YOU are the CZAR

[d.mcc]

Start by establishing a Council by ward system, so the communities that need the attention get the proper amount of funding and help to begin to be self-sufficient parts of a more productive whole.

Focus on enticing businesses back to the core of the downtown area's while cooperating with the state government to decrease business taxes to encourage growth in new sectors of industry to utilize the city, region, and state's abundance of skilled workers.

This shouldn't be a Detroit only endeavor, but a regional one.

Oh... and transit...

[Rideron]

[quote=d.mcc;83829]Start by establishing a Council by ward system, so the communities that need the attention get the proper amount of funding and help to begin to be self-sufficient parts of a more productive whole.

From the 'magic funding bucket'?

[MoparDan]

An interloper from the south who normally stays in the "Non-Detroit" forum but this thread intrigued me.
Perhaps this solution wouldn't be for all of Detroit, but could be feasible for some sections. DetroitPlanner, since you are actually in the business of urban planning along with the financial impact, maybe you know something about this company & its projects. At this time they do not have a Michigan office.
http://www.catellus.com/index.aspx

Our old airport area was redeveloped & a co-worker lives in this community. It has allowed her to buy a home on a modest income & provides all her needs. She also told me that approximately 25% of the households are considered low-income.
http://www.muelleraustin.com/explore/index.php

Before criticizing or coming up with excuses why something CAN'T be done, generate alternatives of what CAN or COULD be done. If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem.
Never been there, so why should I even care? Because I hate seeing a once mighty city go down the tubes. Not to mention, being a car guy it sickens me to think the American Auto Mecca is getting beat up from all sides. Things may never be the same but there's no reason why the situation can't be stabilized, made tolerable & attractive.
Just an outside observation for what it's worth.

[d.mcc]

From the 'magic funding bucket'?

Yes, the very same 'magic funding' bucket. You cannot keep increasing taxes to make up for the loss of revenue and ever expect anyone or any business to have any sort of desire to return. Detroit and Michigan need to take proactive stances, much like those done on the movie industry to attract companies back to the region. Federal stimulus money was there, it was available for all the types of things Detroit needed; transportation, infrastructure improvement, development grants, etc., etc.. Sadly, like always Detroit blew another opportunity to do something very positive for itself.

Right now, Detroit and the Region is behind the rest of the country in terms of transit and community well being, and that is something that needs to be admitted by those who refuse to see it.

There are plenty of opportunities to rebuild and promote growth if our politicians and leaders would think of the good of the community rather than the good of their pocketbook. Since they never seem to be pressed by those living in the city to do so, I suspect we will be having this discussion in another 4 years, and another 4 years after that.

[NoHeartAnthony]

I'd put a gun in my mouth.

[DetroitPlanner]

Mopar,

I know of that project, in fact my Doctor's daughter is an urban planner lives in this development. There is a big difference between Detroit and Austin. Currently Detroit is not creating jobs, it is hemorraging jobs. Austin is one of the hottest markets in the country. Another place where that company is dveloping is California, where while their economy is not great either, there is still plenty of population and it also is an area where people continue to move to, while the Detroit area unfortunately continues to be a place where people move from. There are new buildings throughout the metropolitan area that sit empty in areas that are attractive for development. A land bank will allow the City to assemble parcels and sell them off in a way that would produce some revenue for investing in the buildings or demoing the ones that needs demo. This revenue could be a 'funding bucket' though a very small one.

I am confident that at some point the Detroit area will be attracting jobs again, but when? I can't say. It seems that we have been caught lately in a cycle of one step forward and two steps back. A land bank is one policy that could help rationalize a very unrational market. Another policy that would help would be to decrease the roadblocks to trading with Canada, but unfortunately there are more votes in DC along the Southern Border than the Northern one and that is killing us because politicians in Texas and California are paranoid that they will be invaded by people trying to take jobs away from constituents.

[Retroit]

"No" to both of your questions above, but it's good reason for people to continue leaving the city, unless you find living next to a pile of debris acceptable. Wow, you've tried to justify arson now as part of the solution? Because "they are already being burnt down"

Ha! Very clever! I suppose that when the city tears down a house, that justifies people tearing down houses?