I agree with you about #2, living here. It wouldn't matter if Detroit wasn't bankrupt, the mismanagement and corruption alone makes service delivery nearly non-existent at this point.
Number one though, I think we need to step out of our normal living-nightmare Metro-Detroit bubble.
As for perception, Detroit has long been the poster child for crime, and then for blight. Detroit is blighted and crime-ridden on an unprecedented scale. However most Americans [[and American entities) seem to understand, at least those with an urban-bend, that American cities will have crime and blight.
However no major American city has filed for Chapter 9. I think this uncertainty and this unknown could scare away the potential investment and residents that Detroit needs to become functioning. We don't need Detroit boosters, we don't need Detroit t-shirts or marketing campaigns, we need more people IN DETROIT.
I think if you're searching for a place to live, on a national scale, or a place to relocate your corporation, a bankrupt Detroit sounds infinitely more horrible than a regular Detroit.
So, uh, I'm not super hopeful.
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