What Direction is Detroit Heading?

[p1acebo]

Wow. I'm really suprised by all of the opinions that Detroit is trending downward and fast. I had been very opptomistic about Detroit's future given the incremental progress I have observed in the city's central areas. What scared me is exactly what you are all seemingly saying. That being, as Detroit is adds a restaurant or two here or there or improves a park, the bottom is falling out rapidly.

Yes but you have to start some where and judging whether or not Detroit is improving faster than decaying is not a straight forward answer.

[mwilbert]

There isn't one direction.

I don't really agree about "inside Grand Blvd loop"--it includes too much stuff, like the Packard plant--but I'd say something like "a variable-width corridor along Woodward between Midtown and the river" is improving.

I'm not sure what else is improving right now. There are neighborhoods that seem to be doing OK, but we will have to see how the foreclosures play out. I will have a hard time saying the city as a whole is improving while it is still losing people and income at the rate I think it is.

[Ravine]

Answer: Straight Down.

The city is being run-- directly, face-first into the ground-- by a pack of wretched incompetents & criminals, and most of the populace is too busy watching TV and deciding [[based on their dreams and grand-babies' birthdays) which lottery numbers to play to bother with voting. Of the relatively few who vote, a large percentage cast their votes based on cheesy reasons such as name-recognition and-- go ahead, tell me it ain't so-- the belief that the candidate is a Person of Faith [[whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.)
Far too many of us [[of course, this next comment is true of folks all across the globe) believe that "they" are supposed to be doing something about our horrendous condition.
Sadly, there are no such "they," and if there were, we do not care enough, nor pay enough attention, to support and/or elect the best of "them."

TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

[[Opening verses of "The Second Coming," WB Yeats)

[Detroitnerd]

Answer: Straight Down.

The city is being run-- directly, face-first into the ground-- by a pack of wretched incompetents & criminals, and most of the populace is too busy watching TV and deciding [[based on their dreams and grand-babies' birthdays) which lottery numbers to play to bother with voting. Of the relatively few who vote, a large percentage cast their votes based on cheesy reasons such as name-recognition and-- go ahead, tell me it ain't so-- the belief that the candidate is a Person of Faith [[whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.)
Far too many of us [[of course, this next comment is true of folks all across the globe) believe that "they" are supposed to be doing something about our horrendous condition.

Tell it like it is, pops.

[kryptonite]

I have to agree, Detroit's politicians are a sorry, power mad, often stupid, malevolent and incompetent bunch. But maybe the new city council offers a bit of hope, we'll see.

My guess is Detroit's improvement will have to happen independently of local politicians - it will happen because of business leaders, small businesses, immigrants, citizens and some churches.