What will Detroit look like in 20 years?

**boater4life** · April-25-14, 08:23 PM

So I know downtown Detroit is really starting to revitalize, but I'd like to see more being done with schools and neighborhoods. What do you think Detroit will be like in 20 years from now? Will people move into neighborhoods, maybe new houses, and take care of local parks etc? Will there be new waterfront developments along the riverfront that make people want to be around there? Will lots of improvements be noticed in Detroit?

**night-timer** · April-25-14, 09:48 PM

It will take twenty years for any improvements to be noticeable, enmasse. I just don't want Detroit to lose its architectural gems. Sure, most of them are sitting empty, but personally - as a lover of history - I don't want to see them go. Detroit is a great city, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

**corktownyuppie** · April-25-14, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by boater4life

So I know downtown Detroit is really starting to revitalize, but I'd like to see more being done with schools and neighborhoods. What do you think Detroit will be like in 20 years from now? Will people move into neighborhoods, maybe new houses, and take care of local parks etc? Will there be new waterfront developments along the riverfront that make people want to be around there? Will lots of improvements be noticed in Detroit?

The answers to your questions are all here....

http://detroitfuturecity.com/

A group of urban planning experts combined with input from city residents lay out a 30-50 year vision. Quite fascinating.

**animatedmartian** · April-25-14, 11:20 PM

I don't think it'd be economically feasible for Detroit to continue to deteriorate so surely the city will transition into a more stable albeit smaller city. Not literally smaller in terms of city limits, but physically, many areas will become green space and the population will definitely still be around 700,000 after dipping to a point in the 680,000s.

Although there's many unforeseen things that could happen, especially in relation to the economy. There could be something that gives Detroit a great boost economically [[most likely something related to manufacturing) or perhaps the city becomes desirable to different industries such as finance or technological communications [[Twitter, Google, etc). However, no matter what, I don't think these would launch the city back over 1 million residents, at least not within 20 years. But I do think the city will be smarter, cleaner, better managed and overall better place to live as time progresses.

However, I don't think everyone will exactly be happy with this Detroit. I'm a bit cautious to think that Detroit will resemble much like other major cities or to put that bluntly, socioeconomic statuses will still be an issue. Whites will still likely be more overall wealthier than Blacks and Hispanics and will quickly begin to take up a decent percentage of the population. Although, unlike other major cities, I don't see income segregation as becoming too evident within Detroit. Yes, the downtown area and the riverfront going towards Grosse Pointe will be gentrified, but the rest of the city will still pretty much remain pretty balanced and affordable to pretty much everyone.

**Danny** · April-26-14, 06:49 AM

Here's what Detroit would look like in 20 years.

Detroit 2034

Population: 875,782

46% Black, 31% White, 20% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% other

Richard Gasperatto is Mayor. Detroit Lions just won their 5th Super Bowl appearance. Detroit Pistons won their second NBA Championship. People rallied in Hart Plaza to save to the Renaissance Center from demolition. Proposal for the New City-County building is coming. The New 90 Story Compuware Building has been opened. Wayne State University Athletic Programs has joined the NCAA Conference for football, basketball, hockey and baseball.

The State Boundry Commission has overturned the Charter TWP Act of 1948 and 1978. Any townships and villages who couldn't pay their public service debts that is over 75 million dollars will be annexed to a city by public and legislative vote. Redford TWP. lost its public service so its was annexed to Detroit.

Midtown is booming with tall skyscrapers, super condos and rival the New Center Area. D-DOT and SMART merged to become one regional transit authority. New bus routes and light rail routes will be extend as far as Flint, Lansing, Port Huron and Ann Arbor. Most Detroit neighborhoods that used to be black and blighted has new become gentrified. Detroit Public Schools proposed educational methods to save what's left of their struggling schools from new corporate owned charter schools.

**Crumbled_pavement** · April-26-14, 07:58 AM

Basically:

**DetroitPlanner** · April-26-14, 08:15 AM

http://footage.shutterstock.com/clip...s-for-the.html

**Dan Wesson** · April-26-14, 09:01 AM

What will Detroit look like in 20 years?

From my perspective high atop the the center tower of the Ren-cen, I can tell that the blight and ghetto culture dispora is in redshift, all directions north, west and east. This leaves a blackhole where the less anchored and most favored will be enticed back in to fill the void. The blue shift of prosperity is almost perceivable. But... never ever as it once was.

**313WX** · April-26-14, 09:08 AM

Hybrid of Atlanta, Portland and Delta City.

