Detroit Future City: 2012 Detroit Strategic Framework Plan

DETROIT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK plan
december 2012

foreword 001
detroit is...
003
forward

blueprint for
detroit’s future 005
executive summary

guide to the strategic
framework 017
how the plan
018
the planning elements
030
IMPLEMENTATION horizons
is organized for change

the planning elements 033
the economic growth
091
the land use
155
the city systems
element element element

203
the neighborhood
265
the LAND AND BUILDINGS ASSETS
element element

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 317
supporting lasting civic
engagement in detroit

afterword 345
acknowledgements

EACH DAY, 1

$1.7B

FOReWoRD
IN GOODS
CROSS THE ambassador bridge
And 25% of all us-canadian trade crosses the bridge each year1

...in the top 20 largest American cities.

...Home to 714,000 residents who are resilient and already working to change the course
of the city’s prospects.

...a city of global economic assets, including intermodal border crossings and industrial
infrastructure that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the region.
UPPER
PENINSULA
...known globally for a brand of innovation in “making things” and growing in reputation
ST. CLAIR
COUNTY for small-scale models of ingenuity.

NORTHERN ...home of a civic network of committed, proactive community-based and
MICHIGAN OAKLAND MACOMB
LIVINGSTON
COUNTY
COUNTY COUNTY philanthropic organizations.

4.7M MID-
MICHIGAN
300k WASHTENAW
COUNTY
WAYNE
...A land-rich environment that can accommodate growth and innovation without
displacement.
People live in southeast michigan. WESTERN
MICHIGAN
New jobs are projected COUNTY
Approximately 700k live in SOUTHEAST for southeast michigan
detroit2 MICHIGAN by 20403 ...poised to reposition itself as Michigan’s leading urban center once again, if there is a
MONROE
COUNTY
coordinated regional urban agenda that enables more mutually beneficial relationships with the
region, state, and nation.

$422m 19M
10 foundations have invested
nearly $422M in detroit from
An average of 19
million annual visitors
18th
largest
18th largest city in 20106
In 1940 detroit was the 4th
largest city in the united
states by
population7
2008-summer 20114 and tourists come to
downtown Detroit each
year5

1) Detroit Regional Chamber; 2) US Census 2010; 3) Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG); 4) DWPLTP
Civic Engagement Audit; 5) Detroit Economic Growth Corporation; 6) US Census 2010; 7) US Census 1940;

3

blueprint for detroit’s future
a broad engagement of leadership leading detroit toward its future
In 2010 an ambitious effort to re-imagine a better future for one of the Perhaps most importantly, we understand that this is not the end, but
city of degc world’s most important and storied cities was launched. The project the end of the beginning. We realize that this document is a large body
detroit MAYOR’S has been both an exciting and, at times, challenging journey. It has of work that represents over 2 years of conversations and thinking,
also been a collective journey, inviting diverse input from technical and it needs to be understood by the various audiences that will use
ADVISORY steering committee experts within Detroit and around the world and, most importantly, the it. We are committed to turning paper and possibilities into action and
TASK FORCE community experts and everyday citizens who would be most affected accomplishment, and have already begun to construct the mechanisms
by its recommendations. Each has played a critical role in forming what for doing so.
we hope will become a living framework for change and development
long-term strategy team in Detroit.
As we move toward implementation of Detroit Future City, Detroit
stakeholders will be able to continue to meet with technical experts so
Now––after hundreds of meetings, 30,000 conversations, connecting they can dive into the portions of the plan that will best amplify work
Planning civic with people over 163,000 times, over 70,000 survey responses and already being done, while aligning it with a broader vision for the city.
short-term INTER-AGENCY team engagement comments from participants, and countless hours spent dissecting and The creation of a formal organization that can be a champion for Detroit
strategy team WORK GROUP examining critical data about our city––we are proud to present Detroit
Future City. We believe that within this document lies a path forward
Future City, evolve it as a living document, act as a service provider for
anyone that wants to understand and access the plan, and coordinate
toward realizing the aspirations of an entire city. Within it lies a guide targeted projects and the partnerships needed to make them happen, is
for decision making that is not exclusively for one entity or one mayor underway. In addition, we are working to identify on-the-ground pilot
process leaders or one generation, but for each of us––and those who come after us–– projects that can happen quickly and spur bigger things to come.
in our roles as citizens, philanthropists, developers, business people,
We are pleased to present and celebrate what’s been accomplished so
neighborhood champions, parents, and beyond.
ROUND TABLES WORKING GROUPS far, thank the thousands of you who have helped get us here, and look
Ambitious but attainable, Detroit Future City begins to align our to a brighter future that reestablishes Detroit as the center of a vibrant
assets with opportunity, mapping a framework that best coordinates region.
investment of our resources––people, time, money, brainpower, and
We look forward not only to the great things that will happen, but to the
more––in ways that can move us forward collectively. How to best use
remarkable outcomes of our continued work together.
our abundance of land (particularly publicly owned land), create job
growth and economic prosperity, ensure vibrant neighborhoods, build Sincerely,
an infrastructure that serves citizens at a reasonable cost, and maintain
a high level of community engagement that is integral to success. And THE DETROIT WORKS PROJECT LONG-TERM PLANNING
each is addressed with the understanding that in many ways they are STEERING COMMITTEE
all interlinked.

RESIDENT, GOVERNMENT, NONPROFIT, BUSINESS, INSTITUTIONal, CIVIC, PHILANTHROPIC, FAITH-BASED

5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“There were times when I thought I couldn’t This document, the Detroit Strategic Framework, articulates a shared vision for
Detroit’s future, and recommends specific actions for reaching that future. The
Every city has its challenges and Detroit most certainly has urgent and long-standing
ones. But not every city has the assets of Detroit. As Michigan’s largest urban
vision resulted from a 24-month-long public process that drew upon interactions center, Detroit is home to the largest concentration of workers, health, education,

last for long, but now I think I’m able to carry on among Detroit residents and civic leaders from both the nonprofit and for-profit
sectors, who together formed a broad-based group of community experts. From
cultural, and entertainment institutions; the busiest international border crossing in
North America for international trade; host to 50 million annual tourists and visitors;
the results of this citywide public engagement effort, in turn, a team of technical a city of beautiful historic neighborhoods and commercial areas, including 245
It’s been a long, a long time coming experts crafted and refined the vision, rendered specific strategies for reaching
it, shared their work publicly at key points, and shaped it in response to changing
sites or districts on the National Register of Historic Places and 8 National Historic
Landmarks; and the second largest theater district in the country, second only to

but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will”
information and community feedback throughout the process. New York City. These assets make up the city’s physical and economic capital.

