Forbes hasn't always been kind too Detroit in the past. And this particular piece really isn't about Detroit. But... it's a piece about keeping the city urban and not turning it into the surburbs ... or a parking lot.
Excerpt:
Cities do have one natural advantage in this regard, being home to
most of the nation's supply of traditional urban style development.
While urban living may always appeal to a minority, those who prefer it
almost have to look at the city. Trying to out-suburb the suburbs with
auto-oriented living is a loser's game (as in implementing strip malls
and large private parking lots). If people prefer a suburban lifestyle,
they can get a better version of it for cheaper just by moving there.
Give people a choice between a real suburb and a city trying to act
like a suburb, and people will choose the real thing every time.
But
adopting the urban revitalization conventional wisdom du jour is also a
dead end. Every city has bike trails, stadiums and such. Things like
light rail might help, but people who want to live the Portland or
Chicago lifestyle will just move there. They don't need a "me too"
imitation of it.
Read the entire article
here.
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