Colleagues: check out the post below. If it speaks to any of you and you wanna possibly collaborate / contribute to future posts, help with maps, graphics etc it would be awesome! This is certainly overlapping with my major media project.
The Detroit story is fascinating and the
current chapter is no exception. Although I have not been present for previous
“urban renewal” efforts, based upon my personal experiences and observations it
seems that few lessons have been learned from the failures of the past. These
conclusions arose after reading an article by Rochelle Riley in the Detroit
Free Press’ Sunday, February 19 edition. In "City
Finding A Way to Make Detroit Works Project Actually Work ( http://on.freep.com/yPfDwb)
Riley covers the Detroit Works’ Project (DWP)* - Detroit’s latest urban renewal
initiative. It seems that fear and anxiety (and maybe hubris) are
contributing to yet another wave of bad decisions for Detroiters. Much is
illustrated when we follow the money – here, the $58 million dollars to be spent in the next 24 months.
First, a little about Detroit: Detroit is
a gigantic city! 139 square miles! Boston, Manhattan and San Francisco could
all fit within the borders of Detroit and there would still be 20 square miles
remaining. These boundaries were calculated based upon an expectation of 2.2
million Detroit residents. At the last census count Detroit had 713,000
residents. But, the world must not be deluded – Detroit still has many amazing
neighborhoods nestled within this amazingly huge city. I live in one.
My neighborhood, Corktown, in Southwest
Detroit (or sometimes in downtown…depending on whose interests are involved) is
remarkably similar to Detroit’s overall cityscape. Like other parts of Detroit
(the Villages, Grandmont-Rosedale, Morningside to name three) , Corktown has
dense neighborhoods with impeccably kept homes and beautiful, meticulously
managed yards as well as blocks where one, two or three homes may be speckled
across a five block area where pheasants outnumber humans. We also have and
streets with a mixture of both. However, Corktown is remarkably different from
other parts of Detroit.
Unlike ANY other part of Detroit, because
of significant political and economic changes in Detroit and Michigan,
Corktown’s future growth and prosperity is all but assured. No other Detroit
community boasts of such an ideal strategic location. It is nestled between
Detroit’s thriving “Mexicantown” community, the Detroit River, Wayne State
University and downtown Detroit. Corktown has stable neighborhoods, an educated
and civic-minded citizenry and an up and coming commercial district. Corktown
has 3-5 new businesses opening up in the next three months. Certainly our needs
are far less than other Detroit neighborhoods sprinkled across our giant city. But,
most importantly, and these are the essential questions: who will benefit, who
will lose and will decision-makers use this opportunity to do great things for
Detroit that can be the model for the rest of the city as well as the rest of
the world?
From my brief six years’ experience
living and serving in Corktown while keenly observing (and sometimes
participating) in the City’s political scene, I believe that Detroit’s
neighborhoods have suffered due to bad politics, bad governance and bad
community development. I fear that, once
again, Detroit’s residents (of who should be served first) will be harmed by
the latest “urban renewal” initiative driven by the Bing, Snyder and Obama
Administrations along with the foundation community.
A strong bit of evidence suggests more
problematic (to be kind) Detroit community development is just around the
corner. In Riley’s piece, through interviews with Karla Henderson, the
City of Detroit Group Executive for Planning and Facilities and Detroit Mayor
Bing, the onion that is the Bing Administration’s strategy and tactics
concerning the implementation of DWP begins to reveal its core. Unless
additional strategic course adjustments (guided by higher values and morals)
are made soon longsuffering Detroiters (713,000, 85% African-American) will be,
once again, left behind. Policymakers,
foundations, and others must always remember that the DWP must be first and
foremost, about people living in Detroit now. Not land, efficiency or short-term results.
Superficially, Riley’s article (especially to
outsiders) could easily be interpreted as "Detroit is making
progress" and “things are looking good” as implementation of the DWP moves
forward. This blog post is being written now before the hysteria surrounding likely upcoming DWP-related
announcements drown out the truth.
Although serious reservations about the DWP exist, some
great things are happening in Detroit and the metro-Detroit region. These
types of intelligent, reasoned and deliberate changes are good examples of a
properly functioning American democracy. For instance,
·
The “Big 3” seem to be back on firm footing
thanks to the Obama Administrations remarkable interventions
·
Civic minded Detroiters revised the Detroit City
Charter and among the most important revisions is the way Detroiters elect
their City Council. Now, voters will choose council people for 7 separate
districts plus 2 at-large council people
·
The Kilpatrick Administration is gone from
Detroit politics and the far-reaching Kilpatrick dynasty is facing a slew of
federal criminal charges
·
A fair-minded, above reproach federal
prosecutor, Barbara McQueen, continues to root out corruption within other
Detroit / metro-Detroit governments and institutions, and
·
A new can-do attitude exists that is attracting
new people and new investments.
These things were needed. They were good. They will
improve the metro-Detroit economy and the lives of people living in Detroit’s
neighborhoods. These structural and institutional changes exemplify the United
States’ greatness – democratic institutions / processes at work, rule of law
applied to make government work better and hard working civic-minded Detroiters
tirelessly working to make their city better. Detroit, Michigan and the United
States succeed when its democracy and institutions function properly.
Similarly, for the City of Detroit to succeed, best practices relating to
community development must be slowly and deliberately applied.
Here, community development Detroit-style begins
with $58 million dollars.
According to Riley’s article, the future use of the
above-mentioned monies seemingly began with an “a-ha!” moment. According to
Henderson, when the City of Detroit discovered that Detroit (not only) “didn’t
have $53 million in Housing and Urban Development money to dole out, but was
instead in the hole $53 million” a new approach to community development in
Detroit arose. Henderson characterized this new approach as “more strategic.”
In my next blog posts I will do the following:
·
Examine the myriad of issues surrounding the
who, what, when, where and why relating to the spending of $87 million dollars in the next two years
·
Discuss the implications of the Detroit Works
Project on Detroit’s democracy and whether it will lead to a more transparent,
functional government for the people. In particular, whether the Obama
Administrations directives regarding government transparency and accountability
are being followed
·
Explore whether this is “good stewardship” of
huge federal resources? Is it equitable?
·
Analyze whether the plan to spend the $87 million abides by the Obama
Administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities policies which call for ground
up, not top down urban development?
·
Provide photos, maps and other helpful graphics
to illustrate the Corktown / Detroit landscape as well as provide facts about
existing projects and initiatives currently in progress that would
significantly stabilize our community and support existing entrepreneurial and
other community-based initiatives.
Now is the time for re-imagining in Detroit. The
opportunities to create dynamic, green communities that exist to lift up all
Detroiters while promoting economic development are within reach. The “Best
Practices” for good community development exist. Detroiters possess the vision
and the knowledge. Let’s hope and pray this opportunity doesn’t disappear.
* Go to this link to learn about the
Detroit Works Project: http://detroitworksproject.com/for-detroit-to-work-we-need-action-today/
