What will Detroit look like in 20 years?

[night-timer]

I predict an influx of whites to Downtown and anywhere with a mile of Downtown [[if that hasn't started to happen already) including young hipsters [[until the gentrification makes it too expensive for them).

Midtown will be thriving and will resemble Downtown in renewed prosperity, but with less highrise.

Tiger Stadium will be built over.

Lots more construction along the riverfront between the GM Ren Cen and the turn-off onto Belle Isle.

We will reminisce about "the good old bad old days", as a friend dismissively refers to all forms of nostalgia.

[Gistok]

Not really... we will continue to mourn "the good old bad old days" with the continuation of the "ghettofication" of the majority of the neighborhoods... as thousands more homes go thru tax foreclosure every year....

[Zacha341]

Yes, I have to say the ruination of home after home and deprecation of whole neighborhoods is something that a 'brightened' downtown and midtown will not cure. We've got to get ahold of the individual property slide in the Detroit communities before we can claim victory for the D.

Not really... we will continue to mourn "the good old bad old days" with the continuation of the "ghettofication" of the majority of the neighborhoods... as thousands more homes go thru tax foreclosure every year....

[professorscott]

Yes, I have to say the ruination of home after home and deprecation of whole neighborhoods is something that a 'brightened' downtown and midtown will not cure. We've got to get ahold of the individual property slide in the Detroit communities before we can claim victory for the D.

Certainly, but you have to start somewhere. One of the original ideas behind what is now called QLine [[and Mr. Gilbert threw in a flaming crap-ton of money so that it can be called that, so thank you Mr. Gilbert and I will call it what you would like me to) was that Detroit needed an anchor to rebuild from, and the downtown-midtown corridor seemed promising. Woodward was still, then, in 2006 or 2007 when we were drawing this shit on the back of pub napkins, a quite-busy street, downtown had quite a bit going on, Wayne State and the cultural center institutions could anchor midtown, and in the middle of it, where there hadn't been much going on at all for a long time, Mr. Ilitch had refurbished the Fox and put his offices next door.

So the question, right now, is how do we take the successes we are seeing in the QLine corridor and extend them - bring some nice mix of retail back into the neighborhoods east, west and north of the corridor, and then spread that over time. It's going to take time and a lot of effort, and over that period mistakes will be made, and not everything is going to work, for a thousand different reasons. Detroit did not fail overnight or for any single reason or in any single place, and the rebuilding of Detroit isn't going to be any simpler than its large-scale destruction and abandonment had been.

As far as the core thread discussion, I won't even, because I know math and chaos theory. Your weatherman can't even get the weather right when he looks out eight days, with all the tools and history at his disposal. [[Check this for yourself a couple times. You'd do just as well throwing darts at a dartboard full of weather forecasts.) Predicting anything out 20 years is just a fun and pointless thing to do, not much different than golfing or working out a crossword. If I'm still here to see it, whatever it is, I'll be surprised.

[Zacha341]

Yes, thank you for your thoughtful response PS. You've made a compelling argument for the need of anchor areas. Where I live has benefited somewhat from the growth and expansion of Midtown. I have to admit that. So how do we extend that to say Fenkell and Lesure? Or say E. Forest and Iroquois? There are so many streets/ areas completely cut off from development. But I am happy to see more mom and pop art communities popping up in areas I'd not think they would be.

...So the question, right now, is how do we take the successes we are seeing in the QLine corridor and extend them - bring some nice mix of retail back into the neighborhoods east, west and north of the corridor, and then spread that over time. It's going to take time and a lot of effort, and over that period mistakes will be made, and not everything is going to work, for a thousand different reasons. Detroit did not fail overnight or for any single reason or in any single place, and the rebuilding of Detroit isn't going to be any simpler than its large-scale destruction and abandonment had been.

[Dino]

In 20 years, Detroit will still tell a tale of two cities. With the influx of young energetic people, and optimistic and undaunted out-of-towners like the Old-New Yorkers coming in, downtown Detroit will be much like many nicer cities in the U.S. Mixed-use developments will create medium-to-high end housing, plus commercial. And small-to-medium sized industry just outside of downtown will recapture an echo of some of our former industrial identity.

