with all this talk of detroit getting its transit plans in order-the metro region can reignite its attempts to grow as a whole. with that said, no suburb can attempt to replicate detroit's assets, however detroit's sprawling counterparts needs to agressively plan for a future where residents/visitors have a variety/price of housing/retail/transit or be left to further abandonment among other ills. i'm not so much interested in already thriving areas, downtown grosse pointe/royal oak or partridge creek mall either-but interested in the potential of other recent attempts/examples:
-pavilions of troy - more potential with housing/office/retail/hotel component aka reston town center in reston, va
-warren's town center
-birmingham's triangle district
-st clair shores nautical mile

while these areas remain dominated by the automobile, they have so much potential to be populated by civic spaces, public art, mixed-use developments, and possible transit connections in a new urbanist fashion which help to ensure a city's vitality and success