Why I think Detroit is several decades from really improving (Flint: neighborhood, high school)

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by lvoc

The state has taken over the authority of the City. It has not accepted responsibility and does not appear remotely interested in doing so.

By taking over authority, and thus management, the state has by default accepted responsibility for any decision made during the takeover.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

By taking over authority, and thus management, the state has by default accepted responsibility for any decision made during the takeover.

Hardly...

That State would be responsible if they agreed to provide a minimal level of government to the citizens of Detroit. What they in fact have agreed to do is to direct Detroit as to how to spend its money. Good municipal performance does not appear to be a criteria. They are quite willing to be the MC as the Titanic goes down.

[actinic]

Considering the total and utter lack of competent leadership plus decades of reckless squandering of city funds and consequent implosion of services to its citizens its a miracle the EFM has been able to keep the city on life support. It's laughable how critics seem to think the patient is in much better shape than it really is.

[Sharks With Lasers]

I think things are a bit more optimistic than people realize about Detroit. From what I can tell, there is at least some semblance of regional cooperation, probably spurred somewhat by the black flight that took place during the past decade. I think regional cooperation was starting to gain steam in past decade, but the antics of Kilpatrick and the city council held it back. The fact that today, you could legitimately say you are moving to the city of Detroit and people actually take you seriously without their jaws dropping for the most part is a major sign of progress - the reactions even 10-15 years ago would have been much different.

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

So Detroit needs whites in control - that is the "enlightenment" you yearn for?
You mean those "other" white people who voted for Obama - he got your vote for sure, eh.
How about electing the "best" person for each job - isn't that what real enlightenment is? I'm not saying Duggan is a bad choice, but it sounds like you favor Duggan mainly because he's white.

Good Post...vote the best person for the job...who cares if he's black, white, or green

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by Sharks With Lasers

I think things are a bit more optimistic than people realize about Detroit. From what I can tell, there is at least some semblance of regional cooperation, probably spurred somewhat by the black flight that took place during the past decade. I think regional cooperation was starting to gain steam in past decade, but the antics of Kilpatrick and the city council held it back. The fact that today, you could legitimately say you are moving to the city of Detroit and people actually take you seriously without their jaws dropping for the most part is a major sign of progress - the reactions even 10-15 years ago would have been much different.

You are right but progress is slow. The local talk media, whose quest for ratings caters mostly to more prosperous suburbanites, is still feeding the old fires of self-validating separatism. Opposing voices are relatively silent. Just follow the money and think about what you get with news-and-opinion for profit. Self-validation is where the ratings are.

[OyCrumbler]

I think it's likely that by 2020, Detroit will have a population increase--not a decade to decade increase (as in difference between 2010 and 2020), but a year to year for 2019-2020. A lot of neighborhoods in the periphery will continue to lose population in the meantime, but there is a bottom to that. Meanwhile, downtown and surrounding neighborhoods likely have enough momentum, and certainly has enough space, to continue increasing. It's probably around the end of this decade where these two cross-trends intersect and Detroit will see net population growth.

[Retroit]

I don't know...7 years? That's pretty hopeful! I think a neighborhood reaches a point on the deterioration scale beyond which it can't be saved. For example, if only a few houses on the block are dilapidated/burnt out, the block can easily be saved by tearing down the houses. If several houses on a block are this way, then it requires greater effort, but still possible. But once, let's say, half the block is gone, you have reached the "point of no return" beyond which there is no saving the block. I don't know exactly where that point is, but if you drive down many streets in Detroit, you really have to ask yourself "Could this block be saved?" And when you add up all the blocks in a neighborhood or the whole city, you really have to wonder.

Now at the other extreme, once you get down to just a few, or no, remaining houses, then you can evict those still there (eminent domain) and rebuild on a massive scale. But it is that in-between area where you almost have no choice but to let the block/neighborhood/city continue to degrade. It is too expensive to resuscitate it and too cruel to pull the tubes.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by Retroit

I don't know...7 years? That's pretty hopeful! I think a neighborhood reaches a point on the deterioration scale beyond which it can't be saved. For example, if only a few houses on the block are dilapidated/burnt out, the block can easily be saved by tearing down the houses. If several houses on a block are this way, then it requires greater effort, but still possible. But once, let's say, half the block is gone, you have reached the "point of no return" beyond which there is no saving the block. I don't know exactly where that point is, but if you drive down many streets in Detroit, you really have to ask yourself "Could this block be saved?" And when you add up all the blocks in a neighborhood or the whole city, you really have to wonder.

Now at the other extreme, once you get down to just a few, or no, remaining houses, then you can evict those still there (eminent domain) and rebuild on a massive scale. But it is that in-between area where you almost have no choice but to let the block/neighborhood/city continue to degrade. It is too expensive to resuscitate it and too cruel to pull the tubes.

I wonder if they can relocate these people to the inner core of the city, at least as an initial plan to consolidate and remove the deteriorating outskirts.

[jonnynonos]

Most of those houses were built post war. I imagine with zero maintenance they are going to start falling apart--I don't mean looking run down and kinda falling apart--but literally falling apart and becoming unlivable in not too long.