If Detroit Is Dead, Some Things Need to Be Said at the Funeral

Abstract

A growing literature has long proclaimed the city of Detroit to be “dead.” Of course cities, unlike sentient beings, do not actually die even if they dramatically lose industry and population and the local government its ability to meet basic needs. How their continuing crisis is addressed depends on how competing interests are able to tell their story. This essay evaluates the most significant of these competing and complementary stories and evaluates state‐appointed Emergency Financial Manager Kevyn Orr's plan of adjustment that would cut the pensions of city workers and reduce payments to some bondholders by large amounts. What would happen will be settled in the years to come as court challenges are addressed. This essay evaluates explanations and who and what is to blame. It provides an alternative focus to the “Detroit is dead” literature and raises concerns absent from the dominant narratives of what is justified in a just settlement.

Innovative post-neoliberal policy as a way out of crisis? Another reflection on the case of urban decline in Detroit

“…In contrast to the opinion of some urban planners from the late twentieth century that Detroit could hardly ever be reconstructed (Eisinger 2003), the more recent optimistic viewpoint reminded that, in contrast to real death, city doesn't physically disappear, making revitalization of Detroit eventually a real possibility (Tabb 2015). Examples of former industrial cities of Chicago or Pittsburgh already demonstrated that death of industry didn't necessarily mean inability for a different city to evolve, although this surely depended not only on innovative strategies, but also on power relations in a city in question, political will and entrepreneurialism of the local government, and effective and collaborative framework for successful implementation.…”

“…Some of Michigan's politicians blamed this legislation for pushing Detroit out of world auto markets (Tabb 2015). Nevertheless, the most logical explanation of the city's dramatic decline is that local elected officials were not willing to make hard choices for addressing changing circumstances.…”

“…Two new professional ballparks were built, several old movie and vaudeville theatres restored, and the city constructed a half-mile long riverside walk. Three private gambling concerns built their casinos on the edge of the downtown, along with a few new restaurants and several clubs (Eisinger 2003;Tabb 2015). stimulate economic and community development in some of the poorest neighbourhoods.…”

“…The consequences of reliance on one-dimensional development model showed the most visible effects on the example of urban decline among the former industrial giants of the so-called Rust Belt in the US. Although a significant body of literature has discussed the phenomenon of urban decline, an emerging discourse has called for redefining the crisis as an opportunity to refine neoliberal local policy solutions that feature innovation, dynamism, and collaboration (Katz and Bradley 2013;Oosterlynck and González 2013;Tabb 2015). The emerging 'post-neoliberal' alternatives thus advocated for the approaches towards "more just, democratic, ecological city-regions (…) to be taken more seriously" (Oosterlynck andGonzález 2013, p 1076).…”

Great expectations: two tales of a city

“…The media narrative in particular has changed since the bankruptcy from generally negative, to mixed, to the quite positive stories appearing in 2015. A variety of sources, ranging from the New York Times, to the Huffington Post, to social media blogs, highlight several themes: the increasing attractiveness of Detroit to young people, particularly entrepreneurs and millennials, because of the low costs of housing, retail and warehouse space, and a market that is wanting for local products and amenities of all types [5,19,20]; the burgeoning artistic scene, fueled by low prices for artist housing and workplaces [1]; increasingly vibrant restaurant, nightlife and theatre options [21]; the attractiveness to tourists of these trends plus the continuing opportunity to tour and photograph "ruins" [1]; increasing levels of foreign investment, particularly from China [4,22]; a gritty, "can-do," and underdog attitude among Detroit residents [22]; the talent pool produced by local universities [24]. While many of these stories do mention the bankruptcy, the burned out buildings, the large swaths of vacant land, the crime, and the poverty, they are increasingly being presented as the back-drop for regeneration -"yes, this is still America's most dangerous city, but it is far from downtrodden" [3].…”