Downtown's amazing transformation

**miketoronto1** · August-03-10, 11:38 AM

I lead an urban planning tour of Detroit yesterday for some of my fellor planning classmates.
And one overriding theme I kept catching myself saying was "10 years ago this place was vacant, etc".

While I have been watching downtown transform for the past 10 years as that was the time I started making regular visits to Detroit. It really was on this tour yesterday that it showed just how much downtown has come.

While there is plenty of work to be done still and downtown still is not what it can be. I think we should all be proud and happy of the great transformation that is happening.

Looking back at pictures I took 10 years ago, it is sometimes hard to believe it is the same downtown.
Once grungy streets devoid of life now have amazing landscaping and more people. A ride on the people mover which once was nothing but a ride past vacant buildings, now is a ride past much restoration, etc.

Yes there have been some setbacks like the city taking down vacant buildings that could be resused, and the recent economic issues.
But overall I think we can say that the transformation of downtown Detroit over the past 10 years is one of the urban success stories in recent history.

**DetroitScooter** · August-03-10, 11:42 AM

Great post Mike. I've only worked downtown for a year and a half, but I've noticed a uptick in activity this summer. Let's keep it going - tell your friends that there are things to see and do in downtown Detroit.

**Danny** · August-03-10, 11:47 AM

Former mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer jumpstarted the development of Downtown Detroit by offering our businesses 53% tax breaks for the next 5 years. It worked and businesses like OCP Compuware and Ernst and Young build their miniscrapers around Campus Martius Block. KING dave BING is doing his thing. Planning to build businesses in Downtown Detroit. Something that the party KING KWAME should have done in the first place. Bing is a businessman not just a mayor. He is compared to the H.N.I.C. Emergency Financial manager of Detroit Public schools Robert Bobb. As long as KING BING fixes Detroit without throwing bad parties, his reputation will remain strong for his next term in 2013.

**canuck** · August-03-10, 04:08 PM

Well a strong,clean,safe downtown with important incentives for businesses to settle is the number one key to turnaround for the D. Tourism has to happen via the core of the city. It is interesting how people notice small details on their walks through town and are uplifted by small changes. If city administrations keep investing in these small details, then people will feel safer, and encouraged to stay in town longer.

**daddeeo** · August-04-10, 10:39 AM

In the meantime, tough luck for the neighborhoods.

**rb336** · August-04-10, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

In the meantime, tough luck for the neighborhoods.

to have strong neighborhoods you have to have a strong core. re-building the tax base will be positive for the neighborhoods in the long run. meanwhile, it is the responsibility of every resident in any city, town, village or suburb to do their part to make their neighborhood livable. The government CAN'T do it for you.

**Detroitnerd** · August-04-10, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

it is the responsibility of every resident in any city, town, village or suburb to do their part to make their neighborhood livable. The government CAN'T do it for you.

Yeah, it's too busy taking care of the Pentagon, Wall Street and insurance companies. In these tough times, we need to tighten our belts so we can give a few trillion more dollars to these worthy organizations contributing to our general welfare.

**Gistok** · August-04-10, 02:58 PM

I met Torontomike1 on the Preservation Wayne Downtown Movie Palace Tours a few years back... great guy... especially since he's bringing other out-of-towners here to show them some of Detroits' gems.

Mike, did you check out the United Artists Theatre thread? At some point in the future we hope to add that theatre to the PW tour... keeping our fingers crossed that it will be restored...

**daddeeo** · August-05-10, 09:14 AM

Want to see some gems?
Try driving down Grand River from downtown to Grand River and Greenfield.
Hell, go all the way to Telegraph. Except the area around Rosedale Park, it won't be pretty.
They have used the 'Fix up downtown before the neighborhoods" theme since they built the Renaissance buildings.
Guess they'll just have to wait until they get downtown right...right?

**Gistok** · August-05-10, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

Want to see some gems?
Try driving down Grand River from downtown to Grand River and Greenfield.
Hell, go all the way to Telegraph. Except the area around Rosedale Park, it won't be pretty.
They have used the 'Fix up downtown before the neighborhoods" theme since they built the Renaissance buildings.
Guess they'll just have to wait until they get downtown right...right?

This is known as "preaching to the Choir".....

**miketoronto1** · August-05-10, 05:45 PM

Gistok I did not know that about the UA Theatre. I hope it gets added. There was lots of work being on on that building when we walked past it.

**professorscott** · August-05-10, 08:50 PM

One thing I've seen that is making a huge difference is the downtown cleanup crew, which I believe was put together by the DDP or one or another of Mr. Penske's groups. Just for instance: I was waiting for a bus at Capitol Park a couple years back and one of those phone-interchange army-green boxes had been gang tagged overnight. The Clean Downtown truck pulls up, two guys came out and repainted the entire box.

That's the kind of thing - that, and the constant picking up trash, etc. - that makes a city look clean, inviting and nonthreatening.

DetroitDad · August-05-10, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Former mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer jumpstarted the development of Downtown Detroit by offering our businesses 53% tax breaks for the next 5 years. It worked and businesses like OCP Compuware and Ernst and Young build their miniscrapers around Campus Martius Block. KING dave BING is doing his thing. Planning to build businesses in Downtown Detroit. Something that the party KING KWAME should have done in the first place. Bing is a businessman not just a mayor. He is compared to the H.N.I.C. Emergency Financial manager of Detroit Public schools Robert Bobb. As long as KING BING fixes Detroit without throwing bad parties, his reputation will remain strong for his next term in 2013.

Danny, why do you refer to him as a king? I've seen you do this often when referring to political officials. Are you suggesting the voting is rigged?