Why we love the city -- and what we're granted in return

A recent column by the Detroit News' Nolan Finley examines the psyche of the Detroit-lover. What makes us remain hopeful, in the face of massive deficits and long delays, unanswerable questions and dark days? Why do we remain here, determined to stick out the fight, when nothing stops us from leaving?

Maybe we're gluttons for punishment, Finley writes. But he found some perspective at last weekend's River Days festival, surrounded by thousands of people lured downtown by sunshine, music and the beauty of the revamped Detroit RiverFront Conservancy.

Excerpt:

The work done by the Riverfront Conservancy to revive the riverfront is an example of the huge returns you can reap in Detroit when you invest a bit of hope. Polish one piece of this jewel and it makes you eager to shine another. In a landscape so devastated, everything you do to makes a noticeable difference. So maybe we love Detroit because it needs us so much.

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