Bottom up vs. top down change

In his latest column, Nolan Finley argues that the city needs a handful of super-powerful business titans [[a la Penske) to step in and save it:

Quote:

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Certainly, there is a committed corps of bright, dedicated business people who wear themselves out trying to fix Detroit's problems. But they're too few in number, and too few of them can be called giants. The erosion of Detroit's industrial base has left it without the concentration of wealth and power that produces world-class leadership ... But leadership of the Ford/Fisher caliber is what it will take to save Detroit.

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I posted a rebuttal on my blog, think Detroit, but here's the gist:

• Major business leaders who devote time and money to the city's revitalization deserve praise and gratitude, but it's delusional and defies history to expect anyone, however rich and powerful, to swoop in and "save" the city.

• The city's quick-fix approach to development has produced a series of major developments -- the Ren Cen, casinos, stadiums, hotels -- but no true revival, especially of the neighborhoods, most of which continue to rapidly decline.

• The most important work being done in the city is happening from the bottom up. Foundations should be backing innovative non-profits, small businesses, and start-ups, or projects with broad community support, like the Riverfront Conservancy, not mega-block projects focused solely downtown.

Ultimately, I think the city's revitalization may depend on welding these two different visions of change together -- community-supported projects backed by big name dollars -- the Riverfront Conservancy being a great example.

Thoughts?

Nicely put, Coop. I think it's another take on how Detroit's leadership always looks to smooth the way for the big guys, while not caring about the mom-and-pop businesses that always made this city. We're supposed to fall all over ourselves for the well-to-do, giving them tax-breaks, authorities, funding, and more, while we keep raising fees and inspections and charges for the rank-and-file residents and proprietors. And, of course, I doubt Nolan really believes any of this. He's just recharging that tired old BS line about "wealth creators" and "innovative leaders" and other happy crap about our capitalist heroes riding to the rescue. If anything, those business leaders have their head so far up their asses about Detroit's real problems they probably think the city needs a colonoscopy ... :p

Doesn't his own example of the development of the Ren Cen show the weakness of his argument? Max Fisher and Henry Ford managed to get the Ren Cen built but to what outcome? Downtown continued to decline for another 20 years. It's only been in the past 10 years or so that things have started to turn around.

Finley should be asked for examples of cities that have been turned around by this kind of power structure. He cites Grand Rapids but I think you would find few in GR who would give that much credit to the Amway crowd. Van Andel and DeVos have been major players in GR but they are hardly the only players in town. More importantly, GR has thrived where Detroit has not because all of the major power players in the city and region are generally on board with a consistent direction for the city. It's a lot easier to be successful when everyone is generally pulling in the same direction.

Detroit as a city has operated on the "Big projects by big people" principal since before the Ren Cen was built, it just happens to be the poster child. So we build [[or occasionally restore/renovate old) into a new, big thing.
One problem is all of the little slots [[storefronts and large former retail spaces) in the city. The poor guy wanting or trying to start a business does not have the help of the city. The small business startup has a mixed salad of uneven regulation by well meaning but uncoordinated inspectors and managers, each managing their slice of the city, practicing random acts of regulation. No big tax breaks, not much in the way of police support either.
If the city is to improve from the bottom up it will have to begin with local support for the small businesses that once filled every linear foot of the mile roads and spoke streets.