I want you to venture back with me to 1805 in Detroit. Gabriel Richard, the French Roman Catholic priest, is walking through the rubble of the recent fire which has devastated much of the city. He's muttering to himself, but it isn't just any old codger rambling. Father Gabe was alleged to have said something that defines Detroit to this day: "
Speramusmeliora resurgitcineribus"
"We hope for better things, it will rise from the ashes."
That, right there, is prophetic poetry of Martin Scorsese proportions. Flash forward through the years. Since the time of that fire, Detroit did rebuild itself, all the while experiencing periodic turbulence as any glory-bound city is destined. And yet here we are again, our major metro area on life support.
This is particularly troubling to me because a thriving hub city is requisite for attracting and retaining Gen Y. Furthermore, there is no way that Gen Y will be drawn to an area whose primary industry is on the decline. Detroit is the conduit of this state's economy, whether we're ready to acknowledge that or not.
I am not an economist, nor Nostradamus, and cannot begin to prescribe what needs to happen for the D to get back on its feet. But Doug Rothwell, CEO of
Business Leaders For Michigan, can.
"Young people starting their careers are looking for places that offer a wealth of attractive jobs in growing industries," says Rothwell. "We don't have to look any farther than Michigan in the 1990s to see that this is true. Just ten years ago we had severe worker shortages and a net growth of young people moving to the state when we were creating many attractive jobs. So while having cool cities and other places that young people find attractive, we must realize that the availability of jobs in hot sectors of the economy trumps everything else. Not much different than past generations, young people still need decent jobs."
I'd be a fool not to acknowledge the elephant in the room. No jobs, no Gen Y flocking to the city. This has not changed, but I know that something in Detroit has. I know that I, as a Gen-Yer, consistently meet skeptical friends, colleagues, and acquaintances that refuse to look past the crime, corruption, or dying industry to see the positive energy and opportunity that still flourishes there. If we can't even draw young people out of their insular Ann Arbor bubble and into Detroit socially, it's a hopeless venture to convince the nation to do the same economically.
"What is there to do in Detroit?"
"I’ve only been to the Joe or Comerica, it's not safe otherwise."
"I've got everything I need right here in Ann Arbor."
These are the reactions I get after my incredulous interrogations as to why people aren't spending time in the city.
Take your average Washtenaw County resident in their 20s or 30s. Let's say they're interested in University Musical Society performances. Might I suggest the power of the world class
Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Passionate for art? Okay, props to you - U of M Museum of Art, but you have
nothing on the
Detroit Institute of Arts. Farmers Market? Have you even been to
Eastern Market? Summer Festival? Dally in the Alley. Live music at the Blind Pig? I'll take live music at the incredible
Cliff Bells any day. The Arb? Belle Isle. Blue Tractor? Clearly you haven't eaten at
Slow's. Michigan Theater?
Fox Theater.
Alright, you get my point. This is typically the part of the conversation when they ask how much Dave Bing is paying me for each public service announcement. While Washtenaw County has its charms, Detroit packs serious character and a lot more flavor. I'm not saying we should all pick up and move, but Ann Arbor should at least go out every now and then and experience something a bit more culturally ambitious.
So, if the scene is set, what stops us from supporting the D's resurgence with our participation?
I find that it comes down to two things. Perception and accessibility. What are we to believe when all the media puts in front of us is crime, drugs, and violence? Yes, Motown has more than its share of those things. But it also has so much more, and I'm tired of endless urban scare tactics.
Or worse - complete hopelessness. Like the
half-empty musings of Harvard economist Ed Glaeser, who contends that we shouldn't rebuild Detroit at all. His premise? Early cities had to be developed on waterways because of transportation and communication costs, but now that those are cheaper, people should abandon any place that has fallen into disrepair and live wherever they want. Leave it to an economist to promote the ultimate act of a disposable culture - tossing away a city. He suggests that we use Detroit to prepare people for relocation elsewhere. And while I agree with his budget allocations into social services and education, I adamantly disagree about giving up on Michigan's largest, densest, and most storied city.
The fact is, we're not going to change the media, nor our national reputation, until we start taking pride in our own city. If things went my way, Michigan residents would become the media and - within our own social networks - guide people toward the stories which 'accentuate the positive' over the latest doom and gloom.
Perception, and then accessibility stand in the way of progress. The old saying, "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand", has never been more applicable. To involve non-resident young professionals in the growth of Detroit, you have to make the city accessible. The hour drive in and out of Detroit doesn't seem daunting, but when you consider a living situation or even an impromptu outing, it's just outside the reach of accessibility. This could be overcome with a transit line between the Southeast suburbs and the city. Last I checked, the realistic timeline for completion of the Detroit - Metro Airport - Ann Arbor line would allow our great-grandchildren wonderful transportation alternatives...after all the businesses have closed.
In the end, it comes down to envy. I want to experience the city my grandmother tells me about when she was working for Michigan Bell in her 20s. I want to see Woodward and the Cass Corridor bustling with people, I want to stroll past Hudson's in my beehive hairstyle and girdle. Wait. Scratch that last part. Some things about Detroit in the 50s can remain in decline.
Maybe this is just the fantasy, but I, like Gabriel Richard, do hope for better things. Part of that is getting young creative energy back downtown, so that we can all help Detroit rise from its ashes.
Kate Rose is an MSU grad and native Michigander. Her day job is at Google; her views here are her own. Her previous article for Concentrate was Know Y: Pure Washtenaw. Send feedback here.
Photos:
Kate Rose at Cliff Bells Detroit
The DIA
Slows BBQ-Detroit
Cass Cafe-The Corridor
All Photos by Dave Lewinski