We have a
pretty good idea of what the vacant homes look like and what condition they're in. I know your crack about George Jackson was snark, since he's been
gone from the DEGC for five months, but it sure seems like the city's been doing a significant bit of research into addressing the problems. They put out a
300+ page report, and their approach certainly isn't to tear down every empty house with a few broken windows. I think a lot of this discussion has centered on what we
think the city is doing, and not what it's
actually doing. Are most of the houses being torn down perfectly habitable with a few renovations, or are they burned out, dangerous husks filled with garbage and who-knows-what-else?
True, it doesn't necessarily result in new construction - but I think in many cases that's not the goal. The
Detroit Future City plan is the only plan I'm aware of that attempts take a long view on future planning for the city, and it calls for significant changes in land usage for certain areas of the city. I don't think anybody is reasonably expecting a population explosion in the city of Detroit within the next several decades, so I don't think it's reasonable to expect any significant residential investment either, whether we leave every existing house or flatten whole neighborhoods. Obviously there are different areas with different strengths and needs, and I think things like the city's home auction program is a step in the right direction. But there is quite a bit more that needs to be done, and the scale of the blight problems this city is dealing with are certainly unprecedented.