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It took forever, it seems, for the narrative of Detroit to change course in the national media.
Crime, murder, political corruption -- that seemed to fit the narrative for decades. But in the past few years, publications like The New York Times have written about the "comeback," about Detroit being "the next Brooklyn," an affordable haven for hipsters and a setting for culinary adventures.
Now, a published study led by Laura Reese, professor of political science and director of MSU’s Global Urban Studies Program, gives pause. It finds that a small swath of landscape, like downtown, Midtown and Corktown, are bouncing back in impressive fashion while the lion's share of Detroit continues to decline. The study, posted at the website Cities, is titled: "It's safe to come, we’ve got lattes:’ Development disparities in Detroit.”
The report says:
Detroit is two very different cities; one white the other black, one privileged the other deprived. The large-scale purchase, refurbishment and upgrading by Dan Gilbert . . . stands in contrast to the decay that continues to dominate the post-apocalyptic neighborhood landscape, inhabited by long-time Detroit residents that are not partaking in this highly-limited but growing prosperity
“In the news media, Detroit has gone from being the poster child for urban decline to a shining example of urban regeneration,” Reese says in a press release. “Yet despite this increasingly crowded Detroit bandwagon, reality does not match the hype. The gap between the city’s core area and its neighborhoods is significant and increasing.”
The study can hardly be shocking. In the past few years, the media has reported on the disparity of Detroit and of it being a "Tale of Two Cities." Plus, all one has to do is drive from downtown to some neighborhoods on both the east and west side to see rampant decay and hear reports of crime and fear of filling up a gas tank late at night at certain stations.
Professor Laura Reese
That being said, there are certainly some stable, if not flourishing neighborhoods like Indian Village, West Village, Boston-Edison, the University District and Palmer Woods.
Still, the study, which was conducted with assistance of Jeanette Eckert and Igor Vojnovic from MSU and Gary Sands from Wayne State University, is a reminder that Detroit has a long way to go. (We first saw a report of this study at Metro Times.)
The study found, according to the press release:
- Much of the city’s high-profile development is centered in a roughly seven-mile-square area of downtown and Midtown. The positive changes in this area, the study notes, stand in stark contrast to what is happening in the other 95 percent of Detroit, where “decay continues to dominate the post-apocalyptic neighborhood landscape.”
- Poverty in the city jumped from 33 percent in 2009 to 40 percent in 2014. Some 300,000 Detroiters live in poverty.
- Unemployment increased from 25 percent in 2010 to 27 percent in 2013.
- Most hotspots for crime – including homicide – are concentrated in the neighborhoods, and not in the downtown/Midtown area.
- Public education continues to decline. In 2015, for example, only 1 percent of fourth-graders scored as proficient or advanced in science, 8 percent in math and 12 percent in English.
- The loss of population and jobs has hurt municipal finances. Property tax delinquencies reached a high of 47 percent of parcels and uncollected taxes are estimated at $131 million.
The study goes say that the city leaders have not completely ignored the neighborhoods, and have enhanced public safety, new streetlights, modest improvements to public transportation, demolition of abandoned buildings and land-use changes to agriculture have addressed some basic quality of life issues.
Reese commends those efforts, but says they don't address the core issues of substandard education and lack of job training.
