Stand at the Woodward Avenue overpass above Interstate 75, and you'll see the two faces of Detroit. On one side is beautiful Comerica Park, a symbol of downtown economic revival, where city residents and suburbanites alike pack in to watch professional baseball in a world-class venue. Then, across the expressway looms an empty 13-story building, with the word "ZOMBIELAND" scrawled across the top.
That latter view pretty much sums up one of Detroit's biggest problems today: the city's lack of residents. It takes people to build a middle class and a functioning economy. And while downtown Detroit is booming with new businesses, the development hasn't been enough to lure large numbers of new homeowners to neighborhoods scattered around the city's core.
...The city's population is now just 700,000, down from a peak of nearly 2 million residents in the mid-20th century. Rebuilding Detroit's middle class, or some semblance of it, is critical to this city's economic future. Efforts are underway in several areas. The governor wants to put in place a bold plan to lure immigrants to the region; a network of not-for-profits is working to retain Michigan's college grads; and the business community is trying to diversify and shed the stereotype of a manufacturing-or-bust economy. Detroiters realize there won't be another influx of outsiders to save this city. To build a long-term economic base, Detroit, like a low-budget baseball team, must develop and retain homegrown talent.
Even with its well-documented limitations, Detroit possesses the building blocks for a potential economic explosion. The city's border with Ontario, Canada, is the most frequently crossed in North America, allowing for unrivaled international commercial cooperation. The Great Lakes contain 20 percent of the world's fresh water supply. There are three top-tier universities within 90 minutes of the city. And Michigan, thanks to the Detroit metropolitan area and the auto industry, boasts America's highest concentration of engineers.
What Detroit doesn't have in abundance are educated, young citizens....Egner's research confirms what southeast Michigan natives learned long ago: Detroit's biggest barrier to retaining talent is reputation. It turns out that the branding of Detroit as the Motor City has a downside, projecting the image of a place that is primarily a manufacturing hub for blue-collar workers. City kids barely bother to get educated, and college-educated suburban kids are plotting their escapes before graduation, having learned long ago that Detroit offers nothing for them.
The Hudson-Webber Foundation leads a network of nonprofits working to remedy both problems. Millions of dollars in grants are working to connect job-training programs with in-demand industries. At the same time, massive investment is flowing toward researching innovative projects in technology and energy that can be pushed toward commercialization and attract a young, diversely educated workforce to the city.
...Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is also concerned about the challenge of attracting professionals to populate Detroit, and he understands the scope of the problem better than most. His vision involves setting aside 50,000 visas over the next five years for high-skilled immigrants to live and work in Detroit."....The hope is that immigrants will fill up neighborhoods, start businesses, diversify the city, and add to its tax base.
But federal immigration policies won't change overnight. Nor will efforts to retain young Michiganders be sufficient to address Detroit's underlying issues. The city may feel renewed by its native sons and daughters returning home, but it won't be restored until the next generation views Detroit as a viable destination for a career and a family. And for that to happen, they must see a city that is safe, innovative, and bursting with jobs that don't require hard hats.
Think it's doable, or is Detroit basically doomed at this point?
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