Week 6 — Maggie Pan

The USNews article titled “A Tale of Two Cities: Detroit’s Revival Still Leaves the Poor Behind” caught my attention. Although it was written almost a year ago, the article still discusses things relevant to current happenings in Detroit. The title of the article highlights the two sides of Detroit as both a place teeming with lively energy and a place still struck with dilapidated buildings and poverty. The article outlines the impressive transformation of Detroit led by Mayor Michael Duggan, the arrival of Quicken Loans into downtown, and the Detroit Future City plan. Businesses, nonprofits, and individuals are all key players in the revitalization of the city. However, the article also notes the areas in the city that are still lacking as well as a problem that comes as a result of this seemingly good transformation. It explains how beyond the surface of persisting success, there exists a deeper root problem in that this revitalization of Detroit is separate from the city inhabitants. The revival of the city, especially Downtown, is something that is mostly run by outsiders, so that the original city inhabitants are not part of this process. The author notes how he was surprised at how few people of color he saw in Downtown when the city is 80% African American. Many parts of Detroit are still vacant and homelessness and poverty still exist. The juxtaposition of the two faces of the city is insane but extremely contiguous. When a group of us were walking down 2nd Ave, only one block over from Cass Ave, toward Detroit Shipping Company for Bryn’s birthday dinner, we quickly went from the new Anthony Wayne Drive luxury apartments to a barren-looking area full of homeless people, litter, and abandoned buildings. The difference was clear but the border between the two landscapes was indistinguishable. The article says to combat this problem, the city government should focus on two things: jobs and education. By investing internally into the development of the city’s people, these disparities can be alleviated and eventually solved.

I really like this article because it offers a pragmatic view of Detroit—hopeful and praising the city’s successes while still acknowledging the flaws—as well as recommendations for solutions to these problems. Especially now as Detroit continues to evolve, I think it’s important to continue these efforts to improve the city but never to become so entirely blinded by successes that underlying issues are forgone. No one should be abandoned in this unified effort of Detroit's rise from the ashes, especially not those who have believed in it the most and have stuck with it through thick and thin.

Read the article here: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-07-19/detroits-revival-still-leaves-the-poor-behind