The Detroit Pistons recently played their last game in the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"The closing of the Palace of Auburn Hills marks just the latest example of a major suburban anchor dying well before its time," according to an article by John Gallagher.
Gallagher counts the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons, among a group that includes the Northland Center, Summit Place Mall, the Pontiac Silverdome, and the old Kmart headquarters in Troy, as formerly "cutting-edge" developments located in the suburbs of Detroit. Now, "all face either demolition or drastic overhauls."
Gallagher cites Edward Hustoles, a now-retired urban planner who was active in metro Detroit at the time, who says that planners and politicians got duped by a narrative of unfettered expansion in the Detroit metropolitan area.
"Back in 1965, Detroit Edison hired the noted Athens-based consulting firm Doxiadis Associates to map out the future of metro Detroit," explains Gallagher. "In a stunningly misguided bit of forecasting, the Doxiadis report projected that metro Detroit's population would more than double by 2000. Instead, the population fell several million people shy of that." Add the region's population losses with the contemporary taste for urban environments, and it's been a recipe for disaster for Detroit's suburban growth plans.
FULL STORY: How miscalculation, market trends doomed Palace of Auburn Hills
Detroit Columnist: 30 Years Isn't Long Enough for a Sports Arena to Stand
The short life of the Palace of Auburn Hills, once home to the NBA's Detroit Pistons, is a "colossal waste," according to John Gallagher.
Where Population Declines but the Economy Grows
While the scale of Detroit's population loss is well known, the lesser known that the city's economy has grown steadily in recent decades. It's not alone.
'Detroit Future City' Enters a New Stage
The Detroit Future City Implementation Office has completed a new strategic plan that will redirect the organizations revitalization efforts, four years after the city adopted the largely successful Detroit Future City framework.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.
Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service