The work of the Detroit Strategic Framework was guided by a talented Steering Detroit’s assets also include the resiliency, creativity, and ingenuity of its people
Committee of individuals from within Detroit, whose knowledge of civic and organizations—the city’s human and social capital. Detroit’s impressive talent
“A Change is Gonna Come” Lyrics by Sam Cooke, 1963 engagement, nonprofit community work, key areas such as land use and economic base includes
development, and the city itself were of deep value. Building a blueprint for a city
as complex and rich in promise and challenges as Detroit required the integration ƒƒ business leaders who forever changed the culture of industrial production
of local expertise with leading thinkers and practitioners from around the globe. A and music;
list of the Planning and Civic Engagement Teams, along with the committees that ƒƒ pioneers in new forms of transportation, infrastructure, and community
guided the work and the Process Leaders who helped create the vision, is provided food production;
in the acknowledgements appendix of this document.
ƒƒ civic leaders who have organized and empowered community residents to
A FRAMEWORK THAT BUILDS ON ASSETS. Detroit is no stranger to plans and exercise their voices and actively participate in the fate of their futures; and
proposed solutions to its need for urban revitalization. Twice in the past 15 years, ƒƒ faith leaders who have held up Detroit communities by tending to their
Detroit has prepared a full citywide plan for its future: The 1998 Community spiritual and human needs.
Reinvestment Strategy Plan (which was never formally adopted), and the state-
mandated Master Plan of Policies governing land use, created in 2004 and adopted
by the City Council in 2009. The Detroit Strategic Framework marks the first time in
decades that Detroit has considered its future not only from a standpoint of land
use or economic growth, but in the context of city systems, neighborhood vision,
the critical question of vacant land and buildings, and the need for greater civic
capacity to address the systemic change necessary for Detroit’s success. This plan is
also the first to accept and address Detroit’s future as a city that will not regain its
peak population of nearly 2 million people.

6 7

detroit future city | DECEMBER 2012

how we arrived at this vision
A PROCESS ROOTED IN BUILDING TRUST AND AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT. The Strategic Framework is aspirational toward a physical and social vision for CHALLENGES. It is no news that Detroit faces serious challenges, including fiscal A BLEND OF TECHNICAL AND COMMUNITY EXPERTISE. The Long-Term
The history of civic engagement in Detroit includes many examples of commitment the city; actionable, with strategies for new policies and implementation; and constraints, unemployment, housing foreclosures, crime, education issues, service Planning initiative was also designed to balance technical expertise with community
and vision, but also includes planning fatigue and lack of trust, which have left accountable, with assignment of implementation responsibilities. delivery challenges, healthy food access, and environmental pollution. Yet these expertise that draws on personal and organizational experiences and observations.
residents to feel a sense of hopelessness, confusion, and skepticism about the conditions can sometimes change rapidly from year to year. The planning process The leaders of the process developed and implemented a careful methodology for
intentions and outcomes of public conversations. There is a real perception that Four core values were put in place at the beginning of the process, to create a was based on a careful examination of the best available information about the gathering, integrating, and synthesizing anecdotal as well as data-driven inputs to
after years of promises and plans, there has been no visible change in the city. This, shared vision and plan of action: city’s current conditions and trends. inform the Framework’s final recommendations.
coupled with the severity of the city’s current fiscal crisis, has prompted residents to The recommendations and actions proposed in this Strategic Framework are
ƒƒ Aspirational where it should be and practical where it must be The Community Experts, along with the Planning Team and Civic Engagement Team,
focus on what can be done in the immediate future to meet their critical community informed by a wide range of reliable source materials that provide a comprehensive
needs, making it hard to focus on planning for five, ten, or twenty years out. ƒƒ Respectful of the city’s history, community efforts, and new ideas snapshot of the city’s current conditions, policies, and trends. Eight audits were collaborated to diversify engagement opportunities beyond traditional meetings,
compiled to help shape the Framework recommendations: reaching out to people in many different ways, not only to give them information
Any proposal to lift and transform Detroit must first acknowledge this critical
ƒƒ Just and equitable in seeking to create benefits for all but also to ask them to share information. From the Detroit Stories oral history film
reality, not as a barrier to progress but as a vital reminder that public engagement ƒƒ Transparent and inclusive of all voices participating to improve our 1. Public Land Disposition Policies and Procedures project (detroitstoriesproject.com) and the Detroit 24/7 online game to the drop-
around the city’s future must be authentic, transparent, interactive, and aligned community in HomeBase in Eastern Market, telephone Town Halls, and “Roaming Table” that
2. Urban and Regional Economy
with neighborhood goals for the well-being of all residents. In addition, the made the rounds to Detroiters in their own neighborhoods, the Detroit Works civic
HOW WE ARRIVED AT THIS VISION. The Long-Term Planning initiative was 3. Urban Agriculture and Food Security
Detroit Strategic Framework was created with an understanding that no single engagement activities deepened and broadened the available information for the
led by a Mayor-appointed Steering Committee of 12 civic leaders representing
sector—government, business, nonprofit, resident and neighborhood groups, 4. Neighborhoods, Community Development, and Housing process, adding to the research and data with valuable first-hand experiences and
business, philanthropy, community, faith-based institutions, and government. The
or philanthropy—can achieve the city’s brighter future alone. A broad range of suggestions rooted in daily realities. Such ideas are not usually captured in planning
Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) managed the initiative, overseeing 5. Landscape, Ecology, and Open Space
community sectors and leadership will need to act collectively to implement the efforts of this scale and comprehensiveness.
the work of the Planning Team of local, national, and international consultants
actions of the Strategic Framework, and to put Detroit on the path to stability, 6. Land Use and Urban Form
representing the disciplines of urban planning and design, economics, engineering,
sustainability, and ultimately transformation into a model 21st century American
landscape architecture, and real estate development. A Civic Engagement Team 7. Environmental Remediation and Health
city.
was also created to interact with many community groups, business leaders, and
residents. The local partners led the Civic Engagement process along with a host 8. City Systems, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Sustainability
At the present time, many people and organizations remain living and/or working
in silos, either by issue (education, housing, environmental justice); sector (public, of community and advocacy organizations as well as Process Leaders who aided in
Through the early phases of the Strategic Framework planning initiative, this
private, nonprofit); geography (neighborhood, city, region, state); or more gaining citywide input into the initiative as the Framework took shape.
evidence was shared with the residents and stakeholders of Detroit, and combined
destructive divides such as racial and economic disparities, with only a few existing with their “on-the-ground” experience of living with these issues in everyday life.
The work of this diverse collaboration has created a process and a guide for decision
examples where diverse groups sit at the same table for collective dialogue and It became clear that if we did nothing, the quality of life and businesses in Detroit
making for Detroit’s future—The Detroit Strategic Framework—with innovative
action. There is no time to lose: Detroit’s future rests on the ability and willingness would continue to decline.
strategies to move toward a more efficient and sustainable city and improve the
of these strong, but sometimes separated, groups to come together and help
quality of life and business in Detroit.
activate the change necessary to enable Detroit’s recovery and resurgence. The scope of the planning effort focused on priorities for change and clearly defined
INFORMATION-DRIVEN KNOWLEDGE OF THE CITY’S ASSETS AND goals for improving human health, family and business wealth, safety, and the
The Detroit Strategic Framework emerged from the Detroit Works Project (DWP), physical condition of the city. The ultimate objective of the Framework became
launched in 2010. DWP included a track for Short-Term Actions and a Long-Term to uplift the people, businesses, and places of Detroit by improving quality of life
Planning initiative. The Long-Term Planning initiative was a 24-month planning and and business in the city. A strategic approach to advancing these quality of life and
civic engagement process that resulted in the vision and strategies described in this business goals involves a strategic focus on the “things we must do” to bring about
document, a comprehensive and action-oriented blueprint for near- and long-range change. This focus has been captured in the 12 Imperatives on the following pages.
decision making.

