Arc312 Member Username: Arc312 Post Number: 54 Registered: 01-2006 |
Having open green space (either it be a maintained park or a swath of land that is allowed to be reclaimed by nature) seems like it would be great. Not only would the ecological footprint decrease, but I can only assume that after a couple of years it would raise property values. However, one negative of rising property values is gentrification which at present seems only to displace the poor as opposed to helping them help themselves. I’d also be worried about the loss of historic gems. From my drives through the city there seem to be many abandoned homes that ARE able to be rehabbed. Was it here on DetroitYes! that I read that the city has one of the highest numbers of pre-WWII buildings? I would hate to see that number decrease… (Message edited by arc312 on April 23, 2008) | ||
Trainman Member Username: Trainman Post Number: 681 Registered: 04-2006 |
How about a one half percent county sales tax for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to pay for a merged DDOT and SMART to replace current subsidies? This is what the Transportation Riders United wants as per a meeting in Royal Oak with SEMCOG and a state senator. They want to change the state constitution to allow this. What do you DY'ers think of this? Obviously regional taxes will help Detroit and make it possible to lower city taxes. Do you DY'ers want to pay for a regional transit system to merge DDOT and SMART? Please comment on this as this does apply to lowering city taxes and is what our regional leaders at SEMCOG recommend and they do control federal and state funds thus this comment does apply here. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 951 Registered: 05-2004 |
How are you going protect these green spaces from dumpers and other idiots? Perhaps a scarecrow with an AK47? |
