Detroit is a jobs desert. Worst in country by far. Duggan initiative may help?

**brizee** · August-11-15, 09:06 PM

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...jobs/31392579/

Tangentially related a program to match beginning/expanding businesses with needy landlords is chugging along.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...degc/31465343/

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...degc/31103993/

**Cliffy** · August-11-15, 10:13 PM

Its all about the crime. Nobody wants to setup business in a place where you need 10 foot fences with barbed wire and to treat the entry way of a store like a prison.

**ABetterDetroit** · August-11-15, 10:39 PM

What I like about this Mayor is that he has a good grasp on the fundamental problems and reacts with a plan. Will all of them work? I doubt it. That fact doesn't change that what you learn in failure is information that is critical to having success.

**animatedmartian** · August-11-15, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by Cliffy

Its all about the crime. Nobody wants to setup business in a place where you need 10 foot fences with barbed wire and to treat the entry way of a store like a prison.

That depends on what sort of business it is. If it's a warehouse or factory, having 10 foot fences around it is of least concern.

**Danny** · August-12-15, 05:54 AM

That is another reason why black males don up their hoodies, packing their heat and become wanna-be Tupac thugs. Rob, shoot, kill anywhere in the Metro area from ghetto hoods of Detroit and far as 20 Mile Rd. From the Detroit River to far as Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. This is all because our public school system sucks, our family structure has no order, our religious institutions are bunk and no leaders to help our children.

Getting a job in America requires education, no criminal history, network with people and fight racial discrimination. Without it you will not have a job.

Tough luck black males, welcome to the 21st century, welcome the new age. Come up with a plan to save yourself. It's all about survival before culture.

**Danny** · August-12-15, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit

What I like about this Mayor is that he has a good grasp on the fundamental problems and reacts with a plan. Will all of them work? I doubt it. That fact doesn't change that what you learn in failure is information that is critical to having success.

That's right! Coleman Young, Dennis Archer,Kwame Kilpartick,Ken Cockerel and Dave Bing couldn't address Detroit's woes so they just let it slide until the election year is over. Duggan is the do-something mayor.

DetroitBoy · August-12-15, 07:14 AM

He's a great mayor and the best thing that has happened to Detroit in a long time. Things are a lot better already even though there is still a lot more to do.

I do wish his administration was tougher on crime. The task force he has with the Feds is good. How about getting more police from multiple agencies to come and sweep the neighborhoods? Also, border patrol would help stop moving the crime problem to the inner ring suburbs who are being impacted by the Detroit crime problem.

**Hypestyles** · August-12-15, 07:57 AM

There needs to be a lot more diverse industries in urban Detroit; local political leadership never had the vision to try and attract other industries [[i.e., high tech). Being myopically obsessed with heavy manufacturing has devastated local job prospects for the unskilled and semi-skilled residents, and provide no incentive for folks with advanced degrees to either live or set up shop in the broader neighborhoods beyond downtown & midtown.

**ndavies** · August-12-15, 08:23 AM

Sorry but I found their statistics inflamatory:

example.

Nearly 80 percent of city residents live more than 10 miles from a central business district, one of the highest rates of the country.

Detroit is only about 10 miles wide by 10 miles tall. Only a little sliver of the northeast corner is farther than 10 miles away from the Detroit's Central business district. Once you get out to the edge those populations are close to the surrounding suburban city centers. There is no way 80 percent of the Detroit city population live more than 10 miles from a CBD.

**Honky Tonk** · August-12-15, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by ndavies

Sorry but I found their statistics inflamatory:

example.

Detroit is only about 10 miles wide by 10 miles tall. Only a little sliver of the northeast corner is farther than 10 miles away from the Detroit's Central business district. Once you get out to the edge those populations are close to the surrounding suburban city centers. There is no way 80 percent of the Detroit city population live more than 10 miles from a CBD.

This reads like one of those half-baked articles a newbie wrote. They're probably referring to Metro Detroit, and think downtown Detroit is still the center of the hub. In that case they would be correct. But, as those of us that make this area our home know, employment opportunities are really scattered throughout Metro Detroit. As far as bringing "jobs" to Detroit Proper, I don't think there is a skillset for jobs other than labor, which, because of outsourcing and automation, are far and few between.