12 imperative actions the THINGS WE MUST DO
quality of life/quality of business imperatives
1. We must re-energize Detroit’s economy to increase job opportunities for The Detroit community and planning experts worked together to identify the
important core values, project goals, quality-of-life, and quality-of-business elements
Looking carefully at the data revealed by the policy audits described earlier, it
became clear that “if we did nothing”, the quality of life and businesses in Detroit
9

Detroiters within the city and strengthen the tax base. that have driven the recommendations in this Framework. Early engagement would continue to decline. The scope of the planning effort focused on priorities
efforts revealed that issues of access to jobs, safety, education, human health, and for change as defined by the 12 imperatives.

neighborhood appearance were universally critical to address. These sentiments
2. We must support our current residents and attract new residents. were uniformly raised regardless of neighborhood population, ethnicity, income,
or geography. Residents and businesses alike wanted an improved city and a better
quality of life and business environment.
3. We must use innovative approaches to transform our vacant land in ways Through these public conversations, the Long-Term Planning initiative focused its
that increase the value and productivity and promote long-term sustainability. work on defining what an improved quality of life and business would require, and
created a set of “mandates” that must be established if Detroit is to achieve visible
and sustainable change. These 12 Imperatives are drawn from the quality-of-life

4. We must use our open space to improve the health of all Detroit’s residents. and quality-of-business elements identified in the collaborative dialogue between
technical and community experts.

5. We must promote a range of sustainable residential densities. KEY
Quality of Life and
Business definitions
QUALITY OF LIFE
ELEMENT
QUALITY OF
BUSINESS ELEMENT

QUALITY OF LIFE ELEMENTS
6. We must focus on sizing the networks for a smaller population, making them
more efficient, more affordable, and better performing.

quality of life and business definitions
that have been defined through civic
7. We must realign city systems in ways that promote areas of economic
potential, encourage thriving communities, and improve environmental and SAFETY HEALTH EDUCATION PROSPERITY
AND INCOME
COMMUNITY PHYSICAL
CONDITION
HOUSING PUBLIC
SERVICES
MOBILITY

human health conditions.

engagement process
The sense of Mental and The opportunity The opportunity The inherent The state of Quality dwelling Core services The ability to
physical and physical well- to gain a quality for long-term, sense of constructed options that provided by the effectively and
emotional being for all education for all fulfilling belonging with and natural provide shelter city government efficiently access
security, Detroiters ages, incomes, employment neighbors, surroundings and safety for all and allied employment,
primarily and abilities that allows for sharing common residents providers, housing and

8. We must be strategic and coordinated in our use of land. focused on the
individual or
family, but also
personal growth,
self-sufficiency,
and wealth
interests
and working
together to
ranging from
utilities to
maintenance
services

extending to creation achieve common and sanitation
surroundings goals

9. We must promote stewardship for all areas of the city by implementing short-
and long-term strategies.
QUALITY OF BUSINESS ELEMENTS

10. We must provide residents with meaningful ways to make change in their
communities and the city at large. $
i
11. We must pursue a collaborative regional agenda that recognizes Detroit’s ENVIRONMENT RECREATION CULTURE RETAIL SERVICES
AND AMENITIES
REGULATIONS ACCESS NETWORK COST SERVICES INFORMATION

strengths and our region’s shared destiny. The physical,
chemical and
Places to
accommodate
Numerous
events and
Places to
facilitate
Permitting, Strategic
improvements
Proximity
to related
The operating
cost environment
Effective
and reliable
Access to
necessary
zoning and other
biotic factors physical activity cultural material, codes that need that are businesses, for businesses government knowledge and
that affect the and social activities that service and to be aligned necessary to suppliers, compared to services that data for aligning
surroundings interaction define the social entertainment ensure efficient and business regional and are necessary to businesses
12. We must dedicate ourselves to implementing this framework for our future.
to support job
and conditions composition of needs growth access via services peer cities support private with workforce,
in which a daily life highways, rail, investment incentives
person, animal ports, and local and public
or plant lives streets assistance

Detroit Today
making the case for change: why business as usual
WILL NOT work
10 11


