I'll respond point-by-point:
1. I will cede to your point of Ferndale having nicer housing stock in some areas, specifically north and west of downtown. The housing stock south east of downtown Ferndale is very similar to the adjacent neighborhoods in Hazel Park, but you are correct that that isn't the case for all of Ferndale.
2. Ferndale has benefitted recently from it's proximity to Woodward, but Hazel Park "benefitted" from I-75, and actually had much more new construction and investment in their downtown than Ferndale did for most of the second half of the 20th century.
3 & 4. Hazel Park had traditional main street buildings along John R and 9 Mile. Most of them were demolished to make way for the strip malls and Holiday Inn. Check out this picture of John R and 9 Mile from the 1950s: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.an...cal/9johnr.jpg
As far as your points on Ferndale's resurgence, I think we are pretty much in agreement. In recent years, Ferndale has invested in traditional storefront buildings and pedestrian friendly infrastructure, while Hazel Park has been investing in more strip malls and auto-centric developments.
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