Speramus Meliora

this article in the Free Press documents the opportunity that Detroit has sitting at its feet. i say opportunity where many, especially in the region, might say problem or burden. that is miles and miles of vacant land and abandoned properties. the main focus of the story seems to center around urban farming on the small scale, which Detroit has already started as i mentioned a few months ago.

but urban farming is really only viable and realistic on the small scale. in and urban environment it is not really the highest and best use of land. not for long anyway. the best use of land is the highest use and what that means is what is most valuable to people. in an urban environment land is generally best used for living and working and recreation. it puts the most value on the land.

we wouldnt build a high rise condo in Fowlerville, but large scale farming works. likewise in Detroit, a farm consisting of hundreds of acres is kind of ridiculous, but building condos, homes, and offices is more reasonable. the problem in Detroit is that of demand. the city, the metro area, and the state have been losing population.

Folks like me have found places with better opportunities like Washington DC, NYC, Seattle, or any number of places in California. Detroit's grand opportunity lies in its blank slate that could draw all those lost back and bring new people in again like it did in the 40's and 50's.

in order to make a big difference in Detroit it will take a great partnership between business, local, state, and federal government. the lynch pin is transit. a great investment in a wide reaching and complete public transit system in the region is a prerequisite of a reinvented Detroit. the vast areas of unpopulated land would make it easy for Detroit to establis rights of way for the system and have land on which to build stations. it also makes it easy for developers who would not have the encumberance of acquiring land from various owners.

take a look at DC. near many metro stations development has grown exponentially. the orange line in VA has sparked a corridor of growth and development. it spawned a walkable urban environment with public transit stops within a half mile of eachother meaning that there arent large gaps which eliminates an island of development and turns it into a large, walkable corridor.

transit alone doesnt make a great city though. you need people to ride it and jobs to ride it to. that is where private business comes in. the state and local governments need to make Detroit and the metro area an appealing place to do business. they need to lure the new businesses that will emerge out of the hard times we are fighting through. i dont know how to accomplish that, but leaders need to do something to bring in some business other than cars. MSU's upcoming research facility is a great step in the direction of high tech industry, but that alone wont bring people.

what will make or break the whole deal is a federally funded transit system. Detroit is now showing initiative to bring transit on its own, and hopefully the Obama administration will encourage its development with federal dollars that will give many Detroiters steady work for years as they build the ifnrastucture that can make Detroit a viable city in the future. the jobs that a metro system on the scale (at the minimum in my opinion) of Washington DC would create during construction would pump untold millions of dollars into the local ecnomy. dollars that would lure business and more money to the area.

the area has a grand opportunity to reinvent itself. it just needs to overcome the decades of apathy that have plagued it. Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Counties and the City of Detroit need to work together on a viable plan for developing the area. and the state needs to encourage that progress and find alluring policies toward business. and finally the new administration that has promised infrastructure spending needs to follow through and Detroit needs to go out and get that money.

its a lot of work, but what other major city has such an opportunity to reinvent itself? so who will step forward in Detroit after decades of apathy and corruption. Archer did give us a foothold and Kilpatrick gave us a black eye. who will give us a place of prominance? who has the vision and the ability to lead Detroit back to its place of glory? perhaps im waxing too philosophocal, too hopeful, and too impractical. i just want my home state to be a place people envy rather than a place they fear.

im pulling for you Detroit. dont forget your motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes).