Path to Revival

Many have spoken about the cause of the downfall of this great city and many have foreseen it fasting moving along the path of oblivion but has anything been done to prevent it? Is there something which could be done to divert this path towards a new horizon? The essay referenced in my previous blog has illustrated clearly what went wrong with Detroit and what spelled its doom over the past four decades. The auto industries, the labor unions, the industrial and political lobbyist’s, corrupt politicians, disinterested sub-urbanites, and the black-white divide was summarized as the recipe of disaster for Detroit. As an idealist I have my concoction of steering this city towards a greener patch as every Detroiter might have. It is a quality of a champion to find opportunity under adversity and for this city facing its worst phase in decades has the opportunity to deviate from its traditional path and start fresh as a new, young and modern city. Not many cities get an opportunity like Detroit to press the restart button without being criticized about it-rather it will be applauded for doing so finally! The concoction which I have formulated is a blend of India and other big cities around the US.


One of the most visible disabilities of Detroit over the decades and now an area to exploit to its advantage is the local transportation. The automakers have sidelined the proponent’s of local transports for their commercial benefits overlooking the plight of those who cannot afford to own one of their gas guzzlers. Why not have eco-friendly taxi services, run by the three Detroit automakers? They can employee the drivers and run the service commercially for profit. There are two advantages on establishing such system. If each of the three auto makers has a fleet of 750 to 1000 eco-friendly taxis they not only can use this as a real time testing ground for their hybrids but also employee at least 3000 unemployed individuals. Another mode of transportation which can be revitalized in the city is the subway or metro system. It is a proven success in cities like New York, London and even Mumbai, where over 5 million people travel on the subways daily. In the age of suburban living, transportation to the major points in a city prove to be a boon to the citizens. If we dig deeper and look at the future prospect of this initiative, it gives way for the opportunity to develop commercial offices in and around downtown which have easy access to these satellite subway systems, drawing the crowd back to the city.

Continuing with the effort of restructuring, the rundown areas around downtown can be cleared to give way to solar fields. In this era of non-conventional energy, Detroit can take the opportunity to convert its barren and vacant real estate to encourage solar farms and stations. With most of the high rises towards the east side of the city, the solar panels have a clear path for sun light from the southwest. This will not only drive investments from outside but also reduce the energy cost of commercializing the city itself. The vacant real estate along Woodward Ave is an ideal location to erect charging station for the electric taxis and cars extracting power from the neighboring solar fields. The construction of a solar park on the beautiful island of Belle Isle on the Detroit River will not only serve to harvest energy but also utilize it to demonstrate its effectiveness and exploits.

Speaking about instituting solar parks and solar farms, the city can promote urban vegetation and green houses similar to the one in Bangalore and Hyderabad which are known for its botanical gardens. The products from this effort can be utilized to enhance the green market along Russell Street which houses Detroit’s own sabji mandi called Eastern Market. Maintenance of greenhouses, botanical gardens, solar farms etc boosts employment and investment by small bio tech labs and universities to harvest their products and conduct research.

In the prequel of this blog, I had highlighted the bright and colorful two block area of Greek Town and its populous streets and restaurants. Now imagine multiplying this two block area by five, for the Arabic populations which is the highest outside Saudi Arabia, for the Indians and Asians who are nowadays located everywhere and the African American who hold a majority in and around Detroit. This multi cultural setup will attract people of all race and creed to their shops, restaurants and cultural centers from all neighboring cities and even states. If anyone has to question the viability of such an outlook, they should look at the China Towns in New York and Chicago or even at Dearborn which houses the vastly populated Middle Eastern immigrants in Michigan. The fleet of cars, electric cabs, and metro railways passing by this multicultural center will not only bring revenue and employment to the city but also bring back its lost life.


Another mock up which can be capitalized by the city are piers similar to the one in San Francisco or Chicago which harbors tourist boats and ferries; and houses restaurants, roadside vendors, souvenir shops etc. The ideal location which comes to my mind for such a setup is Belle Isle and the River Front adjacent to the GM headquarters. Currently there is only one ferry- the ‘Detroit Queen’ operating 3 or 4 times a day between Belle Isle and the Ambassador Bridge. Connects the dots and the ride resembles the Maid of Mist without the glorious Niagara falls, with Canada on one side and the United States on the others, making it a perfect setting for tourist and the tourism industry.

As Idealist as these ideas might be, I do understand the practicality behind implementing these changes under the current scenario. The current city deficit, crime rate, city political corruption and to an extent social and racial divide are few of the demon’s which need to be fought along this path of revival. Suggestion like tax incentives, subsidies, financing, donations etc are option which can be explored to make such ideas and innovations viable, but not in this blog and not by an immigrants who wants to see his second home live its glory days once again. I reiterate my line that Detroit has to seize this opportunity before it’s too late to revive itself to a bold, dynamic, colorful, young and lucrative Utopian metropolitan.