It is often difficult to enter into a planning process that talks about the future “People do live here,” said Wayne Ramocan, a DETROIT’S POPULATION. Just over 700,000 people live in a city originally DETROIT’S LAND VACANCY AND LAND USE. The city’s 20 square miles of total
city when community stakeholders believe that their basic needs are not being designed for 2 million people. Detroit’s population has been in decline for vacant land is roughly equal to the size of Manhattan. This characterization
sufficiently met. Detroiters have long been anxious about the future of the city— participant in the Detroit Stories project. “People decades and this trend is expected to continue. The Southeast Michigan Council of of Detroit is supported by the housing statistics of rising foreclosure rates, falling
concerned about the safety of their children and property, their increasing taxes talk about the city like people don’t actually live Government (SEMCOG) forecasts for the city predict that the population will fall to home and property values, and an excess of vacant land and homes for which
and expectations for quality city services, their access to jobs and the cost of driving from the 2010 Census figure of 717,000 to 610,000 by 2030—a long way from the there is not enough demand to fill before property deterioration sets in. Many
to work, the value of their homes, the ability to keep up with a mortgage, and the here…They just talk about the city as maybe an city’s peak population of over 1.8 million in the early 1950s, but still keeping Detroit homeowners in particular have been unable to balance their checkbooks as they
growing vacancy and abandonment surrounding them. Residents and businesses investment, or ‘it’s only land here,’ or, ‘it’s only in the top 20 largest cities in the U.S. The composition of the city’s population is see housing and transportation expenses account for over 50% of their monthly
alike have been concerned about whether utilities would be shut off in the more also undergoing gradual changes. Today, the city has 6% more single-female headed income, while the value of their investments continues to decrease.
vacant parts of the city, whether families might be forced to move from their blight and vacant houses,’ but it’s more to it than households, 7% fewer children, and a senior population that is expected to grow
With nearly 150,000 vacant and abandoned parcels scattered throughout the
homes (as in the days of urban renewal), or whether some city departments or that….Detroit is not barren.” from 11% to 17% over the next 20 years. Detroit families make on average only
city, every area of the city is vulnerable to some levels of disinvestment. Despite a
community facilities would be shut down completely. $28,000 per year compared to families in the region making $48,000 annually, and
one-third of Detroit families make less than that. common perception, the majority of residents in the city live in areas that have only
The challenge is that Detroiters’ important strides forward have gotten lost in the
While there has been much speculation and fear around such unfair, unjust, low or moderate levels of vacancy, less than 30%. This is not ideal, especially when
shuffle because they are often responses to crisis or solely issue- or neighborhood-
unacceptable (and unnecessary) actions, one thing has become very clear— These factors, together with the demographics of the current population, suggest more stable neighborhood options exist elsewhere in the region. This still leaves
focused. Yet the emergent or engaged civic institutions and residents who have
the way things are and “business as usual” are no longer acceptable. Detroiters that the total number of people in the city may not be as important as the diversity nearly 10,000 residents in areas of the city that are sparsely populated and unlikely
taken on the city’s toughest challenges at this level of detail have the ability and
demand and deserve reliable city services, safe streets, healthy environments, of its residents and the robustness of its job base. Detroit can be a vibrant city of to return to their previous traditional residential neighborhood character.
the vision to do more: They just need the capacity, in the form of information
access to food, jobs, public transit, and places to play, learn, and engage with one 700,000 people or less if deliberate actions are taken to increase family wealth and
and resources. If these change leaders cannot engage broadly and permanently Detroit must transform its image of vacancy into an image informed by the new
another. Civic leaders in the public, private, nonprofit, grassroots, institutional, and the earning power of people who are now in poverty, retain young people in the
to speak to the promising reality, real problems, and ambitious vision for Detroit, possibilities for 21st century land uses. This means creating new opportunities for
philanthropic sectors understand that the city’s economic drivers, cost to provide city, attract recent graduates as new workers, welcome foreign-born families, and
there will continue to be a flow of “solutions” that don’t fit Detroit’s real needs and vacant land to become assets that contribute tax dollars, produce jobs, or become
service, sources of funding, and service delivery mechanisms must be realigned to ensure the city’s oldest residents can choose and afford to age in their homes.
aspirations, or a “business as usual” and crisis-driven approach to problem solving a public amenity. Nor does it mean that the people who might remain in higher-
achieve a better quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.
for the city. Five key trend areas help to drive this point home and make the case DETROIT’S EMPLOYMENT. There is only 1 job for every 4 Detroit residents. The vacancy areas should not receive essential city services. It does mean that becoming
RENEWING THE CIVIC CONVERSATION. The nature of civic interactions, for change: fall in Detroit’s population has been accompanied by a loss of jobs both in Detroit a more affordable city for families and government means land uses, regulations,
actions, and conversations about Detroit’s future also needs to change—both and the region in the last decade.. There are approximately 350,000 in Detroit and investments must be strategically coordinated to create more efficiency and
SAFETY, EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND PROSPERITY. Everyone in Detroit
within and beyond the city limits. One of the most important findings from the today, with half being produced by private companies, and the remaining found sustainability now and over the long-term.
unanimously agrees that the key to Detroit’s recovery and long-term
Strategic Framework process was that although Detroit has many talented people in self-employment, part-time employment, and state or federal government
prosperity requires a city to be safe, have better-educated youth and adults, DETROIT’S CITY SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMS. The high taxes and costs of city
and committed organizations, they are too disconnected from one another for employment.
provide healthier living environments, and offer access to jobs that pay at services do not produce enough to improve service delivery or make the city
collective dialogue and action on behalf of the city.
least a living wage. A recent survey of Detroit residents revealed that nearly one- SEMCOG’s baseline forecasts for Detroit over the next 20 years project a meager more affordable. Detroit has large, centralized infrastructure systems that were
Just as there is no shortage of talented leaders in and for Detroit, there has been no third of the respondents would leave the city within five years, citing safety as the annual growth of only 0.1%. This is well below the 1.2% annual growth Detroit could designed to support a population of at least 2 million, with large areas of heavy,
shortage of discussion about Detroit. Reclaiming this conversation and reframing top reason. Two years ago, attempts to take on wholesale reform of the educational capture if it had a strategic plan for attracting sectors that are growing nationally. polluting industry. As a result, today’s Detroit has systems that are oversized for
it demands that everyone who cares about Detroit set aside what they think they systems failed. Almost one-third of Detroit children suffer from asthma, a rate three Nor do the projection take into consideration that both Detroit and Wayne County the current population and no longer aligned with where people or businesses now
know about the city, and cultivate a deep, mutual understanding of what the city times the national average. Two-thirds of the total population suffers from obesity. have outperformed the United States as a whole, and forecasts for sectors already reside or will likely be in the future. The current systems of water, energy, roads, and
really is right now. Then, instead of “What to do about Detroit,” the question Poverty increased 40% over the last decade, now affecting 36% of households. located in the city like manufacturing, health and business services. This goes a long telecommunications are not sufficiently oriented to a new economy that focuses on
becomes, “What can be done in Detroit, by Detroit, and with Detroiters?” To gain way toward signally that Detroit is no longer a “one-company” automobile town. less resource-intensive manufacturing and new service sectors.
The community’s common response to these conditions is to request more police
momentum and credibility for this new discussion, Detroit must be ready to show
on the street, lower student-teacher ratios, faster clean-up of land contamination, Much discussion and debate has focused on the availability of jobs and the The systems are also aging. Many have reached the end of their effective design
what it is already doing, speaking in many voices of a shared vision and specific
and more job training. Many people feel that Detroit does not have the luxury to readiness of Detroit’s workforce to take those potential jobs. That discussion lives, and many more will do so during the next twenty years. Typically, this
recommendations that suit Detroit as it is today, and as it could be in ten or twenty
endure a long-term transformation: They need change to happen now. should be framed not as an “either/or” but as a “both/and.” Too few jobs, high means that they are less reliable and use more energy and water than necessary
years. Fortunately, part of the answer—despite very real barriers and challenges,
from under-performing municipal services and constrained resources to decades- unemployment, poverty rates, the challenges of K-12 educational reform, and to serve people, while contributing to both local and global pollution. Lower
Effective land use planning can create more densely populated communities that
old racial and economic tensions—is that Detroit not only can do quite a lot, Detroit reduced workforce development funding all have an impact, not only on household demand (fewer users) in fewer areas means low usage levels (sometimes as low
are more affordable to serve and can be safer, with more “eyes on the street.”
is already doing it. incomes, but on the taxes and fees the city takes in to run and maintain essential as 30-40% of designed capacity), which results in inefficient operations and more
Innovative landscape treatments can treat contaminated lands while providing
services. Addressing this “chicken and egg” problem requires a strategy that system breakdowns. Crucially, it also means significantly reduced revenues from
a recreational amenity at the same time. Surplus vacant land can become new
New industries. Tech start-ups. Fresh, local food production. Collaborative work addresses job creation in Detroit and the reform of K-12 and adult education as user charges and taxes. In spite of this situation, agencies are required to maintain
opportunities to produce in-town jobs and put young people and those in
spaces. Downtown living. Neighborhood collaborations. Innovative and door-to- equally urgent priorities. uniform high service levels across the city and reinvest in maintaining the network
alternative economies to work. And the network of educational institutions (K-12
door approaches to social and human services. World-class health care institutions as a whole. If we maintain “business as usual”, the gap will continue to widen
and higher education) can create campuses and programming that prepare the
and universities. Large-scale public art projects. Youth training and development, between the availability of revenues and the cost to provide service, undermining
next generation for the jobs of the future.
infant mortality prevention, and senior housing and other critical residential the ability to maintain and upgrade systems, and having unacceptably negative
development by CDCs and churches. All of it happening right now. consequences for the city’s people, economy, and environment.

