Measuring Detroit's Vital Signs

"'Cities thrive as places where people can interact and connect,' says Joe Cortright, author of the 68-page report. The research is a project of CEOs for Cities, a group of mayors, business execs and others interested in helping their cities be more successful and competitive in this changing world.

While it's interesting to see how Detroit fares in various categories, you might be asking what's the point, exactly? City Vitals was prepared for urban leaders to understand how their cities perform against all others in the Top 50. 'It's a benchmark against your peers,' says Cortright, who notes that they avoided ranking cities overall. The report is not saying which city is best; rather, 'it identifies strengths, weaknesses and position to assess core vitality.'"