Detroit

Detroit Could Become Countryside, Planners Say

A team of visiting planners suggested that Detroit could evolve into a series of urban villages connected by countryside.

30 May 2009 - 9:00am

Detroit Free Press

Plea for Preservation

Detroit, now no stranger to demolitions, ought to rethink what it does with its abandoned, historic buildings--which have long been bulldozed without much of a second thought.

29 April 2009 - 10:00am

Next American City

From Motor City to Garden City

Detroit may be struggling economically, but community groups and citizen activists are keeping the city vibrant with a wide variety of urban farming projects throughout the shrinking city.

27 April 2009 - 5:00am

Detroit Needs More Than Auto Industry Revival

As the automotive industry takes a deep hit during the current economic recession, many tie the Detroit's hopes to those of the auto industry. But Richard Florida argues Detroit needs to think beyond the car business.

25 April 2009 - 5:00am

NPR

Shrinking Cities, On Purpose

Flint, Michigan is another ailing city that is considering demolishing entire neighborhoods and returning them to nature as a way to save the rest of the city from blight.

23 April 2009 - 1:00pm

The New York Times

The Planetizen News Brief - 4/9/09

5:25 minutes (5.01 MB)

Foreclosed homes and abandoned propoerties are becoming a big problem for homeowners, banks and cities. Hear why on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.

9 April 2009 - 5:00am

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Can Detroit Come Back?

As Time Magazine observes, Detroit is the icon of the failing American city, but 'vast swaths of it don't look like a city at all.' Some say 'missing teeth' of Detroit make it a prime candidate to infill appropriately, and 'right-size'.

7 April 2009 - 10:00am

Time

Can Detroit be Reinvented?

The near-bankruptcy of the American auto industry is just the latest in a long history of challenges Detroit has endured.

31 March 2009 - 12:00pm

The Globe and Mail

Rebirth Through Art in Abandoned Detroit

This piece from NPR looks at what artists are doing in Detroit to snatch up abandoned homes and convert them into community centers and art spaces.

24 March 2009 - 11:00am

NPR

Regional Rail Chances Getting Brighter in Detroit

With a recent infusion of $44 million and hopes for more from the federal stimulus package, regional light rail is gathering momentum in Detroit. Advocates see more than mobility in the struggling city's future.

17 March 2009 - 2:00pm

The Detroit Free Press

The Power of Public-Private Partnerships

Indianapolis is a thriving job market, while Detroit is rapidly decaying and drying up. What's the difference? Policies encouraging public-private partnerships, according to this article from Next American City.

15 March 2009 - 5:00am

Next American City

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Detroit's Bike Path Connection

This piece from Metropolis looks at a rail line that was converted into a bike trail in Detroit, and how it has become a well-used neighborhood connector.

11 March 2009 - 7:00am

Metropolis

The Best Housing Markets for 2009... and the Worst

Builder Magazine selects 15 picks for the best housing markets to be in in the U.S. in 2009. Houston, Texas comes out on top, and, predictably, Detroit scrapes the bottom.

2 March 2009 - 6:00am

Builder Magazine

Does Detroit Have a Bright Transit Future?

Jon Zemke ponders the many possibilities for building a world-class transportation network throughout metro Detroit.

23 January 2009 - 11:00am

Metromode

The Courage of Detroit

Mitch Albom writes about the ghosts of Detroit, and the undying belief that someday the city will come back.

19 January 2009 - 11:00am

Sports Illustrated

Blogging the Blight of a Deteriorated Detroit Neighborhood

Amid the citywide blight of Detroit is the City Airport neighborhood -- rife with crime and virtually deserted by residents. But now former residents have begun to write and blog about the neighborhood, its better times and its possible futures.

22 December 2008 - 10:00am

Utne Reader

Shrinking City Planning

Detroit's population is rapidly declining, but the answer to revitalizing the city may lie in part in urban farming.

22 December 2008 - 5:00am

The Salt Lake Tribune

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The Planetizen News Brief - 12/18/08

4:30 minutes (4.18 MB)

A weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, download or listen to this week's News Brief, which looks at Detroit's likely future as a smaller city, and Obama's picks for two key urban policy positions in the new administration.

18 December 2008 - 5:00am

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Hospitals Flee Poor Areas

Unable to bear the financial burden of serving the community's poor, inner-city nonprofit hospitals have been shutting down while investing in suburban hospitals, where patients are more likely to be insured.

15 October 2008 - 6:00am

The Wall Street Journal