detroit future city The future Detroit can be envisioned through a series of time horizons, showing
clear vision and approach how the experiences of current and future residents, businesses, and visitors could
change over the next 5, 10, 20 years and beyond. Details and time horizons for this
for detroit’s future vision shown on pages 30-31.
12 13


By 2030, the Detroit metropolitan region
By 2030, Detroit will have a By 2030 the city will have two or three jobs has an integrated regional public By 2030, Detroit will become a city for all
Stabilized population for each person living in the city transportation system

By 2030, Detroit will have a stabilized population between 600,000 – 800,000 Instead of one job for every four Detroiters, by 2030 the city will have two By 2030, the Detroit metropolitan region has an integrated regional public By 2030, Detroit will be enhanced and sustained by a broad-based and ongoing
residents, and will remain one of the largest top 20 cities in the United or three jobs for each person living in the city. Seven districts of employment transportation system that efficiently serves the region’s 21 dispersed, yet civic stewardship framework of leadership drawn from among philanthropists,
States. More importantly, the composition of Detroit’s residents will be diverse located through all quadrants of the city will provide jobs, business start-ups, interconnected employment centers. A new regional transportation authority business, residents, faith institutions, major civic and cultural institutions, and a
and welcoming to all, including and business growth opportunities in modern industry, information technology, aids the region in creating better transit connections, while public transit within range of regional and national supporters.
creative production, healthcare, education, and local entrepreneurship. City Detroit will create better connections among neighborhoods and Detroit’s seven
ƒƒ residents with deep generational roots in the city; residents, as well as people from the region, will find opportunities to link their new employment districts. A new public transit loop will create a ring through the The Framework recognizes that achieving the future vision for Detroit will not
specific levels of education with job prospects, as each growth industry will need middle of the city, intersecting each of the key radial boulevards to provide more happen overnight, but will require a phased approach, with clearly defined
ƒƒ the children of today’s families deciding to stay in the city for higher
workers with a wide a range of skills and education to fill jobs. efficient intermodal connection points and different vehicle modes of rapid transit, implementation “horizons’ or targets with metrics for evaluating the success of
education, finding work, and starting a business and a family;
from light rail to bus rapid transit, to mini-buses. The boulevards themselves will be change. Along the path toward this goal, stakeholders can review progress and
ƒƒ families and individuals who have transitioned from poverty because of The current and new residents of the city will also have a range of choices for the right size to accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, transit, and motor vehicles refocus priorities and strategies for the next phase of development.
access to new job opportunities and housing choices; where to live in the city. Detroit has traditionally been dominated by single-family within landscaping that helps siphon off stormwater, buffer residents and workers
detached housing. However, with the changing demographics of the city, a more By 2030, Detroit will become a city for all, with an enhanced range of choices
ƒƒ college graduates from Michigan and around the country relocating from pollution, and aid in the overall image of a green, sustainable city.
diverse range of housing options will be available by 2030 to support different for all residents, especially those who have stayed through the hardest times.
to Detroit as a place to live and work as new professionals and young
lifestyle needs and choices. Residents will have the ability to choose from among This system complements a multimodal freight and commercial system that By 2030, Detroit is a city of enhanced, varied, and active neighborhoods with strong
entrepreneurs;
several options for residential living in the city: upholds Detroit’s role as the nation’s busiest border crossing. This system will civic support and a range of approaches to what it means to be “home.” By 2030,
ƒƒ senior citizens who want to grow older in the city and have the convenience build on Detroit’s emerging role as a global hub for transportation, distribution, the city has developed a strong, collaborative, community-based approach to the
of walkable neighborhoods, access to health care, and cultural amenities; ƒƒ Traditional neighborhoods with single-family houses, front yards, and and logistics (TDR) to contribute to a healthy economy and prosperous households. most difficult question it faced in 2010: how best to serve the approximately 10% of
and garages; Detroiters who then lived in areas of highest vacancy, while also making decisions
In the spirit of innovation that has made the city great, Detroit will lead the that would support and grow neighborhoods with more population. Residents who
ƒƒ families from other countries seeking new opportunities for themselves and ƒƒ Neighborhoods that are more dense with townhouses, mid-rise and high rise
world in developing landscape as 21st century infrastructure to transform chose to stay in the highest-vacancy areas of the city continue to receive services,
their children. apartments, and condominiums that have improved access to public transit;
vacant land areas into community assets that remediate contaminated land, while residents who formerly had no choices now have opportunities to move to
ƒƒ Neighborhoods where housing is integrated into an open-space environment manage stormwater and highway runoff, and create passive recreational amenities different neighborhoods if they wish, with new incentives such as “home swap”
with recreation opportunities and a connection to nature; to improve human health and elevate adjacent land values—all without residential programs and progressive efforts that help increase family wealth and access to
ƒƒ Neighborhoods that integrate housing with land stewardship and food displacement, a big change from the urban renewal efforts of the 1960s and 1970s. affordable homes throughout Detroit. Neighborhoods that were once on the verge
production; and The iconic boulevards and freeway corridors of the city can be transformed to of such vacancy have been saved through strategic investment, while areas that
reinforce a new civic identity through the creation of linear carbon forests that had relatively stable population in 2010, or that grew since then, continue along
ƒƒ Neighborhoods that allow for the combination of living and production clean air, and stormwater management landscapes that collect, treat and recycle a sustainable path. Because the Strategic Framework also provides the flexibility
(Live+Make), whether clean manufacturing, processing, or creative arts. water. for neighborhoods to vary their approaches due to special assets or community
objectives, no neighborhood has been forced into a “one-type-fits-all” strategy.

