Soul-Crushing Sprawl Kills Business (Detroit: credit, headhunters, Home Depot)

[313Weather]

The article's long, but the guy hits the nail right in the head. It comes along with charts of inbound/outbound net migration and pictures too.

I guess it wasn't the taxes or regulations after all hurting Michigan's businesses (at least not the biggest problem). What did Snyder's bill do to tackle our severe urban sprawl problem? In fact, I would argue Synder's bill is ENCOURAGING MORE urban sprawl with his elimination of the tax credits which had the biggest impact in Michigan urban environments. Detroit has doubled its size in area since the 1950s yet the population has been stagnant if not recently slightly declining. That IMO is not fiscally sustainable, but that's just me.

Michigan CEO: Soul-Crushing Sprawl Killing Business | Rust Wire

From: Andrew Basile, Jr
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 12:16 PM
Subject: Why our growing firm may have to leave Michigan.

All,
I hope you find this essay of interest/value. It’s probably something
you’ve heard a million times but I thought I ought to at least try to
vocalize it rather than silently surrender.Moderator cut: quote shortened, copyright protection. Please read our terms of service

[belleislerunner]

Sounds like Andrew is trying to get affirmation that his move to Palo Alto was smart. Sure he can have a sattelite office there - but his comparison of Detroit to San Francisco is as insane as complaining Hermitage, TN doesn't have the same quality of life factors as Manhattan.

His firm doesn't pay entry level law grads the 160 they get at other white toe law firms coming out of law school in Manhattan. The entry level price in San Fran of 135K would equate to 85K in Detroit. His comparison would be more valid if he was comaring Detroit to Denver, Phoenix or Philadelphia. http://www.averyindex.com/cost_of_living.php

Most high performing 20 year olds when given the option of making 135K in San Fran or 85K in Detroit would choose San Fran - if just for the climate alone. Even if was a choice between San Fran and Chicago at 100K - the same 90% would choose San Fran. Moral of the story- I think this guy is just ranting because he wants us to feel sorry his pay of employees isnt adequate or the headhunters he hired are lousy. There's a reason people don't want to work at his firm. Location is the easy scape goat.

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

Sounds like Andrew is trying to get affirmation that his move to Palo Alto was smart. Sure he can have a sattelite office there - but his comparison of Detroit to San Francisco is as insane as complaining Hermitage, TN doesn't have the same quality of life factors as Manhattan.

His firm doesn't pay entry level law grads the 160 they get at other white toe law firms coming out of law school in Manhattan. The entry level price in San Fran of 135K would equate to 85K in Detroit. His comparison would be more valid if he was comaring Detroit to Denver, Phoenix or Philadelphia. http://www.averyindex.com/cost_of_living.php

Most high performing 20 year olds when given the option of making 135K in San Fran or 85K in Detroit would choose San Fran - if just for the climate alone. Even if was a choice between San Fran and Chicago at 100K - the same 90% would choose San Fran. Moral of the story- I think this guy is just ranting because he wants us to feel sorry his pay of employees isnt adequate or the headhunters he hired are lousy. There's a reason people don't want to work at his firm. Location is the easy scape goat.

You're not seeing the big picture though.

The reason San Francisco has higher pervailing wages than Detroit is because they have a higher quality of life/place (even despite the god awful California economy), which was the author's point.

[ForStarters]

I could not have explained it any better.

[belleislerunner]

My point was merely to ask yourself what good can come out of his email blast. Are there constructive solutions to be found? Are there identifying steps to change this mindset? No. So his entire argument/rant actually just makes him part of the image problem. Just serves as another article for people to point to as anecdotal evidence that "Detroit's f*ed up."

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

My point was merely to ask yourself what good can come out of his email blast. Are there constructive solutions to be found? Are there identifying steps to change this mindset? No. So his entire argument/rant actually just makes him part of the image problem. Just serves as another article for people to point to as anecdotal evidence that "Detroit's f*ed up."

Actually, there are "constructive solutions to be found" and "steps to change this mindset," and many people on this site and others dedicated strictly to Detroit and Michigan have suggested them.

The bigger problem is that Detroiters and Michiganders aren't willing to sacrifice a few things in order to achieve these "solutions" or "steps", assuming they even see the problem, because it would involve stepping out of a zone they're "comfortable" with, as the author also pointed out in the article.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

The article's long, but the guy hits the nail right in the head. It comes along with charts of inbound/outbound net migration and pictures too.

I guess it wasn't the taxes or regulations after all hurting Michigan's businesses (at least not the biggest problem). What did Snyder's bill do to tackle our severe urban sprawl problem? In fact, I would argue Synder's bill is ENCOURAGING MORE urban sprawl with his elimination of the tax credits which had the biggest impact in Michigan urban environments. Detroit has doubled its size in area since the 1950s yet the population has been stagnant if not recently slightly declining. That IMO is not fiscally sustainable, but that's just me.

Michigan CEO: Soul-Crushing Sprawl Killing Business | Rust Wire

Build a few more Wal-Marts, Lowes, Home Depots and franchise eateries---at least they create jobs....

SPRAWL is environmental genocide...

[detroitlove]

Hmmm interesting article

[Retroit]

I've been to a lot of other cities and the sprawl in Detroit is no different than any other American city. You could plop me down in the suburbs of any city and I wouldn't be able to tell you what city I was in. Every other city has the same Wal-marts, Home Depots, etc. and an equal number of expressways (although Detroit's are less congested than most cities). The only thing Detroit has more of than any other city is widespread abandonment of the inner city. That's the reason rail transit is hard to justify here. The abandonment wasn't due to failure of civic planning; it was due to a breakdown in the social fabric.

Anyone that says California has less sprawl than Detroit lacks credibility.

[magellan]

He nailed it, 6 penny nails driven into the coffin.

There's a lot to be garnered from this article, actionable items. Like: elect officials to local office who appreciate urban spaces, push to have Brownfield and Historic Preservation Tax Credits kept in place, reign in MDOT and demand that no more highways be built (work on maintaining the ones we have), push for more and better transit, the list goes on and on.