Detroit-is there hope?

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Am I mistaken? I've had the strong belief that Detroit proper is beyond gentrification, but I've had several people tell me that I'm wrong, and that things are looking very up for Detroit proper(the city itself, not burbs).
I want to hear from Detroit city and suburban residents. I know
there are tough times ahead with the auto industry layoffs.
Your area needs a shot in the arm. The Tigers might help, but
you guys need a whole lot more than that. Jobs might be a start.
Detroit is a huge metropolitan area, almost as big as Chicago.
Only prob is, residents decided to move out enmasse in the 60's and 70's, creating suburban sprawl on steroids.
What can be done with Detroit city itself? Can it ever be a tourist destination even close to rivaling Chicago? Here in Chicago, we have constant streams of double decker tourist buses filled
to the brim where I work and live....
Do you envision a mass infusion of gentrification in Detroit,
or will it forever remain a suburban city?

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hey, i'm from the D. I hope they do something to make the area better. Its on its way, but we're no where close to other cities like Chicago. We have good areas, but considering the size of the city itself, that's not enough. Not to mention that no one wants to go downtown anymore, not from the burbs. They're all afraid of getting shot, mugged, car jacked, etc. There are a few things to see in Detroit, but probably not enough to make it worth the trip. Its not just the lack of jobs tho. Its the city itself. You can't go a block without seeing the burned remains of an old building, or an empty lot filled with trash, or a drugged out homeless person begging for money. The police presence is a joke, unless there's a major event going on, like a game or the auto show. They need to get more businesses in the city, get affordable (and NOT sh*tty) housing, work on cleaning up the streets and the empty lots, get rid of the burned out and/or abandoned buildings, and get more cops out there to keep things safe. More accessable and cheaper public parking would be nice too, since very few people want to park out on the streets because of all the car break ins. I think its possible to completely revitalize the city, but it's gonna take a looooooong time!

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I WISH Detroit would someday be as cool as Chicago, but I don't see it happening as long as the place continues to be run by losers and jobs continue to be scarce. Our public transportation sucks, no one feels safe walking around there, etc.
It does have a few places that are nice, but those are few and far between.
Detroit is called the Motor City for a reason - and the more automotive jobs we lose, the more everything else is effected even if you don't work for one of the big 3.
Detroit?? You mean WORLD...Is there hope?!
hey man, don't diss on DETROIT. sure we got our problems, but things are looking up. there's no way we are rivaling chicago for tourists, but we do have some good attractions.
ask again later
Well, first of all, if you continue to use the word gentrification, nobody will understand what you are talking about.

