Originally Posted by
Bham1982
I disagree, in terms of overall benefit [[I think the suburbs, overall, would probably be stronger with a stronger central city), but you're right that the suburbs don't "need" Detroit anymore.
Some suburbs could possibly be hurt by a Detroit rennaisance. I would speculate that some of the ridiculous prices I see for "urban" living in Birmingham are caused by lack of options in the region. Most folks with money would never consider Detroit, so the people wanting a "city" experience come to a few blocks in the suburbs, and tear everything down for million dollar city homes.
There are tiny city lots [[no house) as narrow as a lot in SW Detroit that go for 500k not too far from me. The surrounding area isn't really that urban or cosmopolitan, but I think the prices are so high because there are no truly high-end Detroit neighborhoods.
I guess some people could speculate that some suburban politicans/jurisdictions benefit from urban decay. Overall, though, it hurts the region.