How would you rebuild Detroit?

[jmpatrick]

Let's say you had no-strings-attached money to spend to spur growth, benefit the current citizens of the city of Detroit...and encourage people to move back?

How would you best spend $10,000?

$100,000?

1 Million?

10 Million?

100 Million?

1 Billion?

100 Billion?

How about a Trillion?

I'd love to hear some creative ideas at all levels.

[401don]

Arm everyone, kick out all the illegals and build a fence along 8 mile. This seems like a plan that would be very popular with voters.

[313WX]

If I had $1 Trillion dollars, I would put it towards establishing a WPA-type program.

[hybridy]

fully fund pension system shortfall. fully staff and fund police and fire departments and update neighborhood facilities. sweeten incentives for all city staff to relocate to city. restaff and restore existing school infrastructure across targeted neighborhoods via Detroit future city plan. Rebuild public school system as admission-only 'magnet-type' programs that range across college preparatory to vocational programs with high caliber staff/resources to meet/beat top suburban districts. create incentives for tax paying families with school-aged children to relocate and integrate school system. upgrade entire city infrastructure [[streets, sidewalks, parks, water, storm sewer, lighting, fiber, cable). all these public works would be staffed with local citizens who receive work training. childcare would be provided for single parents to attend work training. plan for extension of M-1 rail to big beaver road. construct extensions on jefferson and michigan ave. eliminate city income tax...top thoughts at the moment. start a 'housing first' policy for chronic homeless population by subsidizing development of integrated housing with full range of mental health, healthcare and rehabilitative services. actively recruit educated immigrants/refugees to recoup population shrinkage by provided land/housing in exchange for multi-year commitment to stay within city. decriminalize recreational use of marijuana [[propose limits) and tax it.

[canuck]

fully fund pension system shortfall. fully staff and fund police and fire departments and update neighborhood facilities. sweeten incentives for all city staff to relocate to city. restaff and restore existing school infrastructure across targeted neighborhoods via Detroit future city plan. Rebuild public school system as admission-only 'magnet-type' programs that range across college predatory to vocational programs with high caliber staff/resources to meet/beat top suburban districts. create incentives for tax paying families with school-aged children to relocate and integrate school system. upgrade entire city infrastructure [[streets, sidewalks, parks, water, storm sewer, lighting, fiber, cable). all these public works would be staffed with local citizens who receive work training. childcare would be provided for single parents to attend work training. plan for extension of M-1 rail to big beaver road. construct extensions on jefferson and michigan ave. eliminate city income tax...top thoughts at the moment. start a 'housing first' policy for chronic homeless population by subsidizing development of integrated housing with full range of mental health, healthcare and rehabilitative services. actively recruit educated immigrants/refugees to recoup population shrinkage by provided land/housing in exchange for multi-year commitment to stay within city. decriminalize recreational use of marijuana [[propose limits) and tax it.

Hasn't this already been implemented?

[Richard]

There is no such thing as no strings attached or free money,but if is fantasy based,to spur growth I would offer every single male a picture of beer and a topless dancer in their house waiting for their return home after a days work,of course there would be alternatives available according ones preference in life.

Realistically the goal would not to actually rebuild Detroit,more so put it on firm ground because of the metrics one could not just change the face of the city overnight without ramifications,granted some are trying hard to do just that with a bulldozer.

I would set the figure at around 2.6 billion,it is a number that has to be sold to the rest of the country because it would take taxpayer monies,and the actual rebuilding aspect would have to benefit the rest of the country and have a direct impact on both the city and country as a whole.

Then one would have to acquire the funds without actually saying that the funds are specifically for Detroit,maybe under a jobs improvement act that would also need to be available to other cities in order to soften the impact.

One could take a couple of closed down schools and create a private/government sponsored trade school situation.Government backs the student loans and the private aspect kicks in on the operation costs and receives first pick of the graduates.

The government loan values are basically subsidized with the private investment to keep the graduating students at a reasonable debt with lower monthly payments.

A lot of long term medium size companies went bankrupt or fell victim to buyouts then dismantled through the recession and hedge fund shenanigans.

Instead of trying to convert the original factory designed buildings into fancy lofts to sell on a dream,one could offer a package to the employees and past business owners in other states to relocate and reestablish business in areas other then the automotive field.

A funding model with a payback verses an all out grant.

Realistically this is an obtainable goal and would relocate approximately 150,000 residents to the city within a couple of years creating a solid tax base and reducing the overall tax obligation to the rest of the city residents.Any more then that would create chaos in the city.

One cannot throw money at propping up schools,infrastructure,homelessness,pension funds,etc. Just as one cannot force teachers,firefighters,law enforcement etc to move to the city.

