Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Personally, and I'm completely serious here, I think Detroit should make an effort to import successful homosexuals from around the world to homestead in Detroit.
Think about it. They generally don't have kids so the biggest problem in Detroit would not be an issue to them if we got enough of them to move here. If we couldn't get enough of them here, it WOULD be an issue because resale values would be screwed up, but if there were enough of them to buy enough houses, that might not matter.
So...to fix Detroit, I propose to offer gay people with a net worth of at least $250,000.00, tax credits that are equal to a 70% discount on property taxes for 2 years on a house that they dwell in. When the house is sold the next buyer will get a 60% tax reduction or credit for 2 years, and the next buyer a 50% credit for 2 years, etc. That way, they'll be motivated to move into houses, fix them up to fabulous levels, then sell them and move to the next house to be redone! No poor gay people though. They have to have the means to rehab the neighborhood. The tax incentive would allow them to make some money too.
^^
It might sound funny, but there's a reason cities court homosexuals. Ostracized by mainstream ignorance, they are the urban pioneers with disposable income who move to fringe locations and make them stable for the yuppies to follow.
Gets right back to the idea of turning Detroit into an entertainment mecca. That culture - of all ages - likes its nightlife.
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.
Well, whatever. Then it's hopeless. I guess that's your take-home message. Congratulations on being another part of the solution.
I never said it was hopeless. The title of this thread is How to fix Detroit I gave my opinion on how to do that. I never said that it was impossible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
Perhaps - and this is just a CRAZY idea - if the people of Detroit had some reason to get educated, they might care a little bit more. Perhaps if the fresh ideas for the next green industrial revolution were attracted to the city for incubation, there might be jobs that make getting educated worthwhile. Perhaps, if Detroit's downtown became well known as an entertainment mecca, the people with those ideas might be attracted to the city rather than repelled by it.
Why do you feel that the people of Detroit need "some reason " to get an education? That comment makes so sense to me. What is it that the people of Detroit lack that people in other communities do not. And obviously 40% of the students in Detroit school seem to understand why it's important to have an education. Your statement goes directly to my comment of the mentality of the people in the city... it has to change.
And I agree with you that it would be a grand idea for companies to look to Detroit to launch new industries. But we have to be honest, a company needs incentives to locate to an area, high crime, high taxes and a largely uneducated population are not the attributes that will attract a new company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
It's as if people think because there are bad neighborhoods that all of Detroit is doomed. You point to neighborhoods, but there are conserted efforts to keep downtown clean and litter free. Start there.
I didn't say that Detroit is doomed. My point was that Detroiters need to recognize what is happening to the city. Neighborhoods are extremely important to an urban area. What good is a clean and litter free downtown when the surrounding areas are decayed and dangerous? That to me is like the awnings the city put on the empty and derilict buildings back in the 80's to hide them from the riders on the People Mover.
There is more to the city of Detroit than downtown, and in my opinion, it will take making improvement to the whole of Detroit to bring it back. To be sure there are neighborhoods that are rebuilding but we need more than just pockets of "good" places.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
God, there's just so much defeatism in this area. It's sad, really.
This isn't defeatism, this is reality. Perhaps with a new mayor, one that cares more for the city and it's residents there can be a change. But it has to begin with the residents, they have to want to make the changes that are needed. The rest will follow along.
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.
Well, these are situations that have afflicted many major American cities. I know Washington, DC had many dangerous neighborhoods with crime, decay, and bad services. The homosexual community moved in and with 10-15 years these same neighborhoods were the safe epicenters of culture, nightlife, and real estate investments.
Poverty is poverty. Whether it's in Africa, Detroit, or Irish South Boston. It doesn't just fix itself.
I know all cities have these problems but most aren`t as bad as detroit.
Gays probably moved into those neighborhoods as crime declined and it got safer for them to live there with yuppies and professionals.
Detroit`s problems aren`t from poverty they are from the mentality of the people who live there. People there like the way detroit looks people dont want to help themselves. I lived most of my life in poverty there hanging around with the worst people, not working, etc. Then one day I started thinking the reason I live like this is because I choose too nobody forced me to. But now things are alot better for me I learned of my mistakes and fixed most of them. When young people , gays, pioneeers, etc. move into bad areas they don`t fix the poverty problem they move it.
*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!
