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As someone that grew up very close to Detroit, I’m afraid your analysis will be right. Sometimes you stop going from boom to bust to boom, and you just stay at

As someone that grew up very close to Detroit, I’m afraid your analysis will be right. Sometimes you stop going from boom to bust to boom, and you just stay at bust. At lest I hope Albertans will get enough transfers from the fed to run decent medical and education systems, I wouldn’t wish on anyones children the things I’ve seen young people in Detroit have to live through.

1234letshaveatw 5y ago
IMO, Detroit is at the peak of a boom cycle at the moment. Parks being filled out everywhere, Gilbert is in the middle of constructing his opus, grand central station is almost done(!), even the Illitch's are slowly building out district Detroit and fulfilling their obligation. The biggest problem at the moment for the mayor is deciding who to rain Biden bux on. Crazy to think about
- ghaff 5y ago
  Interestingly I found out yesterday that a fairly large tech conference plans to hold its North America event in Detroit next year. In all my time in the tech industry, I have never seen or heard of a tech event, except for maybe some local company thing, being held in Detroit.
  - yostrovs 5y ago
    I live an hour away from Detroit and drove a friend into the city a couple of years ago to show her around. At some point she said something like "This city looks normal, like any other city. I can see living here." Then I drove her off of Woodward, one of the main thoroughfares that's been rebuilt and looks great. Within about two blocks going perpendicular to Woodward the scenery changed into what people think of Detroit. So you can have a conference and it will be just fine for those visiting. Just stay within the pretty area, which is coincidentally where the police patrol all the time.
    - 1234letshaveatw 5y ago
      Even that isn't necessarily the case anymore. growth has spread out past Woodward
    - ghaff 5y ago
      Where I live in the northeast US, it's pretty much the pattern with a lot of old industrial and/or port small cities. There's maybe a couple handfuls of gentrified blocks with restaurants, twee shops, entertainment venues, etc. Go a half dozen or so blocks and things get sketchier or at least a lot more rundown, albeit not historical Detroit levels. But you need to start somewhere.
    - SkyPuncher 5y ago
      This shouldn't shock anyone. This is nearly every major city in America. You often have very nice areas directly next to crappy areas. The "core" of downtown Detroit is now very nice and very enjoyable to spend time in.
    - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
      Sounds like the 'hologram highway' sequence from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_(TV_series) The show is watchable btw. for the somehow cyberpunky feeling. Unfortunately canceled after 1 season only, in spite of favourable reviews. Strange. Anyways, the most memorable thing for me was the part where the protagonist hops into his self-driving e-car to commute from the gated community he lives in, to work in downtown. There is a sequence where it zooms out, to behind the car and then upwards, like filmed from a quadcopter, or so. And then you see all the nice trees next to the highway are just fakery, hiding the ghettos next to it, by holographic walls :-)

1234letshaveatw 5y ago

IMO, Detroit is at the peak of a boom cycle at the moment. Parks being filled out everywhere, Gilbert is in the middle of constructing his opus, grand central station is almost done(!), even the Illitch's are slowly building out district Detroit and fulfilling their obligation. The biggest problem at the moment for the mayor is deciding who to rain Biden bux on. Crazy to think about

ghaff 5y ago
Interestingly I found out yesterday that a fairly large tech conference plans to hold its North America event in Detroit next year. In all my time in the tech industry, I have never seen or heard of a tech event, except for maybe some local company thing, being held in Detroit.
- yostrovs 5y ago
  I live an hour away from Detroit and drove a friend into the city a couple of years ago to show her around. At some point she said something like "This city looks normal, like any other city. I can see living here." Then I drove her off of Woodward, one of the main thoroughfares that's been rebuilt and looks great. Within about two blocks going perpendicular to Woodward the scenery changed into what people think of Detroit. So you can have a conference and it will be just fine for those visiting. Just stay within the pretty area, which is coincidentally where the police patrol all the time.
  - 1234letshaveatw 5y ago
    Even that isn't necessarily the case anymore. growth has spread out past Woodward
  - ghaff 5y ago
    Where I live in the northeast US, it's pretty much the pattern with a lot of old industrial and/or port small cities. There's maybe a couple handfuls of gentrified blocks with restaurants, twee shops, entertainment venues, etc. Go a half dozen or so blocks and things get sketchier or at least a lot more rundown, albeit not historical Detroit levels. But you need to start somewhere.
  - SkyPuncher 5y ago
    This shouldn't shock anyone. This is nearly every major city in America. You often have very nice areas directly next to crappy areas. The "core" of downtown Detroit is now very nice and very enjoyable to spend time in.
  - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
    Sounds like the 'hologram highway' sequence from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_(TV_series) The show is watchable btw. for the somehow cyberpunky feeling. Unfortunately canceled after 1 season only, in spite of favourable reviews. Strange. Anyways, the most memorable thing for me was the part where the protagonist hops into his self-driving e-car to commute from the gated community he lives in, to work in downtown. There is a sequence where it zooms out, to behind the car and then upwards, like filmed from a quadcopter, or so. And then you see all the nice trees next to the highway are just fakery, hiding the ghettos next to it, by holographic walls :-)