**Hermod** · August-12-15, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

This reads like one of those half-baked articles a newbie wrote. They're probably referring to Metro Detroit, and think downtown Detroit is still the center of the hub. In that case they would be correct. But, as those of us that make this area our home know, employment opportunities are really scattered throughout Metro Detroit. As far as bringing "jobs" to Detroit Proper, I don't think there is a skillset for jobs other than labor, which, because of outsourcing and automation, are far and few between.

Why designing public transit is so difficult for the Detroit metro area. You identify all of the home-to-work commuting paths along with the arrival times required at the job. You never get enough density in the threads to justify spending on public transit.

**Honky Tonk** · August-12-15, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Why designing public transit is so difficult for the Detroit metro area. You identify all of the home-to-work commuting paths along with the arrival times required at the job. You never get enough density in the threads to justify spending on public transit.

Exactly. If I loose my job in Detroit, and have to take one in Bloomfield Hills, I need to drive there. Detroit needs to clean up it's house, make things warm and fuzzy, jobs will move in, people will follow, tax base will grow. Enough with the pig make-up already.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · August-12-15, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

There needs to be a lot more diverse industries in urban Detroit; local political leadership never had the vision to try and attract other industries [[i.e., high tech). Being myopically obsessed with heavy manufacturing has devastated local job prospects for the unskilled and semi-skilled residents, and provide no incentive for folks with advanced degrees to either live or set up shop in the broader neighborhoods beyond downtown & midtown.

^^ This, nail on the head. Detroit needs to diversify. Automobiles aren't the "end all, be all" solution, because the industry is too cyclical. Car makers are back making money again, but for how long in a still shaky economy?

**Cincinnati_Kid** · August-12-15, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitBoy

He's a great mayor and the best thing that has happened to Detroit in a long time. Things are a lot better already even though there is still a lot more to do.

I do wish his administration was tougher on crime. The task force he has with the Feds is good. How about getting more police from multiple agencies to come and sweep the neighborhoods? Also, border patrol would help stop moving the crime problem to the inner ring suburbs who are being impacted by the Detroit crime problem.

It's a little "early" to declare him a great mayor. He had a lot of problems dropped in his lap, post Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroit is still not out of the woods, despite having a clean financial slate. Crime is still the biggest elephant in the room.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · August-12-15, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by brizee

Tangentially related a program to match beginning/expanding businesses with needy landlords is chugging along.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...degc/31465343/

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...degc/31103993/

With 350+ potential entrepreneurs and 150+ landlords taking part, it will be interesting to see if there is some success with this program. At least this administration keeps rolling out new and innovative programs.

**Gpwrangler** · August-12-15, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Why designing public transit is so difficult for the Detroit metro area. You identify all of the home-to-work commuting paths along with the arrival times required at the job. You never get enough density in the threads to justify spending on public transit.

There's a Smart bus that runs up 94 to 23 mile and across, almost to my work. Rattles along empty every day.

**313WX** · August-12-15, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

It's a little "early" to declare him a great mayor. He had a lot of problems dropped in his lap, post Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroit is still not out of the woods, despite having a clean financial slate. Crime is still the biggest elephant in the room.

And bear in mind that Duggan doesn't have to deal with the red tape and obstruction that previous mayors did, as the city has been under state control/supervision.

**Hermod** · August-12-15, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Exactly. If I loose my job in Detroit, and have to take one in Bloomfield Hills, I need to drive there. Detroit needs to clean up it's house, make things warm and fuzzy, jobs will move in, people will follow, tax base will grow. Enough with the pig make-up already.

Yes, you end up with ten guys commuting from Utica to Southfield for work, anther ten commuting from Southfield to Lake Orion for work, another ten Bloomfield Hills to Ren Cen, another ten from Grosse Point to the Rotunda, and so on.

Even with vans and minibuses, you can't design a transit system to satisfy 30% of them.

**MSUguy** · August-12-15, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by DetroiterOnTheWestCoast

With 350+ potential entrepreneurs and 150+ landlords taking part, it will be interesting to see if there is some success with this program. At least this administration keeps rolling out new and innovative programs.

