  Hysteria Member Username: Hysteria Post Number: 1970 Registered: 02-2006 |
ICING ON THE CAKE: Warren in flux as city turns 50 New downtown becomes a symbol of debate BY DAN CORTEZ FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER December 31, 2006 When Karl Mark Pall, a Macomb County historian, visited Warren's new City Hall a few weeks ago, he glanced across the sprawling atrium, through the endless glass windows and over a new park outside, complete with an ice skating rink for the winter and room for concerts in the summer. "Warren is building once again," Pall, who teaches at Macomb Community College, said he thought at the time. "The progressives are still here." Monday is Warren's 50th birthday. A half-century after it incorporated from a township of farmers and began to grow into Detroit's most populous suburb thanks to a wave of progressive thinking, the city of nearly 140,000 is going through a midlife crisis. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEW S04/612310612 | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5351 Registered: 02-2004 |
HAH! A white man's ghetto, with a history of accepting white flight, racial tensions, fewer closing manufacturing plants and declining population is turning 50. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 2032 Registered: 10-2004 |
HAH! [Detroit] A black man's ghetto, with a history of causing white (and black) flight, racial tensions, few remaining manufacturing plants, and a steadily declining population is turning 306. | ||
Fareastsider Member Username: Fareastsider Post Number: 37 Registered: 08-2006 |
How could Warren accept the flight it had no choice any major city had its close hinterland suburbanized. If you want sprawl to stop which i assume you do dont you want people to move to this "ghetto". Is that why people move away. Warren for the most part is a safe and clean city. God forbid something positive comes out about an inner ring city and people are already on their soapbox. I think Warren is at least making an effort to re invent itself at the right time. There is a lot of investment privately in the south end from people fising up homes, I work there all the time. THe north end is full of nice brick homes big but not McMansion big. I am excited about what is going on in Warren and hope that it is benefited by people moving there for shorter commutes and the like. | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 153 Registered: 11-2006 |
I like Warren. Lots of proud, good, working-class families. | ||
Jjw Member Username: Jjw Post Number: 218 Registered: 10-2005 |
Warren has a downtown? | ||
Milwaukee Member Username: Milwaukee Post Number: 548 Registered: 08-2006 |
Why is this bad, fewer strip malls and now an organized main street downtown area. Good for Warren. It seems like a fine place to live but I found it to be really boring. I don't know how much they could do with that city. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5355 Registered: 02-2004 |
Jjw, Warren's downtown is at Mound Rd. | ||
Markemarx Member Username: Markemarx Post Number: 13 Registered: 11-2006 |
The "new" downtown, is the newly developed area around the Warren city hall. This is at Common Rd. & Van Dyke. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 2033 Registered: 10-2004 |
There's no comparison between the busy commercial and residential traffic downtown in Warren on Van Dyke and the (mostly bus) traffic in "downtown" Detroit. | ||
Futurecity Member Username: Futurecity Post Number: 430 Registered: 05-2005 |
Yeah, Van Dyke in Warren is heinous car-oriented dog shit. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 2034 Registered: 10-2004 |
Once it was penis envy; now it's traffic envy... (Message edited by LivernoisYard on December 31, 2006) | ||
Rijobo Member Username: Rijobo Post Number: 19 Registered: 11-2003 |
My parents married in "1946" looked and wanted a home in Detroit, found nothing all filled up. They hit 8 - Mile and found Warren & lived happily ever after. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5356 Registered: 02-2004 |
Markemarx, Warren doesn't have a new downtown on Van Dyke yet. It has a new city hall, but no new shops. A downtown must have a retail strip and a city close by. | ||
Markemarx Member Username: Markemarx Post Number: 14 Registered: 11-2006 |
Danny, True, but I believe this Downtown Warren (@ Van Dyke & Common) is the reference per the subject of the story above. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5360 Registered: 02-2004 |
So the new city hall is one of the first phase of the Warren's psuedo Downtown. (Message edited by danny on January 02, 2007) | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 3827 Registered: 10-2003 |
