  Parkguy Member Username: Parkguy Post Number: 343 Registered: 04-2007 |
I don't totally agree with everything Urbanophile says, but this is a well-written, well-thought-out, and though-provoking blog. http://theurbanophile.blogspot .com/2008/11/detroit-do-collap se.html | ||
Glowblue Member Username: Glowblue Post Number: 38 Registered: 09-2008 |
As I posted in the comments, Detroit has experienced shrinkage for a half-century, and it has only led to poverty and destitution. | ||
Xd_brklyn Member Username: Xd_brklyn Post Number: 456 Registered: 10-2003 |
A well thought-out blog post. It could have been an article. As has been mention on this site many times, a ward system would be a huge plus for the city as it would lend some accountability to the neighborhoods. Of course, this doesn't address the economic problems but it would be a push in the right direction. The wards could be based on Greenfield, Springwell, and the other townships Detroit incorporated. Still it was good to read someone outside of Michigan concerned with the fate of the city instead of just dumping on it. | ||
Pffft Member Username: Pffft Post Number: 1839 Registered: 12-2003 |
I like this blog post on marketing/advertising...this guy has some great points, especially about how Detroit should tout the fact that the automakers pay decent wages/benefits...the opposite of Wal-Mart. Then maybe the West Coasters driving Priuses would think about who they're really supporting: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ adam-hanft/lousy-marketing---- not-lo_b_146715.html | ||
Urbanophile Member Username: Urbanophile Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2008 |
Thank you for the link. Glow, I'd like to note that I did not recommend shrinkage as a standalone solution to Detroit. As your response notes, like the auto restructuring, shrinkage is a reality. The question is how you deal with it. brkyln, ward systems have their pros and cons. I suggest looking at how they function in Chicago to see some of them. Whether they are good or bad depends on your point of view. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 887 Registered: 07-2007 |
Urbanophile - Interesting essay. It's good to see someone write about urban issues at length that show some understanding of the challenges that we face in the Midwest and how those are different than urban areas on the coasts. I think the most controversial idea, which you recognize, is the idea of physically shrinking the urban fabric of Detroit. It's not unheard of and it's been talked about here on the boards. The biggest problem I see with the idea is that for Detroit, I don't see a plan to shrink the city that makes sense from a long-term sustainable perspective. While there are areas that are already largely depopulated and would make sense to be "deurbanized", the "good" areas of Detroit aren't logically linked. For example, Woodward Avenue seems like a perfect area to maintain since it connects the downtown to the heart of Oakland County. But even along Woodward Avenue, you have places, like Highland Park, which are like war zones. Adjacent to Highland Park, you have Hamtramck, which is a viable and diverse enclave within the boundaries of Detroit. So is Highland Park an area that you abandon or invest in? If you invest there, there's an incredible amount of work that's going to be required to bring that to a point where people would even consider living there. The other big challenge is the sprawl. Like lots of other Midwest cities, our population is spread across a huge area. If the Detroit area has a metro population of over 4 million, that means less than 25% of the population lives within the city proper. To achieve the numbers you talked about (2.5 - 3 million), that means a large exodus from existing suburbs and the city itself. All I can envision in such a scenario is a much smaller and poorer central city surrounded by a greater number of smaller and poorer suburbs with a few wealthy enclaves (Grosse Pointes, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills) and sprawl continuing out at the edges. (Message edited by Novine on December 01, 2008) (Message edited by Novine on December 01, 2008) | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 2825 Registered: 12-2003 |
quote: Why tout something viewed as a negative. That would be like touting a strike. The first thing they need to do is focus on truth in advertising. Their hidden prices are huge turnoffs and their ads only show prices not available to the general public. Go into a foreign car dealer. One price for all. Not one price for you, one for them, and a large price to cover the other discounts for the people who don't meet any other programs. (Message edited by _sj_ on December 01, 2008) | ||
Urbanophile Member Username: Urbanophile Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2008 |
Novine, thanks for the input. There is no doubt this is a huge challenge. But given the trendlines of so much of the Midwest for so long, I think we have to start getting creative and taking chances. I do think we need to start small and scale up from there as we figure out what works and what doesn't so that we don't end up getting married to an "urban renewal" type situation. | ||
Belleislerunner Member Username: Belleislerunner Post Number: 428 Registered: 12-2003 |
The plans are now out. Seem to read like a PR annual report...Ford was up first... http://www.foxbusiness.com/pdf s/Ford_Motor_Company_Business_ Plan.pdf | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 891 Registered: 07-2007 |
Betting on the bailout has been a short-term win: http://seekingalpha.com/articl e/108806-payday-for-car-contra rians |