14 15


landscapes as infrastructure:
rethinking approaches to 20th century infrastructures

Much of Detroit’s 19th and 20th infrastructure is nearing the end of Landscape systems have benefits that carry far beyond the inherent THE TIME IS NOW. We have known for some time that doing business as usual
its productive life. Although replacing and maintaining conventional function they serve. Landscape infrastructures provides a wide range of is no longer an option for Detroit. The financial recession and foreclosure crisis
infrastructure will remain important to Detroit’s future, landscapes can benefits: in 2007—which undermined the city’s progress in diversifying its economy and
also function in similar ways, yet are less expensive to  construct and bringing back residents—drove home this reality and provided a distinct moment in
maintain than conventional systems. Landscape can be adapted to serve ƒƒ Environmental benefits: cleaner air, soil, and water; captured time for strategic action. It created a heightened sense of urgency and opportunity
stormwater/wastewater, energy, roads/transportation, and waste stormwater; habitat for local wildlife and migrating birds. among Detroiters, and has resulted in this initial work to solidify a public consensus
infrastructure systems. ƒƒ Fiscal and economic benefits: reduced maintenance and utility for systematic reform and innovation.
costs, fulfilling some roles of traditional systems; job creation,
Blue infrastructures are water-based landscapes like retention ponds, To transform Detroit into a new, healthier, safer, more prosperous, and socially just
production of fresh food and other tangible products; an attractive,
and lakes that capture and clean stormwater, reducing the quantity and city requires a new understanding of the city as it is right now, an imperative to
unique environment that can draw new businesses to Detroit.
improving the quality of water that enters the combined stormwater/ share information and decision-making power, and a willingness to abandon fixed
sewage system. ƒƒ Social benefits: recreation and social life opportunities; ideas and old approaches, in favor of fresh, clear-eyed understanding.
neighborhood stabilization by acting as an amenity that helps to
Green infrastructures are forest landscapes 
that improve air quality increase property values; improvement of resident health and The more than 700,000 Detroiters who have stood their ground or chosen to come
by capturing air-borne pollutants from industry, vehicular  exhaust comfort; new uses for and management of currently vacant land; here are people who do not shy away from a challenge. That’s good, because many
along interstates, and infrastructure facilities like the Detroit Recovery renewal of the physical image of the city   more challenges lie ahead. Many of the recommendations of this plan can create
Facility, 
which incinerates household waste. Green infrastructure also successes in the very short term, perhaps as soon as two years from now. Yet the
Landscapes can address environmental justice by cleaning contaminated
includes greenways, paths, and dedicated lanes for bicycling, walking, and major and most sweeping innovations will take 20 or more years to realize. The
soil, improving air quality, buffering impacts of industry/infrastructure on
running. ambition and aspiration embodied in this plan will be needed to continually inspire
residents, and reducing the cost of service (by reducing construction and
and replenish action, while its pragmatic approach to building on existing progress
Landscape infrastructure can act as multiple kinds of infrastructure at operating costs). In short, landscape can help ensure that environmental
and conversations is intended to ground it in realistic possibilities for action.
once. For example, a combination blue (water) and green (plants and burdens are not born disproportionately by Detroit’s lower income and
trees) corridor might capture stormwater along drainage swales alongside children. To reach the goal of a Detroit Future City will call forth and try every one of the
a major road, while integrating a greenway for bicycling and walking--to traits that have made Detroit great in the past and helped it survive to the present:
support connections among home, work, and services.
By 2030, an enhanced and multi-functional open space system will
ingenuity, innovation, civic commitment, and an unflinching, steel-spined ability to
provide a new and strong identity for the city, picking up where efforts
stand tall while facing the worst of the city’s daily realities, yet while also embracing
like the Detroit RiverWalk have set a successful precedent.
its possibilities.
A network of parks, plazas, wetlands, ponds and lakes, recreation centers,
Detroit won’t be “fixed” because no city is ever “fixed.” Cities are living places that
forests and orchards, community gardens, and remediation fields that
require ongoing awareness and firm yet flexible approaches to decision making
clean the air and water through “blue” (water) and “green” (plants and
which acknowledge changing realities and multiple voices, leading to pragmatic and
trees) landscapes will populate the city, all connected by a multi-modal
agreed-on solutions. The Planning Elements in the Strategic Framework illustrate
greenway for pedestrians, bicycles, automobiles and transit.
specific strategies that can be put in place now to create permanent change and
transform Detroit.

WHO USES THE PLAN?
For Advocacy Groups, the plan helps to elevate may of the policies and strategies
advocacy and professional organizations have been developing and seeking adoption
for. By lifting up these ideas, the further helps to illustrate their importance and
ADVOCACY

potential to address key priorities identifies by the Detroit community
GROUPS

For the Business Sector, the plan provides service predictability and a clear direction
for where and what kinds private investment is needed and sought after in the city to 17
BUSINESSES

growth existing and new businesses and target training for new growth sectors.

guide to the strategic framework
For the Community Development Sector, the plan recognizes the added value of
small-scale interventions, and recommends a range of currently accepted as well as

HOW IT iS USED
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNITY

innovative strategies to be deployed for different areas of the city.

For the Faith-Based Development Sector, the plan recognizes the added value of The Detroit Strategic Framework establishes a set of policy directions and actions The Strategic Framework is also not the Master Plan of Policies, the legally
neighborhoods and small-scale interventions, and recommends a range of currently designed to achieve a more desirable and sustainable Detroit in the near term and mandated, long-range document of land development policies that support the
FAITH-BASED
COMMUNITY

accepted as well as innovative strategies to be deployed for different areas of the for future generations. The Strategic Framework is organized into Five Planning social, economic, and physical development and conservation of the city, proposed
city. These organizations can also use the plan as a tool to design and facilitate more Elements and a civic engagement chapter. These Five Elements include: by the Mayor and approved by the city council in 2009. There are specific statutory
localized community planning efforts. procedures and formats required for that type of document, and it is typically
ƒƒ The Economic Growth Element: The Equitable City executed by the municipality’s planning agency.
ƒƒ The Land Use Element: The Image of the City
For Institutions, the plan identifies key areas of business sector growth, investment, The aim of the Strategic Framework is to recognize and adapt to an unpredictable
ƒƒ The City Systems and Environment Element: The Sustainable City future. The Strategic Framework is designed for flexibility and choices that will
and human capital development that can inform current and future programming,
INSTITUTIONS

