Does Metro Detroit really need a healthy Detroit?

[miketoronto1]

There is always this talk that metropolitan regions need a healthy core city, or overtime the metro region will go the way of the declining inner city.

However do any of you really think that is true? For almost 50 years Metro Detroit has been prospering while the City of Detroit has declined.

The same can be said for countless American cities, where the inner city has rotted while the suburbs have continued to grow and offer a great quality of life.

Despite decay in the inner city, Metro Detroit has remained one of the top metropolitan regions in the country. With higher family incomes, top notch business, a diverse economy, and stable and even growing population in the metro region. Metro Detroit is expected to grow to over 6 million people in the next 20 years.

I was just in Detroit yesterday and everytime I go, I just don't see decay spreading to the suburbs. Yes some suburbs become less popular as they age. But that happens in cities with strong cores, and overtime those suburbs become popular again as the old timers move on, etc.

So do you guys really think the health of the region relies on the health of the core city?
Metro Detroit seems to be doing very well. And even with all this talk about the economy, if one removes the city of Detroit from the stats, one can see that

-Metro Detroit's unemployment rate is not much different from the national avereage.
-The economy is pretty diverse.
-The region enjoys high incomes

Some stats from wikipedia[[while not the best source) touch on how well Metro Detroit is doing.


-"Metro Detroit has made Michigan's economy a leader in information technology, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing; Michigan ranks fourth nationally in high tech employment with 568,000 high tech workers, including 70,000 in the automotive industry.

-Michigan typically ranks second or third in overall Research & development [[R&D) expenditures in the United States.Metro Detroit is an important source of engineering job opportunities."

-"Wayne State University in Detroit has the largest single-campus medical school in the United States."


-"In 2004, led by Metro Detroit, Michigan ranked second nationally in new corporate facilities and expansions. From 1997 to 2004, Michigan was the only state to top the 10,000 mark for the number of major new developments. Metro Detroit is a leading corporate location "

Looks like things are are pretty good in Metro Detroit.