Bing says a smaller Detroit is necessary

From the top, for the first time in a while, actual talk about "right-sizing" the city of Detroit.

Excerpt:

Mayor Dave Bing and a majority of City Council members are on board with the concept of downsizing the city to save it and may soon move closer to choosing which neighborhoods to target for help at the expense of others.

A first step in the controversial process began this week, when Bing was briefed on a block-by-block study of conditions in the city's 133 square miles. Surveyors for the "Detroit Parcel Study" drove every street and logged details about every house, 350,000 parcels.

The report, which was made public Saturday, is seen by backers as a key tool to prioritizing viable neighborhoods and accelerating discussion about downsizing. The process could eventually move into a politically uncomfortable -- but necessary -- debate about providing incentives to move residents from desolate neighborhoods, said City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown.

"We know that we have neighborhoods that aren't viable," said Brown, who took office in January. "I'm very much for prioritizing viable neighborhoods."

Read the entire article here.

Read a few comments Bing made from the forum here.