ƒƒ The Neighborhoods Element: The City of Distinct and Regionally Competitive enable different sectors in Detroit to act both collaboratively and independently,
hiring, contracting and the long-term growth of education, medical and cultural
Neighborhoods and over different periods of time, but in a coordinated way. As a comprehensive
institutions in the city.
ƒƒ The Land and Buildings Assets Element: A Strategic Approach to Public Land and action-oriented blueprint for near- and long-range decision-making, the
Strategic Framework Plan is 1) aspirational toward a physical and social vision for
These Elements outline a detailed approach to addressing the realities and the city; and 2) actionable, with strategies for new policies and implementation;
imperatives that will enable Detroit to move toward a more prosperous future. and 3) accountable, with assignment of implementation responsibilities.
For the Philanthropic, Intermediary, and Community Banking Sector, the plan outlines
PRAGMATIC, ADAPTABLE BLUEPRINT. The Framework represents the specifics
PHILANTHROPIC

the areas where strategic investment and collaboration between public, private and WHO THE FRAMEWORK IS FOR, AND WHO SHOULD MAKE IT HAPPEN. The
of a vision that can remain flexible and be refined and enriched over time. It is
nonprofit sectors can be best leveraged. Detroit Strategic Framework is one shared vision designed to guide the decisions
not a master plan, but a shared framework that guides decision making among
of a wide range of implementers, investors, and regulators participating in the
SECTOR

individuals, institutions, businesses, organizations, and neighborhoods toward
revitalization of Detroit. Every sector of Detroit will play an important and critical
a future city, which is culturally rich and offers opportunities for all of Detroit’s
role in executing the vision, both independently and in collaboration with one
residents, institutions, businesses, and neighborhoods.
another. Each sector can use the plan to guide its own decisions about investments,
For the Public Sector, including city, county, state and federal governments, the plan The Strategic Framework is an inclusive shared vision that uses engagement localize planning, align with public funding programs, conduct or encourage interim
and permanent development, inform decisions about buying and selling land and
PUBLIC SECTOR

provides policy recommendations designed to help guide public investments and to look beyond the city’s historic barriers of geography, race, and economic
differences. Equally important, it focuses on the assets of all areas to illustrate that businesses, and create partnerships across sectors.
seek the regulatory reforms necessary to execute the plan. The public sector can
incorporate the key policy and intervention strategies into the appropriate policy and all communities can be unique and be a part of the bigger image of Detroit, where
HORIZONS FOR CHANGE. Just as the Strategic Framework is intended to offer
regulatory frameworks including the Master Plan of Policies, Zoning Ordinance, and a variety of neighborhood types is encouraged.
recommendations and approaches that can adapt to changing realities in Detroit,
City Sustainability Plan. so also the 10-, 20-, and 50-year Horizons adopted for the Framework are intended
WHAT THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK IS AND ISN’T. As the Detroit Works
process went forward, many people asked, “How is this plan different from any not as literal forecasts, but as aspirational possibilities and an aid to imagining the
For Residents, the plan communicates a clear direction for the city’s improvement and other?” and “How will it improve the quality of life in my community or for my city’s changes. These Horizons also offer three useful ways to look at progress and
growth, and establishes metrics by which progress can be measured and evaluated. business?” The answer is that, while the Strategic Framework addresses issues and change in Detroit: Stabilization, Improvement, and Sustainability.
Residents can find strategies for improvements to their communities at the block or presents recommendations in a similar format to other planning documents, it also
RESIDENTS

neighborhood scales that can be implemented by their neighbors. Grassroots groups is not intended to be a conventional “Vision Plan.” That type of plan is usually highly
can also use the plan as a tool to design and facilitate more localized community aspirational and often presents static illustrative projection for what the future of
planning efforts. a region, city, or community will look like, with little detail on how to achieve the
vision.

the planning elements
an integrated approach to transforming the city and its
neighborhoods

18 19
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: A
THE THE THE THE THE CRITICAL FOUNDATION
ECONOMIC GROWTH LAND USE CITY SYSTEMS FOR THE CITY’S FUTURE