The outer neighborhoods will continue to be run by ferals.

The struggle will be in keeping the violence and lawlessness of the neighborhoods from upsetting the delicate ecosystem being built downtown. Too little law enforcement and the ferals will loot and pillage. Too much law enforcement and the ferals will loot & burn.

City & State Government will need to keep the entrepreneurial engine running in the city center, while taking as much grant money from the Federales as possible to feed the outer neighborhoods to hopefully keep them fat, drunk, and happy enough to not stagger into downtown to cause trouble.

[emu steve]

Certainly, but you have to start somewhere. One of the original ideas behind what is now called QLine [[and Mr. Gilbert threw in a flaming crap-ton of money so that it can be called that, so thank you Mr. Gilbert and I will call it what you would like me to) was that Detroit needed an anchor to rebuild from, and the downtown-midtown corridor seemed promising. Woodward was still, then, in 2006 or 2007 when we were drawing this shit on the back of pub napkins, a quite-busy street, downtown had quite a bit going on, Wayne State and the cultural center institutions could anchor midtown, and in the middle of it, where there hadn't been much going on at all for a long time, Mr. Ilitch had refurbished the Fox and put his offices next door.

So the question, right now, is how do we take the successes we are seeing in the QLine corridor and extend them - bring some nice mix of retail back into the neighborhoods east, west and north of the corridor, and then spread that over time. It's going to take time and a lot of effort, and over that period mistakes will be made, and not everything is going to work, for a thousand different reasons. Detroit did not fail overnight or for any single reason or in any single place, and the rebuilding of Detroit isn't going to be any simpler than its large-scale destruction and abandonment had been.

As far as the core thread discussion, I won't even, because I know math and chaos theory. Your weatherman can't even get the weather right when he looks out eight days, with all the tools and history at his disposal. [[Check this for yourself a couple times. You'd do just as well throwing darts at a dartboard full of weather forecasts.) Predicting anything out 20 years is just a fun and pointless thing to do, not much different than golfing or working out a crossword. If I'm still here to see it, whatever it is, I'll be surprised.

Agree with a lot of points here and other posts.

The biggest factor, I think, is demographic and the trend toward moving toward downtowns in many cities, not just Detroit.

Gilbert didn't change history, but he caught the trend and capitalized on it big time!!

If he had tried earlier say 2000, 1990, etc. it would most likely failed big time.

So the big energy will be downtown, Midtown, New Center with new housing with hundreds of units while most of the single family neighborhoods will improve one or two houses [[on a block) at a time.

Certain other neighborhoods, e.g., river front, Corktown, etc. will get more multi-family housing and that will cause commercial activity to move forward.

Business people will always look for neighborhoods which have growing populations and attaining 'critical mass' to support a grocery store, Starbucks, etc. etc.

If I had to predict population growth in the next 10 [[or 20, as suggested by the thread title) years:

1). High population growth: downtown, Midtown, New Center.

2). Medium population growth: e.g., Riverfront, Corktown, etc.

3). Low growth / stable neighborhoods: I'll let others specify them.

4). Declining neighborhoods: Again, I'll let others specify them.

Single family neighborhoods have declined and will continue to do so because of small family size [[less people per house) and an aging population while in 20 years there could be say 5 or 10K new housing units, mostly multi-family, in downtown, Midtown, New Center with younger occupants.

I see 'two' Detroits, a younger Detroit in downtown, Midtown, New Center, Corktown, and an older Detroit mostly living in single family homes across the city.

[mwilbert]

Single family neighborhoods have declined and will continue to do so because of small family size [[less people per house) and an aging population while in 20 years there could be say 5 or 10K new housing units, mostly multi-family, in downtown, Midtown, New Center with younger occupants.

If there aren't more than 10K new housing units in greater Downtown within 20 years, I will be surprised, and it will likely mean that the city's revival has stalled and/or reversed. Prices have already reached a level where development should be minimally constrained by the need for the limited number of tax credits.

