The french saying above is usually about somebody whose lover lives at a distance and is therefore out of mind, but the french saying literallly means; "far from sight; far from the heart." I think this applies to Detroit in a variety of ways.
Reading threads on things lacking in Detroit makes me think that depletion over time makes it hard for Detroiters to imagine what the city had not so long ago. Then you factor in the suburban divide often populated by ex-Detroiters hurt by or intent on forgetting the city's plight; all this makes for a strange milk of amnesia, dont you think? These circumstances go a long way to explain the uphill battle that needs to be fought in order to recover a sense of belonging [[1) and [[2) A sense of mission.

In matters of transit for instance, Imagine someone coming to Detroit via the Michigan Central Depot and taking a bus or streetcar to downtown. Not much was lacking in the Detroit of 55 years ago.

The general idea I propose in this thread is to help bring about a reimagining of a city that did have success, did have equipment that propelled it forward. The city had connected neighborhoods and retail along its arteries. It had major retail in the core and all the cultural attributes that big cities have.

Okay, a lot of it is damaged and depleted but if you look at what is left and how it is a vital force for the future, it is clear that a lot of it competes with what other cities have got.

Cultural and sports institutions are still there. There are casinos now that didnt exist back then. The PeopleMover is a potential service for tourism and a growing clientele to downtown venues. The Downtown office park situation is not only stable but growing at a fairly brisk pace compared to 5 years ago. Better bus and light rail, maybe suburban rail will be needed to connect the burbs to the city, and that is hopefully in the works.

The time for change in habits toward transit usage is there. A better promotion by those who propose new schemes needs to be delivered so that potential users see the benefits on an individual and collective basis. In my view, the idea of a collective spirit borne by a regional concensus is paramount to this change of outlook on Detroit. The ethnic divide is also less of an issue if one cares to review the power shared by Afro-Americans in the last 50 years. There are still items on the menu, but Detroit's black leaders are not relegated to the backbenches as religious leaders to smaller homogenous communities like in 1963; they are now part and parcel of a greater whole. My two cents. Canadian. Retired. No more pennies in circulation in Can-o-da.