The big developers all have their own business models that have been iterated on to maximize profit. For example, one might look at coastal areas to turn into r

The big developers all have their own business models that have been iterated on to maximize profit. For example, one might look at coastal areas to turn into resorts. They have teams of people that examine all the angles. How amenable is the local government to outside investment, can they get tax breaks, looking at the land itself to identify issues with building. I believe Detroit is a veritable no-man's land so far as this kind of risk management is concerned. Cities are usually prime targets for developers, one can assume a fairly efficient market as far as real estate development is concerned. That there's no action can reasonably indicate that there's no potential there, and not that nobody's looked at it.