It is the cities responsibility to provide a place that one would be proud to call home and would be willing to move there on their own accord,not forced to where they will not be happy and that unhappiness would reflect on their job performance.

No matter what one does unless the education is improved with a direct path to employment and the tax base is rapidly advanced everything else is really a moot point because it still needs too be paid for in the end by the existing tax base,and the existing tax base needs to be comparatively feasible.

Granted 2.6 billion sounds like a lot of money but in the bigger picture of things it really is not,it would be a taxpayer and private investment with a return and provide a labor force that is in demand country wide,all the other ills of the city are taken care of through the natural course of what a solid tax base brings.

The ills are still going to be there in the meantime and it does involve real lives so the goal would be hard and fast with a 3 year timeline.

I think the biggest problem with that whole scenario would be the backlash from bringing in all of those outsiders which will cause rift in the city and displace lower income or long term residents.I guess in anticipation one could always buy a big chunk of land and plant some trees on it,it really does not take long to throw up a new subdivision,kinda like a 1920s type replica of a actual neighborhood.

Not like I have actually put any thought into the whole scenario but I guess it looks good on paper.

I could set up a corporation and everybody in the city can put a dollar a week in and then every time the power ball hits the 400 million dollar payout the corporation can buy tens of thousands of tickets to even the odds of winning and then use those winnings to rebuild the city.

Of course there would be certain administrative costs involved that would have to be taken into account.

If one is talking only about ten thousand dollars then I would buy 10,000 people a coke and the city could go in the book of world records as the city having the most people smiling at one time.

[Honky Tonk]

There is no such thing as no strings attached or free money,but if is fantasy based,to spur growth I would offer every single male a picture of beer and a topless dancer in their house waiting for their return home after a days work, of course there would be alternatives available according ones preference in life.
If one is talking only about ten thousand dollars then I would buy 10,000 people a coke and the city could go in the book of world records as the city having the most people smiling at one time.

Damn it, Richard, I changed my mind. I'm writing YOU in for President!

On a more serious note, until you change the mindset of some of the residents, I don't see anything changing in Detroit other than more buildings and food.

[SyGolden48236]

There is no such thing as no strings attached or free money,but if is fantasy based,to spur growth I would offer every single male a picture of beer and a topless dancer in their house waiting for their return home after a days work,of course there would be alternatives available according ones preference in life.

A picture of beer is not going to motivate anybody. Perhaps a real pitcher or two or three of beer might though.

[Honky Tonk]

A picture of beer is not going to motivate anybody. Perhaps a real pitcher or two or three of beer might though.

Haven't you heard of dangling the carrot in front of the horses nose? A picture could work...

[1953]

I'd replace that gross shopping plaza at Holbrook and Jos. Campau in Hamtramck with buildings built in the traditional vernacular.

Also, I would buy up Highland Park and make it my own private estate.

[oladub]

1) If the City does not have enough money to fund its pension obligations, offer large tracts of vacant land to e.g. firemen, teachers unions. The unions could parcel out individual lots to retirees, sell them off, or unions could choose to sell off or develop those large tracts.

2) Allow very large sections of vacant land to be sold off to developers allowing gated communities to create jobs and expand the tax base.

[casscorridor]

Form a strong regional authority made up of directly elected council that combines water, transport, police and regional planning. Local town or districts continue to oversee local planning, waste collection, schools, etc. But an education authority is formed not to run schools but to ensure standards across the regional city.

To build new infrastructure, the transport authority will tax the region as a whole, but also through value capture from transit-oriented development. Through the latter, more expensive transport projects can be built that benefit specific areas more than others [[a key sticking point for our region, no one wants to pay for someone else's train).

Free community college and four-year college at any college or university within the regional city, via a voucher.

[dguy4evr]

I would bulldoze everything outside of the Outer Drive Boundary and recreate the city with a much smaller infrastructure and affordable housing for the low incomes. Why try to keep maintaining sewage, telephone, gas, and electricity lines in areas with ten homes per square block?

[Richard]

A picture of beer is not going to motivate anybody. Perhaps a real pitcher or two or three of beer might though.

Ironic,I own several restaurants and nightclubs and sell lots of pitchers but maybe because I make it a personal policy not to consume alcohol in my own establishments,I have no clue how to spell it,maybe I should start then i could blame it on SIRI

Or maybe it was my business subconscious automatically trying to offer the cheapest route,hell, I do not know or in short, I have nothing in defense.

[Gistok]

I would bulldoze everything outside of the Outer Drive Boundary and recreate the city with a much smaller infrastructure and affordable housing for the low incomes. Why try to keep maintaining sewage, telephone, gas, and electricity lines in areas with ten homes per square block?

Why would you do that? That's where more of the higher density surviving neighborhoods are located. There are exceptions of course... but generally most of the surviving non historic areas are outside of that loop.