Detroit

Dan Gilbert, the founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc., is perhaps one of Detroit's biggest boosters of late. And he's putting his money where his mouth is.

What do New Orleans, Detroit, and Phoenix all have in common? Each one has confronted some of our most pressing challenges of our time and has a lesson of survival to teach us.

Just three weeks after the city announced it was cancelling plans for a 9.3-mile light rail line, a truncated version may be built, but with some key caveats.

A new study concludes that encouraging businesses to prosper and create jobs is the most important function of local government.

According to a team reviewing the city's finances, a state-appointed emergency manager may not have to be put in place, indicating that Detroit isn't necessarily going broke. However, the city and union leaders must act quickly to prove so.

The city and federal DOT have decided against a $600 million plan that would introduce light rail and, subsequently, more residents to the city. Instead, money will go to improving a notoriously unreliable bus system.

Officials in recession-battered Michigan increasingly see placemaking as an important economic recovery strategy. The Michigan Municipal League, a coalition of local governments, is leading efforts to make the state's cities talent magnets.

Manuel "Matty" Moroun has spent millions cleaning up Michigan Central Depot, cleaning out debris and hiring architects and feasibility experts to figure out how much of the building is worth saving.

How grassroots entrepreneurs and inspired religious leaders are working to erase urban blight in Detroit.

Michelle Bruch talks with placemaking expert Fred Kent about the makeover he helped orchestrate of Detroit's Campus Martius Park.

The 2010 Census reveals that Detroit's population is approaching the 1910's level. Of the City's 714,000 residents, 83% are black and nearly 40% live in poverty. With virtually every statistic going against its favor, can Motown make a comeback?

The Economist paints a gloomy picture of an ailing Detroit, but also says there is hope in the form of urban pioneers attracted by the affordability of space.

Atlanta's BeltLine is a great example of a big "catalyst project," writes Ryan Gravel, which repurposes a 22-mile railroad into a linear park. Other cities can follow suit.

While many stories have been written about Detroit's turnaround, it took the top spot on Forbes list of most dangerous cities. Detroit had 1,111 violent crimes reported per 100,000 residents, which included 345 murders, writes John Giuffo.

Bill Johnson says that Detroit would do well to remember 1987's People Mover, which cost 7 times more than projected and has never reached its expected ridership.

More and more businesses in suburban Detroit are packing up an moving into the center of the city.

With more than 100,000 empty homes within the city of Detroit, squatters are increasingly moving in.

Meagan Elliott, an urban planning student at the University of Michigan, writes about a young, idealistic generation that is moving to Detroit.

Despite a lack of cooperation on regional transit issues, Detroit area transportation agencies can find a way to fix the region's broken system, according to a panel of officials and experts.

Community gardens are popping up all over Detroit. This post from Model D takes a tour through three of them, and explores how they balance art and nature.