Blues lead way back to urban core

[casscorridor]

Southfield is probably the closest thing to a business center of the region because it's the best location for workforce accessibility.

Detroit isn't transit-oriented whatsoever, and the freeway network is centered really nowhere, but Southfield is a pretty good option.

Really? Southfield the best location for accesibilty? No center of the freeway network? Yet Soutfield is more centered than Downtown???

Here in Midtown, we have 75, 94, 96, and M-10 intersecting. Plus all the major spoke roads intersecting Downtown. We can get to any inner suburb in less than 20min in a car. How is that not centered? Plus we are closer to major universities, Windsor and the airport. So not sure what you mean. Distance from Bloomfield Hills?

[mwilbert]

Distance from Bloomfield Hills?

It wouldn't be too surprising for Bham1982 to have kind of a greater-Birmingham-centric mindset. As far as I can see it would be preferable to commute downtown from everywhere except the northwest suburbs and the parts of Detroit immediately adjacent to Southfield. I'd certainly rather commute downtown, and then I'd be downtown instead of in Southfield, which seems better. But a lot of people live in the northwest suburbs, and a lot of people don't like coming into Detroit, and Southfield is pretty well served by freeways, so I don't think it is absurd to think of Southfield as a natural business center for the region. It will be interesting to see how that continues into the future. While I am a long-term prophet of Southfield's doom, I could be wrong.

[English]

I can't think of any downtown that is at the geographic center of an American metropolis located near a major water system. Downtown is almost always at the point of origin for the city, and for major American cities that usually means near a port.

I know. I was being snarky...

[English]

Really? Southfield the best location for accesibilty? No center of the freeway network? Yet Soutfield is more centered than Downtown???

Here in Midtown, we have 75, 94, 96, and M-10 intersecting. Plus all the major spoke roads intersecting Downtown. We can get to any inner suburb in less than 20min in a car. How is that not centered? Plus we are closer to major universities, Windsor and the airport. So not sure what you mean. Distance from Bloomfield Hills?

You are right -- Midtown Detroit is definitely the most accessible region in the Metro. Plus if there's no events, you don't have the traffic of the NW suburbs/southern Oakland County. [[Yet.)

[gthomas]

Midtown is clearly the center of attention for development...ride through the area and you will see yourself. All freeway do connect, Woodward [[National Historic Byway) cuts right down the middle of town, which connects many cities and Northern suburbs. With Canada just south of us, right across the river....? What you think

[BrushStart]

Midtown is clearly the center of attention for development...ride through the area and you will see yourself. All freeway do connect, Woodward [[National Historic Byway) cuts right down the middle of town, which connects many cities and Northern suburbs. With Canada just south of us, right across the river....? What you think

They call it Midtown for a reason.

Other than that, Southfield is not at the geographic center of region. It is too far northwest. If you look at a map, the Detroit neighborhood of Palmer Park seems about as close as you can get to the center of the region. Regardless, there is nothing in Palmer Park except houses. It is not the central hub of anything, and neither is Southfield. If it wasn't for a handful of highrise office buildings, Southfield would be as nondescript as the other residential suburbs around it. As it stands, many of those office buildings are empty anyways. Southfield has no regional draw whatsoever. It is essentially irrelevant to most people who live in Western Wayne and Macomb Counties, as well as to everyone who lives downriver. I'm willing to bet there are people who live downriver or in Western Wayne County that have never even been to Southfield. Southfield is only relevant to the City of Detroit because they share some daily commuters, and to the residents of Oakland County who work in Southfield.

[Gistok]

Or look at Chrysler, GM and Ford.

If Bob Eaton had lived in the Pointes, I think there's a good chance that Chrysler would be downtown or in Highland park.

If GM did not have a traditional orientation towards the Pointes, then there's a good chance it could have left for Oakland.

And the Southfield Freeway is absolutely key in the growth of Ford HQ. If you didn't have that vital link from Oakland County, there's a chance Ford could leave Dearborn.

I'm not sure where you get your own version of things.... but....

1) Ford owns several thousand acres of Dearborn... thanks in great part to Henry Ford buying up all the land around his family homestead... it has NOTHING to do with the Southfield Fwy. or Southfield... and since Ford has so many buildings and employees working there, the chances of it leaving Dearborn are ZILCH....

2) Lee Iacocca moved the Chrysler HQ to Auburn Hills... not Bob Eaton.

3) I'm sure there are as many, if not more GM executives who live in Oakland County than in the Grosse Pointes... so the point of where auto executives live seems in this case to have little relevance to where GM has their HQ.

Also, you're impression of the importance of Southfield is rather outdated.... Southfield 25 years ago was a much healthier more vibrant city than the Southfield of today. The south half of Southfield is littered with empty office buildings and plazas. Northland is surrounded by empty structures and the center is struggling.

[gthomas]

They call it Midtown for a reason.

Other than that, Southfield is not at the geographic center of region. It is too far northwest. If you look at a map, the Detroit neighborhood of Palmer Park seems about as close as you can get to the center of the region. Regardless, there is nothing in Palmer Park except houses. It is not the central hub of anything, and neither is Southfield. If it wasn't for a handful of highrise office buildings, Southfield would be as nondescript as the other residential suburbs around it. As it stands, many of those office buildings are empty anyways. Southfield has no regional draw whatsoever. It is essentially irrelevant to most people who live in Western Wayne and Macomb Counties, as well as to everyone who lives downriver. I'm willing to bet there are people who live downriver or in Western Wayne County that have never even been to Southfield. Southfield is only relevant to the City of Detroit because they share some daily commuters, and to the residents of Oakland County who work in Southfield.

Oh, and not to mention DMC campus/Henry Ford 'soon to be' campus, Tech Town and Wayne st. uni. campus...as a reason. Way more attractive...for young talent to locate. With many other things of course...