To:CitizensofDetroit

From:DanielNazarian

Date:January31,2017

Subject:GentrificationofDetroit

ThegentrificationofDetroithasbecomeaverypopulartopicinthelastdecade

andneedstobetakenseriously.Gentrificationistheprocessofrenovatingandimproving

ahouseordistrictsothatitconformstomiddleclasstaste.ThemainobstacleDetroithas

tofaceisthatitonlyhasafewareasreceivingthemajorityofthefundsitisgiven.The

misappropriationsoffundsinthiscityarehardtobelieve,butposeveryrealproblems.

DowntownDetroitisthemainareawheremoneyisallocatedinordertorevivethisgreat

city. The issue is that we need to focus on areas that are not already thriving like

Downtownis.Thisisaconcerningtopicbecauseweneedtoaidtheareasthathavebeen

forgotteninsteadofpouringmoneyintoplacesthataresuccessful.

Detroitwasbuiltoutwardsinsteadofup,thusmakingitaverylargecity.When

theWhiteFlightfleeforthesuburbsoccurred,thepopulationwentfromabustlingtwo

millionintoacityofundersevenhundredthousand(Guerrieri121).Thereare150,000

vacant orabandoned buildings that surroundthe downtown area, as if there are two

differentDetroits(Moskowitz1).Manyeffortshavebeenmadetofixthisproblem,but

theyhavebeenfocusedonthewrongideas.PeterMoskowitzsaid,Detroitis138.7

squaremiles,butthevastmajorityofthenewmoneythathaspouredintothecityhas

pooledinthe7.2squaremilesofdowntown.DanGilbertandMikeIlitcharethemain

charactersbehindthispoolingofmoneyintotheDowntowndistrict.
 ThesepeoplehavegoodintentionsofhelpingDetroitgetbackonitsfeet,butthe

restoftheareaisundergoingurbanblight.DanGilberthas pouredovertwobillion

dollarsofhisownmoneyintotheRiverWalk,vacantbuildings,andthenewarena.Mike

IlitchownstheRedWings,theTigers,andLittleCesarsPizza.PeoplecometoDetroitto

enjoythesetypesofattractions,buttheyarenotheretostay.Thisisareflectionofthe

Gatsbyconceptwherepeoplewouldusethecityforwhatithadtoofferandleaveassoon

astheirneedsweremet.Thisalsoshowshowtheproblemisbeingviewedbasedona

structure and not an individual agency. Although this structured way of thinking is

lookingoutforacertainsectorofDetroit,notenoughpeoplearebeinglookedatthrough

anindividualpointofview.

ThefirststepweascitizensofDetroitneedtotakeistohelpputfundsintheright

places.IftheareasaroundDowntownweregivenevenasmallamountoffunding,they

could be turned into things like cheap housing, turn around centers, or even small

businesses. Detroit is not a blank slate, and newcomers should seek to incorporate

themselvesintotheexistingculturalframework.AsLaurenHoodstated,Withcurrent

unemployment at 14 percent, training programs for displaced workers should be as

popularlycuratedasrelocationprograms(Hood1).Itisthisstyleofthinkingthatwill

helppeoplewanttostayinDetroit.Ifwecanhelptheresidentsofourcitygetonthe

righttrack,wecangetvisitorstostay.Wecantforgetaboutthepeoplelivinghereand

expectnewcomerstostaybecauseoftheneatattractions.Allinall,ifwecanfundthe

surroundingareaaroundDowntownthatisalreadysuccessful,wecanhelpfixtheurban

blightofDetroit.


WorksCited

Guerrieri,Veronica,DanielHartley,andErikHurst."WithinCityVariationinUrban

Decline:TheCaseofDetroit."TheAmericanEconomicReview102.3(2012):

1206.ProQuest.Web.31Jan.2017.

Hood,Lauren."GentrificationinDetroit."TheHubDetroit.N.p.,n.d.Web.

Moskowitz,Peter."TheTwoDetroits:ACityBothCollapsingandGentrifyingatthe

SameTime."TheGuardian.GuardianNewsandMedia,05Feb.2015.Web.31

Jan.2017.