Detroit was in serious trouble with or without Engler... but his elimination of residency requirements meant that the last vestiges of middle class stable neighborhoods, called "Copper Canyons"... removed the underpinnings of some semblance of stability that those neighborhoods had. Since Engler, the last of the middle class housing stock in the city is falling prey to demolition and neglect. Granted the mortgage meltdown did a great deal of harm to those areas, but that combined with Engler's actions were the final nail in the coffins of all but the more affluent housing stock in the city [[besides the enthic enclave of SW Detroit and Corktown).
The only good thing that Engler did for the city [[that I recall) was the decision to move all state employees within the city to Cadillac Centre [[former GM HQ).
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