Path to Oblivion

This week I read an interesting cover story on the TIME magazine’s September issue. It spoke about a city once known as the power house of American Economy, the Nation’s Engine and the 4th largest city in the country. Yes, your understanding of these adjectives are right- I am talking about Motown-Detroit, Michigan. This essay “Detroit’s Future: Will Once Great America City Recover?” by Daniel Okrent threw light on the curve of once the cities dominance to its near oblivion. It was a subtle eulogy from a son to his home town, proudly flaunting its glorious days to making a sincere effort prescribing anecdotes to restore its fable life.

Detroit has been my house for the last three years in an alien country. Before leaving India, I was introduced to Detroit with adjective from dangerous to black to opportune. In these three years, I believe I have seen this city in all different lights and shades unlike my peers studying or working across the stretch of this country. I too came to this country like many other Indian students to live the American dream and to work for a prestigious company. Fortunately, under such dim circumstances I am living my dream but not Detroit or its residents. I cannot do justice by describing the city as Mr. Okrent but I can speak about my new home from an outsider’s view.

When you walk on the once famous Woodward Avenue from my university towards downtown, it’s hard to miss the towering skyscrapers growing taller and taller as if at every step a new level is added to these majestic architectural masterpieces. Detroit is one of the very few downtown's I have seen which still boost of its mid 20th century and masonic architectural designs. But by the years these building resemble the WWI veteran lost in time. As we enter downtown, we are greeted with the recently constructed Comerica Park, home of Detroit’s baseball time on one side and the bright and colorful Fox Theater on the other. I can compare this to a gate way decorated with lights along its length and two white tiger statues on a tall pillar representing the cities logo. Unfortunately this is as much light and color we would see on this road till we reach the banks of the river. The remaining stretch of the road is surrounded by towering rundown, empty buildings beseeching for occupants and life. The billboards are either colorless or unchanged from months and years. The only advertisements you see are of lofts, apartments, offices –FOR SALE/FOR LEASE. As every dark tunnels has a bright ending, so does this street ending on the banks of Detroit river bordering Canada ; hosting the famous General Motors Headquarters on the west side of the river and the Caesar’s Palace Casino on the east side. This is the state of the main artery of downtown Detroit. The picture painted here is similar or worse on the adjacent streets and avenues.

In most major cities, downtown is the central hub for all suburban dwellers for parties, celebrations, shopping, offices etc. But in Detroit, the downtown after 8 PM depicts a picture of a city under curfew with shops closed and a hand full of bars and casinos open late. The streets transform into a breeding ground for beggars, thieves, and muggers analogous to a Transylvania where vampires roam freely at night. Unlike Chicago, New York, Atlanta, which is known for its buzzing streets, road side vendors, glittering shops and loud honking vehicles, Detroit ironically home of the three biggest automakers reflects empty roads, quiet streets and dark corners in most parts of the city. Failed business and poor infrastructure have driven people away from downtown towards the suburbs, leaving a once fertile and lucrative real estate to dry like barren land for the cattle's to gaze , chewing away its residual life. Somewhere within this large city is a small place called Greek town which reflects the life of a colorful, noisy and busy downtown. A small region around two blocks, houses a five star casino and wall to wall restaurants serving delicious Chicago style pizza's to authentic Greek cuisines. The parking spaces are filled with expensive cars, the restaurants are buzzing with hungry customers, the small lanes are blocked by parked Hummers or Limousines and the music in the air is remixed with joyous gamblers sings the song of wealth and victory. Where did these people come from ? Aren't these affluent Michiganders, if not Detroiters dwelling from the quiet suburbs of Detroit ? Step out of this two block area and we are once again eclipsed by the grim, dark and lonely streets of downtown which seem endless on a cold winter night.

As many major cities in the developed and developing country demonstrate a progressive graph , Detroit seems to have started from the top and now is running downstream slowly hitting rock bottom. The economic situation over the past year has dipped the curve sharper than expected translating the cities worst fear into reality. Attributed with a very high percentage of unemployment , shutdown factories, closed offices etc drove people away from the once industrialised city , leaving behind few to savor whatever juice is left in the city. Festivities like the Detroit Art Festival and Dally in the Ally which show cased the creativity of its people generated revenue through sales and sponsors was either a no show this year or had been taken out of the yearly calender due to financial issues. Earlier this year due to the slump in the economy, an event like the Detroit Auto Show, rated as the best in the world saw its worst year in terms of products and participation, reducing the marketing quotient to minimum. There are many such event and festivities which used to bring this dead city to life, at least for a day, which are slowly withering out or moving their bases to lucrative suburbs. As the dark clouds overshadow the once bright sun over Detroit, is there an umbrella which can protect this city and sustain it through this bad weather to either live its glory for few more years or revive itself to start a new chapter?

Many have spoken about the cause of the downfall of this great city and many have foreseen it rapidly moving along the path of oblivion but has anything been done to prevent it? Is there something which could be done to divert this path towards a new horizon? The essay referenced above has illustrated clearly what went wrong with Detroit and what spelled its doom over the past four decades - the auto industries, the labor unions, the industrial and political lobbyist’s, corrupt politicians, disinterested sub-urbanites, and the black-white divide was summarized as the recipe of disaster for Detroit. As an idealist I have my concoction for steering this city towards a greener patch as every Detroiter might have..................................PATH TO REVIVAL