The casinos are already there - MGM Grand, Motor City, and Greektown. All very upscale, Vegas-style casinos.
The housing issue is more a matter of demand. There's simply no demand for housing in a city of 900,000 built for 2 million people. as the jobs are all in the wealthy suburbs.
Metro Detroit has a huge immigrant population. I'm not sure how to attract them to the city itself. Or, on a more esoteric level, why do we feel bound to define a central locale if people have chosen to live without one?
Quote:
Gays probably moved into those neighborhoods as crime declined and it got safer for them to live there with yuppies and professionals.
Gays are usually the first ones in. The yuppies and professionals only follow after they have stabilized an area. Then come the baby strollers.
But, you're right, that they only move poverty. But in a city as big and empty as Detroit, maybe they wouldn't have to.
Maybe we can do something different in Detroit that nobody seems to have done in the U.S. (or maybe the world) - actually solving the problems, instead of moving away (flight to the suburbs) or pushing the poor out (gentrification).
We definitely need the state and local governments to promote private and public investment in alternative energy/green technology/green building. This will bring the jobs. Investment more in higher education - the major universities usually have graduates who create spin-off businesses, and the community colleges give opportunities for higher education for those people who can't afford the major universities.
Job creation is a major priority. BUT...
LOWER CRIME: The violent crime has to be curtailed in the city. First, we need many more police officers. BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. Somehow we need to reach these ignorant semi-adults who are plopping out children when they are totally unequipped to raise them, and too often the fathers are deadbeats, so the children end up being degenerate deadbeats who steal cars, rob people, sell drugs, create havoc, don't graduate, and don't become productive citizens. We need strong families - people who are raised to love their families/neighborhoods and to respect other people, respect other people's property, and respect the rule of law.
Too many folks just are not being raised right, they are not being loved and nurtured by their parents, and they end up all messed up in the head, with no long term goals or priorities, only living for today and immediate gratification. If we can reach the hearts and minds of these folks to become educated, productive, and law-abiding, alot of problems would be solved. WE WON'T NEED GAYS.
RAPID TRANSIT. The DDOT is attempting to create a light rail line down the center of Woodward from downtown to 8 Mile to be completed by 2011 or 2012. We need this and more rail lines along the arterials (Gratiot, Grand River, Jefferson), as well as the consolidation of the city and suburban bus system, AND MORE FREQUENT SERVICE ON MANY BUS ROUTES FOR PETE'S SAKE.
RESTORED RIVERFRONT AND BELLE ISLE - as much as the riverfront should be made into well-maintained and interesting parkland, and if Belle Isle could be restored to the jewel it once was, it could really be a catalyst
STREAMLINE BUREAUCRACY - You have to go through all kind of red tape to start a business in the city. Make the process quicker, less hassle, less fees
LOWER PROPERTY TAX RATE AND END CITY INCOME TAX - this will mean that certain services will have to be reduced or privatized, but so many people say that don't live in Detroit because of the high cost of taxes and insurance.
Personally, and I'm completely serious here, I think Detroit should make an effort to import successful homosexuals from around the world to homestead in Detroit.
Think about it. They generally don't have kids so the biggest problem in Detroit would not be an issue to them if we got enough of them to move here. If we couldn't get enough of them here, it WOULD be an issue because resale values would be screwed up, but if there were enough of them to buy enough houses, that might not matter.
So...to fix Detroit, I propose to offer gay people with a net worth of at least $250,000.00, tax credits that are equal to a 70% discount on property taxes for 2 years on a house that they dwell in. When the house is sold the next buyer will get a 60% tax reduction or credit for 2 years, and the next buyer a 50% credit for 2 years, etc. That way, they'll be motivated to move into houses, fix them up to fabulous levels, then sell them and move to the next house to be redone! No poor gay people though. They have to have the means to rehab the neighborhood. The tax incentive would allow them to make some money too.
The "only" major issue with that is that ... it's Detroit. Who is going to move there? What's the allure, other than tax credits? Cold weather and a majorly blighted city with no major shopping, no awesome gay clubs/bars, no gorgeous neighborhoods, and no fabulous people to hang with?
Also, and how do you "stop" anyone from moving there with those tax credits?
Sounds like a fun proposition, but not a real-world one at all. It smells of discrimination, don't you think? (on both sides)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