Warren does have the best Mircrobrew in Michigan though. At least they can brag about that. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5361 Registered: 02-2004 |
Comparing Warren to Detroit: HOUSING: WARREN: NICE WELL KEPT UP COOKIE CUTTER RANCHES AND FEW McMANSIONS ON THE NORTH SIDE. GHETTO LIKE NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE SOUTH SIDE. DETROIT: NICE WELL KEPT UP BRICK BUNGALOWS, RANCHES, DUPLEXES, COLONIALS AND TUDORS AT THE OUTSKIRTS. VERY GHETTO BLACK AND BLIGHTED, FEWER VACANT BUILDINGS, BRICK AND WOOD FRAME FAMILY FLATS WITH A MIXTURE OF NEW CONDOS, McMANSIONS AND LOFTS NEAR DOWNTOWN. RETAIL: WARREN: MORE CORPORATE OWNED SHOPPING DISTRICTS ON THE NORTHSIDE MORE MOM AND POP OWNED CLASSIC RETAIL STRIPS ON THE SOUTHSIDE. DETROIT: MORE VACANT AND ABANDON RETAIL STOREFRONTS AT THE OUTSKIRTS FEWER CORPORATE OWNED RETAIL STRIPS NEAR AND AT DOWNTOWN. RACE: WARREN: MOSTLY WHITE WITH A FAST GROWING BLACK AND ASIAN POPULATION. QUITE SEGREGATED THAN 3O YEARS AGO. DETROIT: MOSTLY BLACK WITH A FAST GROWING MEXICAN/HISPANIC, ETHNIC ARAB MUSLIM, KURDISH, EAST INDIAN AND BANGLADESHI POPULATION. THE CITY USED TO BE MOSTLY WHITE AND VERY SEGREGATED. MOST WHITES LEFT THE CITY THE SUBURBS BECAUSE OF XENOPHOBIC AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. TODAY A TEENY BIT OF WHITE FAMILIES ARE STILL LIVING IN DETROIT HOWEVER MORE HIP COOL SKINNY WHITE YOUNG ADULTS ARE MOVING BACK TO DETROIT STARTING THE INNER CITY AND DOWNTOWN AREAS. POPULATION: WARREN: ONCE A FAST BOOMTOWN CITY WITH MORE MANUFACTURING PLANTS AND A WITH A POPULATION OF 170,000 MAKING THE FIRST BIGGEST SUBURB IN THE METRO-DETROIT AREA AND THE THIRD BIGGEST CITY IN MICHIGAN. NOW A CONTROVERSAL BEDROOM SUBURB WITH LOTS OF MANUFACTURING PLANTS CLOSING DOWN AND A DECLINING POPULATION OF 138,000 PEOPLE. DETROIT: ONCE A FAST GROWING BOOMTOWN WITH MORE MANUFACTURING PLANTS AND A POPULATION OF 1,847,000 MAKING IT THE FIRST BIGGEST CITY IN MICHIGAN AND THIRD BIGGEST CITY IN THE U.S. SEGREGATION, FREEWAYS, SHOPPING MALLS, THE 1967 RIOTS, THE ELECTION OF COLEMAN A YOUNG, WHITE FLIGHT, ECONOMIC FLIGHT AND BLACK FLIGHT TO THE SUBURBS HAD CAUSE DETROIT'S POPULATION TO DECREASE QUICKLY TO 860,000 MAKING IT THE 11TH LARGEST CITY IN THE U.S. JOBS. WARREN: THE CITY IS EXPERIENCING NEGATIVE JOB GROWTH IN THE PAST 30 YEARS EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SOME JOBS OUT THERE. DETROIT: THE CITY IS EXPERIENCING NEGATIVE JOB GROWTH IN THE PAST 30 YEARS, BUT ACCELERATED DUE TO RACE, SEGREGATION AND XENOPHOBIA HOWEVER THE CITY IS PROVIDING FEWER JOBS. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: WARREN: WARREN HAS UP TO 5 MAIN DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS WARREN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS, VAN DYKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, FRITZGERALD PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CONNER CREEK CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PARTS OF EAST DETROIT AND STERLING HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TWO CONNER CREEK CHARTER SCHOOLS HAS A VERY LARGE BLACK STUDENT POPULATION AND PARTS OF EAST DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE EXPERIENCED FAST GROWING BLACK STUDENT POPULATION. THE REST THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SECTORS IN WARREN ARE MOSTLY WHITE AND DIVERSIFIED AND ALL ARE DOING GREAT IN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. DETROIT: THE CITY HAS DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LOTS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS AND CESAR CHAVEZ CHARTER SCHOOLS ACADEMIES. DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE DOING WORSE IN THE 30 YEARS! ITS MOSTLY BLACK WITH LOTS OF CRUMBLING PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND FEWER NEW BUILDINGS. SOME DETROIT SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SOUTHWEST AND NEAR WEST SIDE ARE MOSTLY MEXICAN/HISPANIC AND WHITE BUT STILL DOING WORSE! MOST DETROIT CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE DOING VERY GOOD WITH ITS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. CESAR CHAVEZ ACADEMIES ARE DOING EXCELLENT. THE ACADEMY HAS A FAST GROWING MEXICAN/HISPANIC STUDENTS. WHEN THE SCHOOL OPENED IN LATE 1990S, THE STUDENT POPULATION WAS MOSTLY BLACK WITH A FEW MEXICAN/HISPANIC STUDENTS AND PLANS ARE ON THE WAY FOR A NEW CHARTER SCHOOL DISTRICT IN SW DETROIT. HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS: WARREN: THE CITY SOME HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AT THE SOUTH SIDE AND MORE IT THE NORTH SIDE DETROIT HAS A FAST GROWING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN ITS INNER CITIES AND DOWNTOWN AND A FEW IN ITS OUTSKIRTS. CRIME: WARREN: THE CRIME IN WARREN IS VERY LESS WITH A VERY GOOD POLICE DEPT. DETROIT: THE CITY HAS A VERY HIGH CRIME RATE WITH A LOUSY POLICE DEPT. CITY SERVICES: WARREN: THE CITY HAS A FAIR CITY SERVICES DETROIT: THE CITY HAS A VERY BAD CITY SERVICE! DOWNTOWN: WARREN: THE CITY HAS A OLD DOWNTOWN ALONG MOUND AND CHICAGO ROAD BUT A NEW PSEUDO DOWNTOWN WILL BE DEVELOPED ALONG VAN DYKE. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE NEW START OF THE ART CITY HALL IS COMPLETED. DETROIT: THE CITY HAS A DOWNTOWN THAT HAS REMNANTS OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. IT GREW DURING THE BOOMTOWN ERA BUT DECLINED DUE TO ECONOMIC FLIGHT. AFTER THE REN CEN BUILDING WAS COMPLETED, NO OTHER FUTURISTIC GLASS COVERED 80 TO 100 FOOT SKYSCRAPERS WAS TO BE PLANNED. ITS STORES ALONG WOODWARD AVE AND OTHER PARTS WERE BECOMING INSTANT GHOSTOWN. HOWEVER GREEKTOWN THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT AND HARMONIE PARK SURVIVED AND FOXTOWN IS BEING DEVELOPED BY MIKE ILLITCH PROVING TWO NEW STADIUMS FOR THE LIONS AND TIGERS. ALSO NEW LOFTS, CONDOS AND FEWER RETAIL STORES HAD BEEN OPEN FOR BUSINESS. COMPUWARE AND ERNST AND YOUNG BUILDINGS HAD BEEN ERECTED. PLUS, A NEW CAMPUS MARTIUS PARK AND ICE RINK HAS BEEN OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. FUTURE POPULATION PREJECTIONS: WARREN: THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE ITS MANUFACTURING JOBS, WHITE FLIGHT IN WARREN STILL PRESISTS, THE BLACK POPULATION ASIAN WILL CONTINUE TO GROW QUICKLY. ITS NEW PSUEDO DOWNTOWN WILL HAVE NEW SHOPS AND IT WOULD LAST OVER 100 YEARS UNTIL THE AREA WOULD BECOME ALMOST VACANT AND CRIME LADEN. DETROIT: THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO LOST MORE JOBS AND PEOPLE. WITHIN FIFTY YEARS THE MAJORITY BLACK POPULATION WILL DECREASE TO UNDER 300,000 BUT THE MEXICAN/HISPANIC POPULATION WOULD INCREASE UP TO OVER 120,000 THE ETHNIC ARAB MUSLIMS, EAST INDIANS, BEGLADESHIS, KURDISH POPULATION WOULD INCREASE UP 100,000 PEOPLE. THE WHITE DETROIT FAMILY POPULATION WOULD SLOWDOWN BY THE YEAR 2020 THE HIP COOL SKINNY WHITE YOUNG ADULT POPULATION IN DETROIT WOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE VERY QUICKLY FILLING UP MOST OF THE INNER CITIES AND DOWNTOWN INCLUDING ALL OF MIDTOWN. BY 2040 THE WHITE DETROIT FAMILY POPULATION WOULD REBOUND TO ITS 100,000 MARK. DETROIT WOULD BE RESTORED AS A DIVERSE ETHNIC OASIS JUST LIKE SEATTLE, ATLANTA, PORTLAND AND BOSTON. BUT IT WOULD NOT REACHED OVER A ONE MILLION MARK BY 2050 BUT INSTEAD TO OVER 902,000 BY 2040, AND 990,000 BY 2050. | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 129 Registered: 07-2006 |
Danny, after reading some of your previous posts on this forum, i have come to approach your posts expecting, well, not that. Although i still try to read every post with an open mind, more often than not i have found myself a little put off at some of your responses. However, that was a very fair, accurate description of the good and bad of both warren and detroit from what i have seen. at first i wanted to argue about the "HIP COOL SKINNY WHITE YOUNG ADULTS" but then i remembered that i'm a skinny white boy that wouldn't mind living downtown. not so sure about hip or cool though...  I hope you will not hold that previous opinion against me, for it appears to be changing after reading that. | ||
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto Post Number: 431 Registered: 07-2004 |
Its nice a suburb wants to create a town centre. But to be honest, I think it would be better for the suburbs to come together with the City of Detroit to fully support the reviving of the "real" downtown which is downtown Detroit. The suburbs already have a downtown, and thats Detroit. Each suburb trying to create a downtown is never going to help. Again its nice they want to have a little town centre to their area. But to have an idea thats its going to offer a metropolitan lifestyle. I don't think so. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 2050 Registered: 10-2004 |
A modern "downtown" is just about anywhere a Wal-Mart or some such store locates. Just why would or should any suburbanite make a long trek to Detroit for much of anything, except on very special, infrequent occasions? | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 4982 Registered: 10-2003 |
It's really too bad that WallyWorld is our modern downtown, huh? Knowing how you're little more than a contrarian, though, you'll probably disagree with me for its own sake. That's too bad, huh? (please say yes) (Message edited by lmichigan on January 03, 2007) |