[SammyS]

-There will be the never-ending chatter of "you could have had this property for pennies back in 2017"......well that's what they're saying now but referring to 2011/12.
-Autonomous vehicles everywhere and not being obstructed by public transit [[didn't think our shortcomings would actually be an advantage, did ya?)
-Yes, more whites from the suburbs.
-Swaths of land in the city outskirts converted to community farmland [[similar to what you see in Europe)
-Detroit will finally return to rivaling the best and biggest cities in the US.

[ABetterDetroit]

More educated people of many different skin tones in the city who really could care less about race, ethnicity or orientation of the folks that they live close to.

That issue is finally dying off and being buried or cremated slowly but surely and urban areas will be the first places that it will be eradicated almost completely.

[takascar]

More educated people of many different skin tones in the city who really could care less about race, ethnicity or orientation of the folks that they live close to. That issue is finally dying off and being buried or cremated slowly but surely and urban areas will be the first places that it will be eradicated almost completely.

Sigh..... More discussion about "Skin tones" rather than "content of character". Typical libtard attitude.

My wish is that it becomes as socially unacceptable to talk about race and deploy identity politics as it is to use the N-word today.

What many on the left mistake for racism is actually disgust over identity politics and people demanding special treatment and victim status and handouts on the backs of those that work hard and pay the bills for this nonsense.

Detroit was great [[like the rest of America) when we all accepted responsibility for our successes and failures and didn't blame others when we failed.

[corktownyuppie]

I predict an influx of whites to Downtown and anywhere with a mile of Downtown [[if that hasn't started to happen already) including young hipsters [[until the gentrification makes it too expensive for them).

Midtown will be thriving and will resemble Downtown in renewed prosperity, but with less highrise.

Tiger Stadium will be built over.

Lots more construction along the riverfront between the GM Ren Cen and the turn-off onto Belle Isle.

We will reminisce about "the good old bad old days", as a friend dismissively refers to all forms of nostalgia.

Thankfully you won't have to wait 20 yrs for this. You'll probably see almost all of the above in under 7 years.

[Ray1936]

Had my 80th birthday last October. Please forgive me if it seems that I don't much GAF about 20 years from now. That said, I still wish it well.

[401don]

Had my 80th birthday last October. Please forgive me if it seems that I don't much GAF about 20 years from now. That said, I still wish it well.

Finally, someone explains Trump's climate change policy.

[clubboss]

Finally, someone explains Trump's climate change policy.

Good One Don

[dtowncitylover]

My guess would be that Detroit needs an additional 250,000 people in order to become a truly stable city. And not just any 250,000 people, but they need to be college education, with careers, maybe children thrown in there, white, black, Asian, whatever but they need to be working, paying taxes, and consumers. Are we going to get that in 20 years?

If we can't, then we need to invest in the community we already have [[we need to and I know we already do this regardless). We need literacy programs, we need sexual health programs, and we need apprenticeship programs. I know all three are happening right now but it seems there's still a spiral of poverty and despair out there. Are we going to get a better community in 20 years?

Can we get both of these things? I don't know.

I also don't want to imagine 2037 because those kids born in 1997 would be 40 and I hate the idea of being that much older than them.

[MrMichigan]

Detroit attracts hundreds of thousands of refugees from various countries and has thriving new neighborhoods [[Little Damascus, Beirut Town, etc.)

This will be key to any revival.

[1953]

Probably more of this type of insanity:

[Danny]

Detroit 2037

population 910,786

44% black
40% white
11.7% Hispanic
1.5% Asian
2% Arab/other

[[In 2029) Michigan State Legislature and passed a law to have State Boundry Commission Laws of 1948 and 1978 overturned. [[ except whether a township becomes a charter through its own municipal services.) This law can have a city to annex a city including charter townships if they lose one municipal service. Detroit can now make plans to annex Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Wyandotte, Southgate, Allen Park, Garden City, Westland and Inkster.

Redford Charter TWP. is fighting against Detroit annexation due to massive budget cuts and attempts to cut its police, fire and lighting dept.


The City of Livonia is also fighting annexation attempts from Detroit after the dreaded Historic North Rosedale Gardens Riot of 2024 involving shoot death of 8 year old black girl named Moesha Anderson from a former Livonia Police officer and neighbor named Justin Panelli.