**Hypestyles** · April-26-14, 09:32 AM

people need to have jobs/businesses. blight needs to be curbed once and for all- no more empty hulks lingering for decades. all schools inside the city boundaries need to be thriving. neighborhood crime needs to be minimized, violent and non-violent alike.

jimmyr · April-26-14, 10:01 AM

I'm not a pessimist but some of you have quite a rosy outlook. There are winners and losers in capitalism. So if you truly believe Detroit starts booming, to the detriment of whom? Chicago? Oakland Country? Florida and Texas? I haven't seen any data that shows this shift happening, so I wonder what motivates you all to speak like this. I just don't see how a city that has been so poorly managed for so long, and still has crooked loons in public office, suddenly turns into this inviting utopia moving forward. I think there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed first.

jimmyr · April-26-14, 10:09 AM

I think best case is that you have a very strong police presence in downtown, midtown, cork town, east village, waterfront and all outer boroughs remain war zones [[see: south side chicago). But I still can't imagine a day where any neighborhood in Detroit feels like River north, Lincoln park or old town Chicago. I think there is always going to be a level of danger anywhere in Detroit. I say that because I haven't detected one down tick as of yet. Even with the rehabs the city feels as dangerous as ever.

**SDCC** · April-26-14, 10:14 AM

Maybe change the time to 50 years or 100 years into the future

**rex** · April-26-14, 11:08 AM

I think midtown and downtown will be a bigger rip off than they already are. I want to think the areas inside 94 and 96 will see some new development. They should focus blight removal inside these areas. This area is already probably 75% empty and cleared our, heavy lifting is almost done. There should be a focused effort to clear whatever blight remains in the area away and finding developers to build new homes. Nice ones. 300K homes on big lots with neighborhood watches, little delis, sandwich shops, and bars. Shops that sell things that people with $$$ like. Craft beer, wine, shit like that. A library if there isnt one already. connect, expand, and insulate corktown to the south and woodbridge to the north. Lots of empty land to do so

jimmyr · April-26-14, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by rex

I think midtown and downtown will be a bigger rip off than they already are.

This is what puzzles me. I'm not sure how you can debate the prices they want for the level of living you currently get. Do we really think current Detroit is worth only 10% less than living in downtown Chicago? Robbery isn't just a street crime, it's taking place in apartment broker offices too.

If they have kids lining up to pay that, God bless their business savvy. But I'd think these kids need co signing parents, who have a general sense that Detroit real estate costs a small fraction of Chicago real estate, so how in the world do apartments in Detroit rent for 9/10 what a Chicago apartment would cost?

**animatedmartian** · April-26-14, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by jimmyr

This is what puzzles me. I'm not sure how you can debate the prices they want for the level of living you currently get. Do we really think current Detroit is worth only 10% less than living in downtown Chicago? Robbery isn't just a street crime, it's taking place in apartment broker offices too.

If they have kids lining up to pay that, God bless their business savvy. But I'd think these kids need co signing parents, who have a general sense that Detroit real estate costs a small fraction of Chicago real estate, so how in the world do apartments in Detroit rent for 9/10 what a Chicago apartment would cost?

Supply and demand. Period.

**313WX** · April-26-14, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by jimmyr

This is what puzzles me. I'm not sure how you can debate the prices they want for the level of living you currently get. Do we really think current Detroit is worth only 10% less than living in downtown Chicago? Robbery isn't just a street crime, it's taking place in apartment broker offices too.

If they have kids lining up to pay that, God bless their business savvy. But I'd think these kids need co signing parents, who have a general sense that Detroit real estate costs a small fraction of Chicago real estate, so how in the world do apartments in Detroit rent for 9/10 what a Chicago apartment would cost?

Because downtown Detroit is about the only excuse for a big city feel that Michigan has to offer.

jimmyr · April-26-14, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Supply and demand. Period.

Bologna. In an Econ 101 course, sure. The real world isn't so perfect. I think there is more to the story.

I thought the draw of Detroit is to live cheaply in a city trying to come back. If it costs almost as much as Chicago then kids are getting screwed and developers are getting paid.

**iheartthed** · April-26-14, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by jimmyr

I'm not a pessimist but some of you have quite a rosy outlook. There are winners and losers in capitalism. So if you truly believe Detroit starts booming, to the detriment of whom? Chicago? Oakland Country? Florida and Texas? I haven't seen any data that shows this shift happening, so I wonder what motivates you all to speak like this. I just don't see how a city that has been so poorly managed for so long, and still has crooked loons in public office, suddenly turns into this inviting utopia moving forward. I think there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed first.

