Desperate for jobs and tax revenue, the City of Detroit has permitted its three original casino operators to build new larger complexes.
"Battered by the near collapse of America's motoring industry, Detroit is betting on gaming as a way to revive its fortunes. MGM's 400-room hotel is the biggest of three huge gaming developments in the city. It incorporates a spa, designer restaurants and an upmarket nightclub with room rates of up to $4,000 a night for a VIP suite. MGM's marketing material declares that "the world has seven wonders - now Detroit has one".
However, the new casinos have not come without criticism.
"Matt Allen, press secretary to the city's mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, says: "Detroit is the largest African American city in our country. There was a lot of consternation from preachers that people would lose their homes, that morally this was wrong."
But the sheer volume of money raised from the casinos has quietened some of the more strident criticism. Allen says the three sites yield taxes of between $440,000 and $500,000 a day - or $170m annually. "That buys a lot of fire trucks, a lot of police officers, a lot of parks and recreation and it keeps the lights on in a lot of public buildings."
FULL STORY: Detroit gambles on casinos

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions