My two cents: the full letter to editor in Black Enterprise Feb 2010

This letter was written in response to Black Enterprise's feature story Can Detroit be Saved? in the November 2009 issue. Its a great article with some key points hit. Being a born and bred Detroiter plus a global traveler I had some opinions on the matter that I had been itching to spit. This feature story was right on time. The February 2010 issues Letter to the Editor has an excerpt from the original so not to keep it a secret, It figured i'd let y'all know what i really think.

The wild part that most people don't know is that individuals respond! I have received positive feedback emails from people creating programs and supporting economic development in Detroit! More on this later.

It looks like a good year y'all!


Now on to the letter itself.

Enjoy!

_________

!@!$$%,



So glad BE did this one. It was inevitable. so I have been thinking about this one from a native Detroiter's perspective. It's hard going home to see the squalor of a town bleeding it's population. The economy is weak at best but i see the greatness of it and the potential.

here's what I was thinking.would love to hear your thoughts.

First invest and court the small to medium businesses.
They count in every field from apple picking/tours to Tourism.

Second is investing in a green economy. This plays into the vision for the 21st century American urban environment.
All the factories need to be converted and all the workers need green education to work there producing green products for green companies-see the Kings from your article.

Third is construction. You've seen the numbers of homes owned by the city. they can't afford to bulldoze them all but what if a mid sized company or organization came in and revamped them? Again what does the 21st century American urban environment LOOK like? With schools of architecture at University of Detroit and University of Michigan they could begin to design and then construct it. The city and state should be interested in this venture as well as the schools of architecture. You could even make it a competition then the architects and construction workers could work together to actually build the winning structures. New designs inside city limits. Again using and training the city population and employing these small to middle size companies. More money rotating around citizens and citizen employed and owned businesses.


Fourth is the school system.
find viable workable models with 21st century applications, replicate them and court in state 4 year scholarships with in state work stipulations attached. There should be numerous programs for youth interested in green technology, engineering, computer science, and the arts. Invest in the youth. No city survives without youth.

Fifth your article looked toward Pittsburg but in addition to that one Berlin may be another city to study. I just visited there and the landscape is reminiscent of Detroit with half the city underdeveloped (East Berlin) but in progress. Highly industrial, Berlin seems to be making (made?) the adaptive transition into other economic markets successfully. It's worth checking out.

Other than that yes the health care as the BE articled described and of course film. Detroit's cheap.

Next is tourism. It has historic areas and functions like the Motown Museum, The Henry Ford Museum and the open border to Canada. Gambling counts with the towering MGM Casino as well.
You were there. You saw it.

Then there is the underdeveloped waterfront.

Ah yes. Second to lastly it needs retail social businesses on a tourist level-restaurants, lounges, bars, and other socially interactive businesses.

Finally the City of Detroit needs to court its citizens who have left to come back and mentor if not lecture, teach, or train city youth interested in their various fields of employment. People like myself.


Just my thoughts.

Would be good to hear yours.

Brook