Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City. PBS special

[DetroitZack]

February 8th at 10pm on PBS is a show on how Detroit may come to represent the future of transportation and progress in America. At the link below is a trailer.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintame...o-preview/861/

[Tig3rzhark]

I just took a look at the trailer, and am looking forward to watching the video. As an inner-city resident, I'm divided on whether I should continue to stay until the city, as well as the nation can finally decide to move transportation to the 21st century as other nations have already done.

However, given the trouble that the city is in, I maybe end up too old by the time Detroit wises up.

So I'm giving some thought on whether to stay and continue advocating or leaving for areas more friendly to bicyclists and those that use public transportation.

[Mackinaw]

Looks great, thanks for the link.

I look forward to living in a transit oriented Detroit. Hopefully this sort of exposure forces the issue.

[ordinary]

It looks as if it will be interesting. There's a quote from the trailer, "When we talk about rebuilding America, that has to start here in Detroit." I would have to ask, "Why?"

[Lorax]

I would say to correct a wrong that has been forced on Detroit by politics and big business for more than half a century.

GM was instrumental in killing the streetcar system in Detroit as well as most other cities that had them, since they wanted more people to drive and ride the bus.

Now with GM bankrupt and it's influence waning as a corporation, Detroit makes perfect sense as the first place for not only a resurrected streetcar system, but high speed rail hub as well.

Return streetcars to all major arteries in Detroit and I guarantee there will be significant development along these arteries.

[Detroit Stylin]

I would say to correct a wrong that has been forced on Detroit by politics and big business for more than half a century.

GM was instrumental in killing the streetcar system in Detroit as well as most other cities that had them, since they wanted more people to drive and ride the bus.

Now with GM bankrupt and it's influence waning as a corporation, Detroit makes perfect sense as the first place for not only a resurrected streetcar system, but high speed rail hub as well.

Return streetcars to all major arteries in Detroit and I guarantee there will be significant development along these arteries.

I just dont see why GM or one of the other two autos co.'s dont see the potential profit in the assembly of modern trasnportation systems? If they want to keep money in their pockets then why not simply build street cars, commuter rail cars or things of that nature? I mean to me it only makes sense...

[Lorax]

The reasons why the big three never decided to branch out into mass transit production is simple- no foresight.

The culture is too hemmed in by paralyzed thinking, corporate bullshit like what suit you're wearing, how conservative you are, what will sell the most vehicles the fastest, design by committee, how to screw the unions,etc.

All losing propositions when your product is visual, viceral, and personal.

Since they failed at their own product lines, there was no way they could see the benefit in mass transit, or the nation's desire to change the way we do things.

Corporate America is in business for, and serves only one master- profit. That profit is for the shareholders and them alone. Altruistic leanings are not welcome, and not part of the equation.

During the second World War, government rallied corporate America to the cause- it would never happen today. Our political leadership is disengaged and apathetic, our corporations disinterested and unwilling to change.

Change is the operative word here- hope and desire for change in our society comes incrementally, and when it arrives, it's here. And corporate thinking is not equipped to deal with such change, since ignoring the signs of change render corporations unable to be ready for it when it finally arrives.

People are way ahead of politics and corporations. People recongize the need for green energy, climate change, see the disaster that is Detroit, etc.

We have allowed ourselves to be led by the nose by "too big to fail" corporations, told what we want, and when and where we're going to get it.

Politically and economically we are making the wrong choices from massive bailouts of banks, no jobs bill, no trade reform, no windfall profits tax, and looming foreclosures in 2010 which will outstrip anything we've seen thus far.

Short of nationalizing banks and core industries, and a massive infusion of capital into a "WPA21" Roosevelt era New Deal style jobs program, we will never dig ourselves out of this.

If Detroit can secure enough funding from the feds and private industry to recreate the streetcar system and convert the MCS into a high-speed rail hub, then the city will have a chance, without this massive stimulus, it never will.

[Mackinaw]

Detroit has been utterly disregarded and disrespected to an extent well beyond the normal sufferings of a city in decline. I usually refer to it as a hyperbole of all of 20th century America's problems vis a vis urban decline. Only a sliver of this problem reflects on our nation as a whole, though. Most of the blame can be placed on the people of our own region, and our leaders. All of the above owe it to Detroit to behave in a way that makes it a livable city again.

[ordinary]

I just don't see GM as correcting a wrong. I think it might take a lot more than streetcars to bring development in.

[Lorax]

No one is suggesting they will. In fact, they won't.

It will be up to stimulus funding, WPA style, and politics to get such a program started.

If they needed someone to build it, most likely the one's who have had the most experience would be both Japanese and Spanish companies who may set up shop in Detroit and build these systems, which should be part of any awarding of stimulus monies- jobs for Americans. GM would probably be allowed to bid on aspects of it, buy most likely it would be awarded to experienced mass transit engineers overseas.

[Hypestyles]

I have long felt that the bailouts of GM and Chrysler should have come with some very strict strings, i.e., forcing both companies to get on board with transit development/manufacturing.. instead of shuttering factories, they could have been converting into making alternative-fuel buses, rail lines, rail cars, etc.

Back when the bailouts were first being proposed and implemented, I sent out dozens of snail-mail letters and emails to elected officials and government department-heads [[local, state, national, etc.), policy think-tanks, newspapers/alt-newspapers, TV/cable news shows, etc., uplifting this issue.. Noam Chomsky sent me a nice response..

[Rideron]

The problem with waiting for someone or something to come along to cause a rebirth of Detroit, is that you end up doing nothing but waiting for someone or something to come along to cause a rebirth of Detroit.

Detroit will recover when Detroit stops waiting for Washington, Lansing, or some other 'someone' or 'something' to come along to fix things, and we just fix things for us, ourselves.