http://freep.com/article/20090719/NE...d-city-s-woes?


Articles discusses the loss in population and tax base and ways to address the problems including bulldozing some areas and relocating the few residents to more central locations.

Urban planners insist -- and Detroit's political leaders are beginning to acknowledge -- that the city cannot continue to function as if nearly 2 million people still live there. That tax base is long gone, taking with it the money required to maintain city services and a crumbling infrastructure.
Experts say a downsized Detroit is doable, if these steps are taken:

• Create a new city master plan, a blueprint for future development and the regreening of the landscape.

• Identify which parts of the city are most suitable for habitation and development.

• Develop an execution plan that acknowledges any right-sizing will take 25 to 50 years and should be done in 5-year increments to accommodate budget constraints.

• Take a full inventory of all city-owned parcels and develop a plan to clear, clean and assemble them into usable shape.

• Establish state and federal alliances with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Reserve Board to pursue block grants that could be used to relocate residents.

• Build a partnership with private investors willing to support Detroit's future.