I wouldn't say "loser" but there is a real shift away from suburban living that is happening nationwide. Even if Metro Detroit doesn't invest in initiatives favorable to urban environments, like transit, it's hard to imagine that suburban sprawl remains economically feasible if the national trend is going the other way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/ny...grow.html?_r=0

I think the real threat to a Detroit population rebound is whether the Detroit area can attract new blood to the region. Metro Detroit has the worst reputation of any large urbanized area in the country right now so it will be a challenge for any meaningful population bump any time soon.

**wolverine** · April-26-14, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by jimmyr

Bologna. In an Econ 101 course, sure. The real world isn't so perfect. I think there is more to the story.

I thought the draw of Detroit is to live cheaply in a city trying to come back. If it costs almost as much as Chicago then kids are getting screwed and developers are getting paid.

Detroit can't deliver new or renovated apartments as fast as Chicago can. People want apartments in new or historic buildings that have been fixed up nice and have better finishes and conditions. There's a lot of housing available in Detroit, but it's worn out or needs major repairs. It's just not something young professionals want.

If Chicago has demand to build 6000 new rental units in 2014, they will build 6000 units.

If Detroit has demand to build 3000 new rental units in 2014, they might build only 200.

It seems like alot of new development in Detroit comes with tons of layers of creative financing unlike Chicago. You hear about buildings securing all sort of odd loans and grants from government agencies, non profits, various programs, etc. I'm willing to bet the complicated nature of securing financing in a market that has traditionally struggled is suppressing developer's abilities to deliver hundreds more apartments to a market that really needs them.

As a result, you have a very limited supply of high quality apartment that go for Chicago rental prices.

Also, this "living cheaper" idea is often mistaken. People's metric of Chicago is the downtown real estate market. If you get a roommate and rent a gut-rehabbed 2 BR condo on Chicago's north side, you'll pay about $750 / month each on average. Utilities are cheaper in Chicago than nearly all cities in Michigan and generally most people are willing to give up a car for a few years living in Chicago which really cuts cost.

**TTime** · April-26-14, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Because downtown Detroit is about the only excuse for a big city feel that Michigan has to offer.

The only difference between the "big city feel" you get in Downtown Detroit vs. Downtown GR, AA or Bham is the presence of a half dozen high rise buildings and a little more blight. Unless Cleveland is your definition of a big city there isn't one city in Michigan that has a "big city feel."

jimmyr · April-26-14, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Because downtown Detroit is about the only excuse for a big city feel that Michigan has to offer.

Hm. Detroit feels extremely desolate compared to downtown Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and Royal Oak to me. Those cities have energy and foot traffic that I don't see in Detroit. Perhaps in 5-10 years it will develop more of that vibe, but currently? Not in the ball game. The potential is there, but there's not a chance I'd recommend anyone pay nearly Chicago prices for what you get right now. It's robbery. Developers are paying peanuts per sq/ft, getting grants, low interest loans and tax breaks and renting for near Chicago rates. Why am I paying 2024 Detroit prices to live in Detroit in 2014?

**313WX** · April-26-14, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by TTime

The only difference between the "big city feel" you get in Downtown Detroit vs. Downtown GR, AA or Bham is the presence of a half dozen high rise buildings and a little more blight. Unless Cleveland is your definition of a big city there isn't one city in Michigan that has a "big city feel."

Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and especially Birmingham aren't big cities.

And what does Cleveland has to do with this thread? It's not in Michigan.

jimmyr · April-26-14, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and especially Birmingham aren't big cities.

And what does Cleveland has to do with this thread? It's not in Michigan.

Have to disagree with you there. Downtown Grand Rapids has cultivated a great city vibe; high rises, clean, safe, two great hotels, terrific restaurants, bars, entertainment, concerts, universities. Grand Rapids will probably grow to over 200k soon. It doing a hell of a lot better at drawing in college grads than Detroit proper.

Ann Arbor, Birmingham [[but more so Royal Oak) have the vibe of a Chicago neighborhood, not necessarily the vast major city. When you live in Chicago you're not taking advantage of the entire city, you're in your neighborhood the majority of the time. Walkability, restaurants, thousands of college educated people living within a mile of you, tons of foot traffic all the time, etc. No Detroit neighborhood currently offers that.

**TTime** · April-26-14, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and especially Birmingham aren't big cities.

And what does Cleveland has to do with this thread? It's not in Michigan.

Exactly my point and the only reason I mentioned Cleveland was to define a "big city feel." Some people think of Cleveland or St. Louis as a "big city" while others think of a big city as NYC or Chicago. It shouldn't be that hard to grasp why I mentioned it but then again I don't know you.