Editorial Supports Blocking Access from Detroit to its Suburbs

Grosse Point Park, which borders Detroit, has blocked streets that connect its commercial district from the east side of Detroit. An editorial from the Detroit News says that the focus should be on making Detroit a better neighbor.

1 minute read

August 15, 2014, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Fences

ricardo / Flickr

The editorial begins by admitting that if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck: "Grosse Pointe Park is being accused of trying to wall itself off from Detroit by erecting farmer sheds across Kercheval Avenue at its border with the city. And that’s a hard assertion to deny."

Then this: "But consider what the suburban community is walling itself off from. The area of Detroit’s east side that borders Grosse Pointe Park is among the most blighted in the city, perhaps in the country."

The sheds, according to the editorial, are part of an effort to transform Grosse Pointe Park's "business district on Kercheval into one of the coolest outside of downtown Detroit. New restaurants and retail shops have opened, and the city is trying to create a pedestrian-friendly entertainment district." According to the editorial, "[the] temporary structures across Kercheval force traffic to go around the central business district, instead of straight through it. That cuts down on traffic."

There's more equivocation from the Detroit News editorial staff at the link below.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 in The Detroit News

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