Quote Originally Posted by Mikeg View Post
Those very same annexation powers enabled Detroit to expand unfettered until the Great Depression strangled its "growth machine", yet they weren't strong enough?
Detroit's annexation powers were never that strong and never distinct to Detroit [[i.e. any Michigan municipality with city status had the same powers as Detroit). Detroit stopped annexing because 1) all of the townships surrounding it incorporated to block annexing and 2) the city also never made annexation a mandatory agreement to extend its utility services. But Detroit has never had powers like Toronto...