LaKeisha Spivey [[ cousin to former Detroit City Council Anton Spivey) is the first Black female Mayor of Detroit.

A ten years after billionaire Dan Gilbert retired from Quicken Loans. A group of investors had decided to turn Bedrock Holdings to Onmi Consumer Products also known as OCP. Plans are on the way to create a giant city-scape called " Delta City."

Most neighborhoods in Detroit [[ that was mostly Black and blighted in most areas.) had been gentrified. More young professionals are moving into West Side, East Side and SW Detroit areas.

The RTA Rapid Transit Authority [[ formerly SMART, D-DOT and the RIDE) has announce plans to expand rapid light rail transit service to Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Port Huron and Monroe.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick died in federal prison from a heart attack.

Detroit Lions won the Super Bowl LXXI Championship against the Las Vegas Raiders 32 to 31. QB Justin Hicks threw a game winning Hail Mary long bomb pass to WR Deshaun Darden for a touchdown. This is Detroit Lions 7th straight Super Bowl Championship in a row the lost streak in NFL history.

Detroit Pistons are in last place for the second time with a record of 28 wins 87 losses. Head Coach Ronald Wiznewski was fired. Center Donyell Williams is a free agent and more like to join the Brooklyn Nets next season.

Detroit Red Wings won their second Lord Stanley Cup against Florida Panthers 4-0 in Little Caesar's Arena. Left wing Ian Howe [[Gordy Howe's Great grand-nephew made a hat-trick. This is his 15th career hat-trick goal.)

Detroit Tigers lost their third World Series Title against the L.A. Dodgers in Comerica Park. 7-5 The game Tigers were in the lead 4-5 at the bottom of the ninth. Batter and Short Stop Chris Puckett [[Dodger) made a game winning home run sent him and two other Dodgers from first and third base home. Tigers manager Sam McFinn threw a big temper tantrum and cussed!!!

Long time Arab-American and Imam Kareem Al-Houda plans to build a mosque on the corner of Plymouth and Southfield FWY. Where the old K-Mart Farmer Jack Plaza and former New Providence Baptist Church once stood. The Mosque will be called Masjid Al-Hussein.

Solomon's Temple Apostolic Baptist Church on E.7 Mile Rd. between Dequindre Rd. and Conant Rd. has moved to their bigger church on Hoover Rd south of Ten Mile Rd. in Warren, MI. where the former Hiller's Superstore Building and bowling alley and apartment buildings supermarket once stood.

Eastland Mall is slated to closed after 80 years of business.


Wayland Industries Electronics and Robotics are using first ever A.I. construction robots to build their 160 story building in Downtown Detroit. Construction to be completed in next year. It will Detroit's first tallest building on Earth.


A drug house in Detroit's Historic Grandmont-Rosedale Park neighborhood in the northwest side has been raided by FBI, DEA and Detroit Police join force. The drug dealers were supplying a most deadly potent synthetic opioid called "Bliss" a yellow powder that can mixed in with any drink that can make anyone get high instantly and increase their heart rate to a point of heart attack, cause raging mood swings and heart failures. One of those drug dealers is lead a 10 year old black boy who calls himself "Mr. Paradise".

Now that is a real future shock.

[Honky Tonk]

Detroit 2037

population 875,978

58% black
25% white
11.7% Hispanic
1.5% Asian
2% Arab/other

LaKeisha Spivey [[ cousin to former Detroit City Council Anton Spivey) is the first Black female Mayor of Detroit.

A ten years after billionaire Dan Gilbert retired from Quicken Loans. A group of investors had decided to turn Bedrock Holdings to Onmi Consumer Products also known as OCP. Plans are on the way to create a giant city-scape called " Delta City."

Most neighborhoods in Detroit [[ that was mostly Black and blighted in most areas.) had been gentrified. More young professionals are moving into West Side, East Side and SW Detroit areas.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick died in federal prison from a heart attack.

Detroit Lions won the Super Bowl LXXI Championship against the Las Vegas Raiders 32 to 31. QB Justin Hicks threw a game winning Hail Mary long bomb pass to WR Deshaun Darden for a touchdown. This is Detroit Lions 7th straight Super Bowl Championship in a row the lost streak in NFL history.