And, as to your specific question, I feel that Detroit proper is doomed to a future of mediocrity and deterioration. What was once the manufacturing center of the Midwestern states has declined so fast that the only help for it is to secure a major new enterprise like memory chip manufacturing, or working fuel cell production. With Ford and GM on the run right now, things look really bleak.
I'm a lifelong Detroit area resident too. Yes, my parents also were part of the "White flight" that took place in Detroit from the 1950's into the 1980's as Blacks moved into the city to find work in the auto factories; many more affluent Blacks have also been leaving the city for the last couple decades and continue to do so. Of course, you are correct that decades of White flight from Detroit have not only created the most segregated area anywhere in the US between an predominately Black Detroit and and a mostly White suburbia, but, furthermore the area has as much urban sprawl as anywhere which continues to grow today- heck anywhere within 30 miles of Detroit is easily considered part of the metro-Detroit area; not to mention the tremendous decline of population in the city itself (I think Detroit used to have nearly 2 million people living inside its borders at one point- larger than Chicago at that time). What happened when Whites left the city is that businesses, manufacturers, and jobs follwed them out of Detroit devestating the city with declining tax base to maintain services and schools, vacant homes and buildings, and, most importantly, few decent jobs; as a result, Detroit was left with urban decay, crime, gangs, drugs, unemployment, etc, etc. that continue to some extent today. Since the "de-gentrification" of Detroit began decades ago, you've had generations now of White suburbanites that have no knowledge, interest, connection with the city itself; suburbanites have no reason to go to Detroit as urban sprawl brings everything they need right into their suburban communities; most, importantly; suburbanites have grown up with an incredible mistrust and fear of the city itself due to its violent legacy as the "murder capital of the world" during the 70's/80's and of course the media only further perpetuates these beliefs by only reporting about crime and other problems in the city- I know most suburbanites dread going into Detroit for work or business a couple times a year and I know most people living out-state/out of the metro-Detroit area have never even been to the city (due both from fear and from the fact they have had no need to go there). Detroit has had these problems for decades and now with the Big Three domestic automakers continually losing market-share, the city and suburbs alike face even more problems associated with lack of decent paying jobs. Part of Detroit's problem is simply the entire economy of the city and much of the suburbs has been tied solely to one major industry- automobiles; efforts to diversify the local economy here have been very difficult and as the Big Three go, the metro-Detroit area goes with them. Despite these obstacles, I do believe there is hope for Detroit to "revitalize" itself. First, as you have said, Chicago has done it and so have many other large cities; Cleveland used to be a joke too, for example, but also did a decent job of turning itself around. Furthermore, if major cities like LA, NYC, Atlanta, New Orleans, and even Chi-town all have similar problems to Detroit with crime, gangs, drugs, violent crime, urban decay, etc. and noone thinks twice about these places being popular tourist spots and "gentrification" is taking place in these areas, why is it so impossible that the same thing could happen in Detroit (I actually have this debate kind of frequently in the Travel-Detroit section of Yahoo Answers). Detroit actually does have so much already in place to attract tourists and maybe new residents and businesses too; there are countless things to do in the city for families, couples, groups, etc. We have bars and clubs, various theaters, historical attractions, sports venues, excellent dining establishments, family attractions, non-stop festivals and special events, pockets of revitalized communities and business districts. etc available here that compare favorably to those anywhere else in the country; like Chicago we also have our waterfront and, furthermore, ours is on an international border! Then, when I add the vast dining, recreational opportunities available in the (huge) suburban area, the choices are almost limitless. Detroit, has so much opportunity to revitalize, redevelop itself into the "cosmopolitan" city/region like Chicago and so many other cities have become; but, you are right that it is still a LONG ay off from achieving this dream. Detroit needs to get rid of the blight of vacant buildings and dilapidated slums; my best friend always said that "noone will ever want to go to the city, despite all the stuff to do there, if it looks like a war zone;" the city needs to keep itself clean and its neighborhoods "vibrant"- the city stil struggles to even have routine garbage pick up in its' neighborhoods due to lack of city services and areas of the city are not only unclean, but many areas are used literally as dumping grounds (by city residents and suburbanites). Detroit needs to convince people that they have crime under control and that the city is actually safe- first to visit and then, down the road, for people to move back there; I personally have never had any "problems" in Detroit despite visiting the city quite often for work, business, or pleasure- but, most suburbanites and out-staters avoid the city out of fear of crime/safety. The city needs to do a much better job promoting itself and the recreational opportunities available inside Detroit; sure suburbanites may go downtown for a Tiger's game (of course they haven't done that in years since the team has been horrible for the last decade), the Lion's (I've given up until Ford sells the team and I guess mismanaging the team makes sense while they continue o mismanage their company), or the Red Wings, but, other than that most people really have little knowledge or interest in the city. Of course, any revitalization or redevelopment of Detroit comes down to money. The first priority of the city needs to attract businesses and jobs- a difficult task for sure due to the state of the area economy and then complicated by the negative stereotypes associated with the city; on the other hand I have to imagine Detroit would be willing to almost give away land/property to attract developers. Without businesses and jobs, the city cannot maintain city services and attract people back there; without services, jobs, safety, and liveable communities there is no incentive for people to come back to the city; with fewer people in the city (plus the additional arguement of a "skilled" workforce), there is no reason for businesses to come back to the city- a vicious circle for sure. Will Detroit ever turn it around (actually your question is a lot more interesting/inciteful than most that just seem to bash it just for the sake of doing so)? I have to imagine that SOMETHING will eventually happen to turn around Detroit- maybe ridicuously low property taxes to attract/redevelop homes and communities, maybe tax incentives/tremendously low property costs to attract business and industry back? I know Iots of us around here have asked the exact same question you are posing for years/decades- guess we'll all just have to wait and see what, if anything, eventually does create a "mass gentrification in Detroit" or if Detroit simply continues to "forever remain a suburban city."