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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

News Hits

Sign of progress: Detroit has some traffic jams now!

Posted By Lee DeVito on Wed, Oct 14, 2015 at 10:03 AM

View image | gettyimages.com

It's a brand new day ... which means it's time for the national media to check in on Detroit.

Today's comes from Bloomberg Business, with the headline "Hope Is a Traffic Jam as Detroit Shakes Off Record Bankruptcy." Yes, the city hiring crossing guards is (OK, not unreasonably) touted as a sign of Detroit's comeback.

But while you might catch a little buzz if you played the "Revive Detroit Drinking Game" as you read along, Bloomberg scores points for tempering the obligatory grafs on Dan Gilbert and Mayor Mike Duggan with some critical analysis:

For many longtime residents, downtown’s success is a mirage and post-bankruptcy is a test of patience.

"We’re waiting for it to trickle down to us," said Vanessa Standifer, 61, a retired pharmacy technician who lives in northeast Detroit. "Mayors try to make a showplace of their downtowns so people will come and spend money, but they’ve got to realize there are everyday people in the neighborhoods."

While plenty of others in the media celebrate Detroit's private investment, Bloomberg takes a more cautious approach:

"The vast part of the city is still in the doldrums, and I don’t see much chance of it coming out," said Peter Eisinger, a retired professor of public policy and urban affairs who has written extensively about Detroit.

Eisinger, who retired from the New School of Social Research in New York and formerly taught at Detroit’s Wayne State University, said Detroit relies too much on financial support from investors and foundations.

"Private money coming into public functions is not sustainable, it’s not predictable," Eisinger said. "The city remains insecure."

Read the whole story here.

Tags: Detroit, Bloomberg Business, comeback city, Image, Video

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