Detroit CEOs Want a Regional Transit Plan

The idea has failed before, most recently in 2016, but the attempt at wooing Amazon has the idea of a regional approach to public transit back on the table in Detroit.

1 minute read

April 16, 2018, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


SMART Bus

Mysid / Wikipedia

"A coalition of 23 metro Detroit CEOs representing most of the region's largest companies are making a public push to get political leaders to coalesce around a regional mass transit plan to put before voters in the November general election," reports Chad Livengood.

The latest germ of a regional transit plan had sprung from the city of Detroit's attempt to woo Amazon for the site of its second headquarters. Though Amazon passed on Detroit, the city's CEOs are calling for the regional transit to persist. The concept of a regional approach to transportation in Southeast Michigan most recently failed in the summer of 2016.

Though the letter did not endorse any specific plan, there is one already out there—a $5.4 billion, 20-year regional transit plan Wayne County Executive Warren Evan that would rely heavily on frequent buses and would develop a commuter rail line between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

The article includes more detail about the politics of regional plan, and how the CEO's letter could be used leverage in the debate about regional planning.

Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Crain's Detroit Business

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

"Units for sale - contact your local realtor" sign in front of homes.

‘Displaced By Design:’ Report Spotlights Gentrification in Black Neighborhoods

A new report finds that roughly 15 percent of U.S. neighborhoods have been impacted by housing cost increases and displacement.

5 hours ago - Next City

Turquoise blue Pyramid Lake near Reno, Nevada.

Nevada and Utah Groups Oppose Public Land Sell-Off Plan

A set of last-minute amendments to the budget reconciliation bill open up over half a million acres of federally managed land to sales.

6 hours ago - Inside Climate News

Alpine Recreation Center sign in park in Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA.

More Than a Park: A Safe Haven for Generations in LA’s Chinatown

Alpine Recreation Center serves as a vital cultural and community hub in Los Angeles' Chinatown, offering a safe, welcoming space for generations of Chinese American residents to gather, connect, and thrive amidst rapid urban change.

7 hours ago - American Community Media

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.