There should be some success it's basically meant to be the Hatch Detroit contest on steroids.

**hortonz** · August-12-15, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by Cliffy

Its all about the crime. Nobody wants to setup business in a place where you need 10 foot fences with barbed wire and to treat the entry way of a store like a prison.

Do you not follow the news? How can Detroit, or any American city that isn't a magnet for the Top 1%, thrive when the federal government, thanks to trade deals that make it easier for corporations to move jobs overseas, and a tax code that favors wealth redistribution from Main Street to Wall Street. And watch out for China! They're going to cause even more job losses here at home with their reckless currency devaluations

**BankruptcyGuy** · August-13-15, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

There needs to be a lot more diverse industries in urban Detroit; local political leadership never had the vision to try and attract other industries [[i.e., high tech). Being myopically obsessed with heavy manufacturing has devastated local job prospects for the unskilled and semi-skilled residents, and provide no incentive for folks with advanced degrees to either live or set up shop in the broader neighborhoods beyond downtown & midtown.

Many, many cities, counties, states and countries have tried to pick winners and losers. Not all the time, but most often, it does not work. And frequently, industries are attracted that are desirable though people wouldn't have thought they would.

Everyone and their brother has focused on technology and bio-tech in particular. But in SE Michigan, we've grown a tech heavy industry in military applications. There were political reasons few local politicians chased that business over the last 15 years, but it's a booming industry here nonetheless.

I think it's been well-documented that there are significant hurdles for folks with advanced degrees to live or set up shop in the broader neighborhoods. None of them have anything to do with vision. Crime and schools come to mind first.

**Richard** · August-13-15, 01:36 PM

To me the biggest problem in the past has been with the singular building use as an enterprise zone.

For instance Packard on itself was listed as an enterprise zone with no help to the surrounding neighborhood.The theory was somebody comes along and buys the building,fixes it up then the surrounding neighborhood becomes a more desirable place as a whole.

Packard would then have funds available to assist in the repairs etc. as in incentives.

Catch 22 nobody buys the building,it becomes derelict and in essence brings the entire surrounding neighborhood down.

If they take an entire neighborhood with commercial included as a zone it then frees up funds whether the building sells or not,residents receive the needed funds to stabilize and repair the neighborhood and it becomes viable on its own and the commercial building now has a carrot to dangle as an incentive to purchase.

Remember the millions of funds not spent and sent back every year?

If there had been complete zones you could have thrown those funds at those neighborhoods,instead of sending the funds back because the commercial building was vacant and funds were not allocated.

I guess we can go past the fact that for every commercial building that is zoned enterprise and has been for many years,has been under that umbrella of a massive tax break,it breeds cost effective speculation and encourages retaining the buildings vacant.

Is it the best use for taxpayer funds?

Well right now the situation is the same funds are available to one property verses an entire neighborhood if they are not drawn then the entire neighborhood suffers.

It takes a combination of private and public funds to rebuild or stabilize a neighborhood and it could be considered a stabilized neighborhood is in the best interest of the public good.

There is not one city in this country that has had neighborhoods rebuilt etc. with private funds only,all these other cities that you may envy because of the nice neighborhoods compared to what they were 10 years ago,they had help.

But it also takes neighborhood involvement,if you look at the budding neighborhoods,they all have community involvement and a voice,it is hard to sit back and expect somebody else to look after ones best interests if you have a voice use it.

**Bham1982** · August-13-15, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by hortonz

Do you not follow the news? How can Detroit, or any American city that isn't a magnet for the Top 1%, thrive when the federal government, thanks to trade deals that make it easier for corporations to move jobs overseas, and a tax code that favors wealth redistribution from Main Street to Wall Street. And watch out for China! They're going to cause even more job losses here at home with their reckless currency devaluations

And that would be the reason the U.S. currently has the highest employment in history, an unemployment rate half that of Europe, and arguably the best economy in the developed world?

The U.S. has not enough people, not not enough jobs. It's very, very difficult to fill skilled/technical positions right now. We frankly need a lot more immigrants.