Can Detroit ever make a comeback???

[Coldjensens]

Riverwalk was just voted Americas best riverwalk


https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/02/d...y-readers.html


They really need to put Jefferson underground and make the top available to food trucks and street vendors. Reconnect the City to the Riverfront. Maybe one day get rid of the Ren Cen too.

[djmilf]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

They really need to put Jefferson underground and make the top available to food trucks and street vendors. Reconnect the City to the Riverfront.

IMO, the issue with Jefferson Avenue from the Ren Cen to TCF is that it holds all of the traffic dumped into the area from I-375 and Lodge freeways. There's already a plan to convert I-375 to a boulevard. If that reduces traffic, then Jefferson Avenue might become less congested. Perhaps it could be converted to a smaller street or even removed.

Maybe one day get rid of the Ren Cen too.

Don't you work in the Ren Cen? I notice that there seems to be a lot of surface parking lots just to the east. Do those lots tend to hold the cars of the people who work in the Ren Cen?

If they tear down the Renaissance Center, it would certainly open up a large swath of the riverfront.

[reverberation]

As others have stated, Detroit has already been making comeback - it has been happening for over 10 years now. Last I'd read, there were something like 86 renovation projects on the books (pre-COVID). The really obvious changes have only happened to maybe 9% of the city, mainly due to challenges of the amount of poverty & blight and the immense size of Detroit - it's so large you could fit Manhattan, San Francisco and Boston inside of it and still have room left over, yet it lacks the strong tax base of any of those.

But challenges aside, the comeback is real, it shows no signs of stopping any time soon, and it's financially realistic compared to the past. In fact, I think it was about one month ago that I'd briefly read somewhere that Moody's & S&P maintained favorable reviews regarding Detroit on bonds and even upgraded it in regards to debt.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by djmilf

IMO, the issue with Jefferson Avenue from the Ren Cen to TCF is that it holds all of the traffic dumped into the area from I-375 and Lodge freeways. There's already a plan to convert I-375 to a boulevard. If that reduces traffic, then Jefferson Avenue might become less congested. Perhaps it could be converted to a smaller street or even removed.



Don't you work in the Ren Cen? I notice that there seems to be a lot of surface parking lots just to the east. Do those lots tend to hold the cars of the people who work in the Ren Cen?

If they tear down the Renaissance Center, it would certainly open up a large swath of the riverfront.

I used to work in the ren cen. It is kind of a neat building that never worked. It is designed to be in a suburb, not in a city. It is completely self contained and cut off from anything around it. It was designed as a stand alone fortress. They tried to open it up some a while ago with limited success. The building was intended to hold a shopping and dining mall on the lower floors. I do not think that part of the building has ever been more than 10% occupied. It is a big empty ghost-town except during conventions when hordes of people wander aimlessly about looking for something more interesting than Burger King or Pannera. The majority of the people who work there hardly realize they work in a city and most know absolutely nothing about the city other than it takes a bite out of their paycheck. While it add a neat look to the city skyline, it is a disastrous use of the waterfront (so Was Joe Louis and Cobo, but now the Joe is gone - two to go). Other than riverwalk, there is absolutely nothing to attract people to cross jefferson and visit the waterfront area. Hopefully some thought will go into whatever replaces Joe Louis.



Yes there are a ton of parking garages surrounding the Ren Cen. It seems like an excessive number for the number of people who work there, but parking is expensive, so maybe not. Both sides of the ren cen are nothing but a giant wasteland of parking garages and parking lots (except along riverwalk).



Parking is a huge issue in Detroit again. That plus the City income tax driving away potential employees has become a major issue for our company. It seems like most of our employees love being downtown, but not the tax and the parking hassles.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by newdixiegirl

I haven't been back in Detroit since we left almost 10 years ago. So, what does it now offer relative to comparable cities?

Because in the 14 years we lived there, very few parts of Detroit were strollable. You really couldn't hang out in Detroit with the kids or with relatives visiting from out-of-town. There were always beautiful buildings, of course, like the DIA, but most of those buildings were surrounded by blight.

How is different now? That's not a rhetorical question.