Detroit Pistons are in last place for the second time with a record of 28 wins 87 losses. Head Coach Ronald Wiznewski was fired. Center Donyell Williams is a free agent and more like to join the Brooklyn Nets next season.

Detroit Red Wings won their second Lord Stanley Cup against Florida Panthers 4-0 in Little Caesar's Arena. Left wing Ian Howe [[Gordy Howe's Great grand-nephew made a hat-trick. This is his 15th career hat-trick goal.)

Detroit Tigers lost their third World Series Title against the L.A. Dodgers in Comerica Park. 7-5 The game Tigers were in the lead 4-5 at the bottom of the ninth. Batter and Short Stop Chris Puckett [[Dodger) made a game winning home run sent him and two other Dodgers from first and third base home. Tigers manager Sam McFinn threw a big temper tantrum and cussed!!!

Long time Arab-American and Imam Kareem Al-Houda plans to build a mosque on the corner of Plymouth and Southfield FWY. Where the old K-Mart Farmer Jack Plaza and former New Providence Baptist Church once stood. The Mosque will be called Masjid Al-Hussein.

Solomon's Temple Apostolic Baptist Church on E.7 Mile Rd. between Dequindre Rd. and Conant Rd. has moved to their bigger church on Hoover Rd south of Ten Mile Rd in Warren, MI. where the former Hiller's Superstore Building and bowling alley and apartment buildings supermarket once stood.


Wayland Industries Electronics and Robotics are using first ever A.I. construction robots to build their 160 story building in Downtown Detroit. Construction to be completed in next year. It will Detroit's first tallest building on Earth.


A drug house in Detroit's Historic Grandmont-Rosedale Park neighborhood in the northwest side has been raided by FBI, DEA and Detroit Police join force. The drug dealers were supplying a most deadly potent synthetic opioid called "Bliss" a yellow powder that can mixed in with any drink that can make anyone get high instantly and increase their heart rate to a point of heart attack, cause raging mood swings and heart failures. One of those drug dealers is lead a 10 year old black boy who calls himself "Mr. Paradise".

Now that is a real future shock.

Bravo !!!!

[313WX]

Detroit 2037

population 875,978

I stopped reading at this point.

The city will no doubt fall and stay below 500,000, at least in the foreseeable future.

[archfan]

Detroit 2037

population 875,978

58% black
25% white
11.7% Hispanic
1.5% Asian
2% Arab/other

LaKeisha Spivey [[ cousin to former Detroit City Council Anton Spivey) is the first Black female Mayor of Detroit.

A ten years after billionaire Dan Gilbert retired from Quicken Loans. A group of investors had decided to turn Bedrock Holdings to Onmi Consumer Products also known as OCP. Plans are on the way to create a giant city-scape called " Delta City."
...
Now that is a real future shock.

I'll have what he's having...

[paulj313]

I also don't want to imagine 2037 because those kids born in 1997 would be 40 and I hate the idea of being that much older than them.

As someone born in 1997, I'm not fond of talking about 2037 yet either

[Hermod]

My guess would be that Detroit needs an additional 250,000 people in order to become a truly stable city. And not just any 250,000 people, but they need to be college education, with careers, maybe children thrown in there, white, black, Asian, whatever but they need to be working, paying taxes, and consumers. Are we going to get that in 20 years?

Detroit could be a very stable city with 300,000 less population if the 300,000 that leave are the "right" people.

[dtowncitylover]

Detroit could be a very stable city with 300,000 less population if the 300,000 that leave are the "right" people.

Wow. No this is completely wrong. No one should have to leave Detroit. Damn Hermod, first your complicit in and still defend building freeways that displaced tens of thousands of African Americans into poorly planned and failed housing projects and now you say that the "right" people need to move so Detroit can get better.

OR we can invest in these people's lives instead of casting them off. How about we right the wrongs of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley and invest in communities so the cycle of teenage pregnancy, generational welfare, and crime end. Or no, because that's "socialism" [[when it's clearly not)?

Where do you suggest they go?