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Old 10-23-2008, 05:09 PM
 
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jjbradleynyc of stamford, connecticut, how do you know that Detroit does not have gorgeous neighborhoods? How do you know there are no fabulous people to hang with?
Of course there are beautiful neighborhoods! And what is your definition of "fabulous people" anyway? No we do not have major retail at all, but how do you know that there aren't awesome gay clubs/bars here? Stamford, CT
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Old 10-23-2008, 05:52 PM
 
72,817 posts, read 62,160,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc View Post
My thoughts:

*Raze the many vacant houses and turn the large empty-tracts into parkland/forestland, within the city limits. Creat bike paths if possible, and/or walking or hiking trails. They could even be turned into the nations' largest "nature preserves" (take preserve lightly...lol).
*Concentrate on cleaning up areas by offering incentives for citizens to care about, get involved, and control their neighborhoods in the inner-city by giving them vouchers for free city services/groceries/home repair stores, etc. They'd have incentive to care about their neighborhood, and they'd get something in return.
*Team up with major developers to build affordable housing that is new in Detroit.
*Lure casinos to Detroit--with an area zoned and specified for just "gaming." This would allow Detroit to "rebrand" itself as so many on this board have discussed.
*Lure immigrants to Detroit to live. This would help build up and repopulate the city.
*Make Detroit more dense.

These are just some random ideas...most are extremely difficult and would take years, sadly. Others would never happen. But, they are a start!
And furthermore, the green industry could provide jobs for people. The Green Industry should reach to everyone, not just the rich. The rich might use it now, but why not give people jobs.

You have good ideas, but Detroit can start first and foremost by getting better leadership and getting the crime rate down, way down. If you can get a lower crime rate and better leadership, businesses will come. Make Detroit a special economic zone.

Lower taxes, balance the budget, give incentives to finish high school. People have to want to finish high school in order to do so and in many cases, people need an incentive to finish.

Detroit needs to clean itself up from the inside first. You do have a point. People need to care about their city.. Detroit is a city that can dig its way out of rock bottom, but the inside needs to be taken care of.
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Old 10-23-2008, 06:11 PM
 
11,155 posts, read 15,660,170 times
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I think our friend from Stamford, CT only knows Detroit from the news.

For the record, there are some absolutely gorgeous neighborhoods in the city, as well as some that are very eclectic.

While the city does lack retail, the metro area invented the shopping mall and has everything from down market to top of the line.

The nightlife in Detroit is actually pretty decent - good club scene, Vegas-style casinos.

The people that are moving into Detroit now tend to be young and college educated. They see the city as an open canvas with the loft and warehouse infrastructure to build their visions as artists or entrepreneurs. Doubt that would appeal to the Stamford crowd (I have family there).
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Old 10-25-2008, 06:34 PM
 
225 posts, read 815,048 times
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Quote:
These are nice ideas but what about the crime, decay, bad services, unemployment, horrible schools, etc. They have tried for years to build these entertainment things and it never worked because the root of the problem never got fixed. Detorit is a very polarized city they wont like yuppies, gays, etc. coming to their neighborhoods.
Crime isn't as big a problem as many assume. Most violent crimes are between people who know each other and provide logical reasons for their own demise. Not paying your crack bill, for instance. Same goes for robberies. Many, many violent crimes in Detroit are scumbag on scumbag crimes.

A bigger problem is the schools. Most of the DPS school system needs to be scrapped or at least taken over by the state. Detroiters and Detroit "leadership" are incapeable of making meaningful improvements. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Even if you don't have kids, you can ignore schools that are nothing more than holding pens.

Another problem is that the underground economy in Detroit doesn't pay taxes. Property taxes should be lowered and some other tax instituted to force those on the fringes of society to pay too. The prostitutes, their customers, drug dealers, various welfare and insurance scammers, etc. There should be some sort of legislation passed that streamlines the forfeiture process for land and property in Detroit that is used for criminal enterprise. It shouldn't take years and many dollars to confiscate a house that was used to make drug profit, or bought with drug money. Take them and either sell them or tear them down.

Get rid of affirmative action (that includes the tacit affirmative action too) in hiring and promotion throughout the city. Start hiring the most qualified for the jobs and you might get people that can actually do the job efficiently.

A 50% reduction in property taxes for 5 years for those who move into the city from somewhere else in the state.
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Old 10-25-2008, 11:21 PM
 
11,155 posts, read 15,660,170 times
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I'll ignore most of that post, but the federal government initiated a program several years ago to give anyone who bought a home in Washington, DC a $5,000 tax credit.

Maybe that would make sense for Detroit.
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Old 10-29-2008, 03:33 PM
 
530 posts, read 1,545,804 times
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Bluefly,

"For the record, there are some absolutely gorgeous neighborhoods in the city"


Where are these neighborhoods you speak of?? Or better, how do you define a neighborhood? 3 nice houses in a row? (I'm being serious).

Previously you posted - "if the people of Detroit had some reason to get educated,"

And later you posted - "people that are moving into Detroit now tend to be young and college educated."

Hmmmm....?
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Old 10-29-2008, 03:43 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn, NY
9,880 posts, read 14,220,086 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by usroute10 View Post
jjbradleynyc of stamford, connecticut, how do you know that Detroit does not have gorgeous neighborhoods? How do you know there are no fabulous people to hang with?
Of course there are beautiful neighborhoods! And what is your definition of "fabulous people" anyway? No we do not have major retail at all, but how do you know that there aren't awesome gay clubs/bars here? Stamford, CT
Well, I re-read my response post, and it was said with rather *dramatic* fashion--I apologize. I do realize there are probably *many* gorgeous neighborhoods in Detroit. I was just responding to the original posters' plan of luring "gay people" to Detroit. I, in no way, meant to offend anyone in Detroit. I'm SURE there are tons of beautiful neighborhoods with many architectural, cultural, and liveable qualities. I didn't mean to cast a broad sweeping generalization to Detroit. Detroit is having a rough time now, and I do hope it can come back better than ever.
I realize the definition of "fabulous people" varies from person-to-person. I may find engineers fabulous, while the next person thinks coke-dealers are. I mean, who knows. But in the context of my response, I think I meant to define "fabulous" people as those that are typically wealthy, attractive, connected, gain access to "VIP" spots, and are known for being "alive" in the nightlife...they typically surround themselves with the "gays." LOL...Plus, I'm sure Detroit has some of those--just probably not as many as say, Chicago, NYC, or Atlanta, etc.
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Old 10-29-2008, 03:48 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn, NY
9,880 posts, read 14,220,086 times
Reputation: 10924
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly View Post
I think our friend from Stamford, CT only knows Detroit from the news.

For the record, there are some absolutely gorgeous neighborhoods in the city, as well as some that are very eclectic.

While the city does lack retail, the metro area invented the shopping mall and has everything from down market to top of the line.

The nightlife in Detroit is actually pretty decent - good club scene, Vegas-style casinos.

The people that are moving into Detroit now tend to be young and college educated. They see the city as an open canvas with the loft and warehouse infrastructure to build their visions as artists or entrepreneurs. Doubt that would appeal to the Stamford crowd (I have family there).
Well, busted. LOL...actually, from what I've read about Detroit, too. My degree is urban planning, and I love to study cities. I want to visit Detroit and see the city myself. My mother lived in Detroit for about a year in the 1960s, and I remember her stories of how dirty--but still super bustling--the auto factories would leave portions of the city. Her friends and relatives were all "moving north" in the '50s and '60s to find work in Detroit/Chicago/Cleveland, etc. I think the '60s was the decade where the decline began...would that be accurate to say?
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Old 10-29-2008, 06:15 PM
 
999 posts, read 4,514,973 times
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Quote:
I think the '60s was the decade where the decline began...would that be accurate to say?
The decline began as soon as the USS Missouri sailed into Tokyo Bay and the last of the war contracts was cancelled shortly thereafter.
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Old 10-29-2008, 10:27 PM
 
72,817 posts, read 62,160,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by and the View Post
The decline began as soon as the USS Missouri sailed into Tokyo Bay and the last of the war contracts was cancelled shortly thereafter.
How? Thw automobile didn't decline until the 1970's.
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