Like most cities Detroit has more appeal for adults than kids, but there are some kid friendly activities. Riverwalk has a park with a merry go round snack bar (all Michigan products) and bicycle/scooter rentals. The DNR center just off riverwalk has a cool indoor fake forest that is really fund for younger kids and interesting for adults. They also have a number of neat side displayes, rides etc. (Also an indoor archery range). Along Riverwalk there is a neat fountain that kids play in, a sand volleyball court(s), lounge chairs, art displays, a state park/nature area, people fishing, and of course the river which is an attraction by itself, especially in the summer when there are many boats, jet skis practicing flips and other stunts, freighters, etc. Sometimes there are old or replica tall ships docked there and the big dinner riverboat can be fun for kids to see. They are building a new area with a lagoon, a beach of some kind, a covered basketball court(s), and playground. Campus Martius has an ice skating rink in the winter, and normally has a Christmas shopping plaza and fire pits with marshmallows and smore stuff available. IN the summer there are food trucks and kids play in the sand at the beach bar. There is often (or always?) live music going on here and there in addition to the street performers. They have outdoor movies in the summer too. Greektown can be fun for youn uns, especially when it is warm and the street performers are out. Astonia bakery is sure to be a hit. Lots of great restaurants all over the place. It is just a neat place to hang out. Friends from nashvill said it is much like downtown Nashville on a smaller scale and not as crowded. In Mid-town there are several museums that are fun for people of all ages. Younger people will most like the science center and the DIA. There is a temporary drive in movie theater in campus martius area. They set up musical swings and other kid and big kid attractions in various locations when it is warm. They also have several family oriented festivals. Winterblast comes to mind. The daytime part of the big jazz festival attracts lots of families with kids. Youmacon is oriented towards teens. Many families attend the daytime part of Dally in the Alley. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony attracted a very large number of familiarizes with younger kids this past year. Sometimes I am not sure what is going on, but I come out after work and see families all over the place like an invasion. Downtown has become a place where people go home, get their family and come back to, especially during events,but often even when there are no events.



Then of course your have the huge number of restaurants and taverns, music and theater venues, major stadiums and theaters that often have kid oriented shows, various art and cultural museums and displays in multiple locations. Specialty attractions like the indoor bicycle racing course, fowling, casinos, puppet theater, music school, many new parks or newly renovated parks.


When I have guests in from out of state, I always try to bring them to the city and show it off. They are always amazed.

[MWnative]

Detroit is making a comeback but I’m not betting on it making a full comeback. A lot of Detroiters will be left behind or they will continue to be pushed out to working class suburbs in decline like Harper Woods, Eastpointe, and Warren. Middle to upper middle class blacks have already moved to Farmington, Southfield, Lathrup Village, West Bloomfield, and beyond. I don’t see that trend reversing for any racial group with the money to settle in suburbs that offer more amenities, less crime and better school districts. There will be a small but significant number of young professionals who have and will continue to settle into Midtown, the Palmer Woods area, and East English Village. I won’t predict if or when other areas of Detroit will be revitalized or gentrified. It’s possible but it won’t be anytime soon.

[drro]

Originally Posted by usroute10

It is the east side of Detroit that is the most decayed and hollowed out.

The west side still has tons of nice looking blocks like this random one:

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4193...7i16384!8i8192

Is the East side making any progress? The West side still seems to be struggling so I would assume the East side may not do so well either yet at the moment.

[Hrw-500]

Sorry if it might be the wrong thread to post this but the 2020 census feel like a cold shower but not as cold as the 2010 census.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...au/5567639001/

Detroit — The city suffered a substantial drop in population in the decennial census, prompting a vow Thursday from Mayor Mike Duggan to challenge the number and get it adjusted upward.

Duggan had suggested Detroit would have experienced a leveling by now after annual counts showed a slowing decline from 2010, when the city's population was more than 713,000. But the U.S. Census Bureau put 2020's population tally at 639,111, a drop of 10.5% or almost 75,000 residents from a decade ago, according to data it released Thursday.

It's the seventh straight decade Detroit's population has declined since the census showed the city with nearly 1.85 million residents in 1950.

But Detroit remained Michigan's largest city, followed by Grand Rapids, which grew 5.8% to 188,040 residents. Warren remains the state's third-largest city.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by Hrw-500

Sorry if it might be the wrong thread to post this but the 2020 census feel like a cold shower but not as cold as the 2010 census.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...au/5567639001/

I find it fascinating that with all the talk about rebuilding the city and bringing more people in, African-Americans have been quietly leaving in droves and setting up their own suburban communities. The ones that can afford to, at least.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...ed/5562144001/