First off, props to the defenders. Also, I appreciate the post of those that can be bold without being too mired in technicality; so, take a tip from Master & Honky [[doesn't sound right-maybe because it sounds like "Master & Commander") for keeping it personal and observant.

What strikes me is how some portioned out neighborhoods persevere quite well. The Cheyenne Littlefield MacKenzie area or around U of D or Marygrove are fine examples [[I think that there is even an area of Warwick, perhaps?-as you go south towards Warrendale. That has it's own preservation club.). It's a shame though, that they have to be so sectioned off and the change in quality so stark from the obvious outlying areas. Now if places like Indian Village, Rosedale Park/Grandmont, and Mexicantown can claim and hold on to it's own preservation....

Look at Brightmoor. That used to be the armpit of the Westside Detroit area in 80's and 90's [[I should know, not only did I know some girls from there.... I had a schoolmate I bought grass off of from that area, and he might as well have been elected Ombudsman. The stories I could tell y'all of that dude...), and now it's sprung back in its own rustic, earthy, roll-up-your-sleeves DIY kind of way that really surprises me. If Highland Park can make a few improvements....there you go.

Granted, as someone pointed out, art, bike lanes, and overpriced hipster eateries are not really boosting things for us, but even the smallest little practical things [[okay like maybe the bike lanes) can make a beautiful difference by those willing to endure the friction, hassle, and uncertainty of it all. Take those guys behind "Sit On It Detroit" for example.

All I know is when I drive past someone in Dearborn and wave at them, I get nothing but a puzzled, misery-loving scowl. When I do the same in Detroit, folks immediately smile and wave without a hesitation. That is the attitude that starts from within to look at things a better way in the face of acknowledging all the adversity, bring out better things from within you, and keep the blight from setting in, the gentrification from undermining us, or the "creeping meatball-ism" from the East from seeping in and turning everyone into selfishly absorbed, numb, conformo, gizmo-gawkers.

...all that, and it would be nice to see a Kroger or 7-11 open up somewhere in the city limits [[thank you Meijer's for not being too afraid on that).