NEIGHBORHOOD LAND AND BUILDINGS
ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT ASSETS ELEMENT The Civic Engagement initiative resulted in
five specific recommendations to create civic
support for the Strategic Framework, itself, and
calls for three central strategies to establish
long-term civic capacity for the City of Detroit.
The Economic Growth Element proposes five The Land Use Element offers land use strategies that This Element describes the imperative of This Element proposes six specific strategies to To transform the vacant land of Detroit into a The five implementing recommendations
strategies to grow Detroit’s economy in a way that are situated between the city’s existing conditions moving toward a more affordable, efficient, and create a diverse range of neighborhood styles and potential asset for the city’s future, this Element calls related to the Strategic Framework are
is equitable for all Detroiters, supports Detroit’s and a range of preferred futures. The Detroit environmentally sustainable city through reforms choices that will appeal to a wide variety of people, for all the different public agencies that hold land to ƒƒ Establish a Detroit Strategic Framework
economic sectors, and can attract new residents and Strategic Framework organizes a wide variety of to how services are delivered throughout the city, while strengthening all neighborhoods across the align their missions around a single shared vision Consortium, charged with stewarding the
implementation and the civic engagement
businesses: potential land use types within three levels of scale and through transformation of the systems and city: that reflects the aspirations for the city as a whole,
of the Strategic Framework into the
and purpose: networks that carry the city’s water, waste, energy, as expressed in its land use and environmental plans, future. Enlist additional champions for
ƒƒ Support the Four Key Economic Growth Pillars and transportation. This chapter proposes six ƒƒ Address quality-of-life issues that affect all economic growth strategies, and neighborhood implementation and policy reform.
that have already demonstrated promising job ƒƒ FRAMEWORK ZONES that guide citywide and strategies: Detroiters with a set of citywide strategies revitalization efforts. Such a transformative strategy ƒƒ Enlist additional champions for
growth: education and medical employment investment decisions in terms of the best that work in all Detroit neighborhoods. must provide an integrated approach to land and implementation and policy reform in
(“Eds and Meds”), digital and creative jobs, ways to make positive change in areas with a ƒƒ Reform system delivery to adapt to the buildings across the entire city, whether publicly or addition to the Consortium membership.
ƒƒ Create dense, walkable, mixed-use
industrial employment (both traditional and range of physical and market characteristics. current population and to better coordinate privately owned. Specifically, the Land and Buildings ƒƒ Inform, educate, and equip key
neighborhoods in some parts of Detroit.
new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, The most influential characteristic is vacancy, public and private service provision for more Assets Element proposes six strategies: stakeholders to continue to “take the plan
manufacture, and processes), and local because of its drastic effect on physical and efficient and reliable services that will adapt to ƒƒ Fuse art and industry in “Live+Make” to the city.”
entrepreneurship. market conditions of an area. future needs. neighborhoods in functionally obsolete areas ƒƒ Target vacant public land and buildings in ƒƒ Strengthen and complement the
of Detroit. employment districts for growth. public sector with a regional agenda
ƒƒ Use place-based strategies to create core ƒƒ LAND USE TYPOLOGIES that provide the ƒƒ Create innovative landscapes (green and blue that recognizes Detroit’s strength and
investment and employment corridors, future vision for land use within the city. They infrastructure) that actively clean the air and ƒƒ Repurpose vacant land to make Urban Green ƒƒ Use vacant public land in neighborhoods as a the region’s shared destiny, and that
focusing on seven employment districts are divided into three primary categories: water to provide better environmental quality neighborhoods that take landscape as the tool for neighborhood stabilization. extends and shares ownership of civic
where job growth is already occurring. neighborhood, industrial, and landscape. and public health for Detroit. predominant transformative element; engagement in recognition of Detroit’s
ƒƒ Transform largely vacant areas through blue role in the nation and the world.
ƒƒ Encourage local entrepreneurship and ƒƒ DEVELOPMENT TYPES that visualize how ƒƒ Reshape transportation to establish Detroit ƒƒ Renew amenities in traditional, usually historic and green infrastructure. ƒƒ Report back for transparent and ongoing
minority-owned business. the physical development of buildings and within a regional, multimodal network that neighborhoods of single-family housing; progress.
ƒƒ Link public facility and property decisions to
landscape may occur within a particular land better serves commercial and personal ƒƒ Use productive landscape as a basis for
ƒƒ Improve education and skills development. larger strategies. The three engagement strategies for a
use typology. They are divided into four major transportation needs, especially in terms of a sustainable city by tapping innovative sustainable civic capacity on behalf of Detroit
ƒƒ Transform the city’s land into an economic categories: residential, commercial, landscape, connecting neighborhoods and employment ƒƒ Make landscape interventions central to over the long-term are
broad-scale alternative uses of green and
asset. and industrial. districts, as well as better serving Detroit’s Detroit’s revival. ƒƒ Extend capacity by building on four key
blue infrastructure and other productive
freight industry. landscapes, while upholding the quality of ƒƒ Use aggressive regulatory tools to reinforce components of long-term civic capacity:
In addition, the Detroit Strategic Framework
city government; philanthropy; Detroit
recommends the following supportive strategies for ƒƒ Improve lighting efficiency throughout the life for residents already in these areas of land development, reuse, and management institutions (including the nonprofit and
land use: city. increasing vacancy. strategies. business sectors; and Detroit residents).

ƒƒ Enhance communications access in Detroit. ƒƒ Develop and share knowledge and
ƒƒ Create a new and diverse open space system information inclusively, continually, with
for the city, ƒƒ Actively manage change, by continuing transparency, and demonstrating that the
discussions that have already begun input has value and is being used.
ƒƒ Redefine corridors and complete streets, and
removing regulatory barriers, to interagency ƒƒ Engage people with a mosaic of tactics
ƒƒ Develop innovative regulatory reform. cooperation at the city and regional levels, as that have varied and broad appeals and
possibilities, and that are woven together
well as establishing an interagency platform
to have combined effectiveness.
for coordinated decision making about city
services.

corktown
eastern market

the economic growth element
21% 15% 3% 2 1 5% 4% 6% 49% TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS IMPLEMENTATION strategies and actions
downtown employment midtown mt. elliott secondary remainder of city
as percentage of citywide employment districts

1 A
mcnichols southwest
SUPPORT FOUR KEY ECONOMIC PILLARS
A CITY OF ROBUST JOB GROWTH
1 Align cluster strategies with the Detroit Strategic Framework.
2 Establish cluster-based collaboration with labor market intermediaries.

20

2 A CITY OF EQUITABLE ECONOMIC
GROWTH
B USE A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR GROWTH
1 Align public, private, and philanthropic investments in employment districts.

VAN DYKE

GRATIOT
2 Develop detailed action plans for primary employment districts.
TELEGRAPH

a city of physically and
3 strategically aligned
3
4
Encourage industrial business improvement districts (IBIDS).
Become a national leader in green industrial districts.

WOODWARD
economic assets
8 MILE
UPPER CONNER
CREEK

4 C
GRAND
RIVER MT. ELLIOTT A LEADER IN URBAN INDUSTRIAL ENCOURAGE LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MINORITY BUSINESS PARTICIPATION
McNichols
ACTIVITY 1 Promote short-term approaches to increase the number and success of MBEs and DBEs in the City.
2 Support the development of low-cost, shared spaces for clusters with high levels of self employment.
3 Provide young Detroiters with exposure to and experience in Digital / Creative and other new economy clusters.

LYNDON
LOWER CONNER
CREEK
5 A City of Regional and Global
Economic Assets
4 Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to increase and strengthen the City’s MBEs.

D IMPROVE SKILLS AND SUPPORT EDUCATION REFORM
I-96
E. JEFFERSON
DEQUINDRE/
EASTERN MARKET 6 A City That Encourages Minority
Business Enterprises
1
2
“Hire Detroit”: Strengthen local hiring practices.
Link workforce investments to transportation.
3 Coordinate workforce development best practices.
LIVERNOIS
4 Revitalize incumbent workforce training.
WESTFIELD A City of Immediate and
7
MIDTOWN
5 Expand public-private partnerships for workforce development.
Long-Ranging Strategies for
CORKTOWN Resident PROSPERITY 6 Commission a study to identify levers to improve graduation rates and poor labor market outcomes of Detroiters.

E LAND REGULATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS
FORD
DOWNTOWN
We must re-energize Detroit’s 1 Create an industrial side-lot program.

economy to increase
2 Create a priority permitting process for employment districts.
SOUTHWEST 3 Focus on land banking industrial and commercial property.
MICHIGAN
job opportunities for 4 Identify alternative capital sources for real estate development.
5 Articulate a reverse change-of-use policy.
EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS Detroiters within the city
6 Create master-planned industrial hubs.
PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS and strengthen the tax 7 Address underutilization of industrial building space and land.
DIGITAL / CREATIVE
EDS & MEDS AND DIGITAL / CREATIVE
base. 8 Address weaknesses in the local brokerage sector.
W. JEFFERSON

INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE
FORT

GLOBAL TRADE / INDUSTRIAL
SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS We must support our
INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE current residents and
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team
INDUSTRIAL attract new residents.
The DWP Framework identifies seven primary Employment Districts that provide the
1 2 4 MILEs best opportunity for large-scale job growth. Located across the city, these districts
represent a diverse cross-section of Detroit’s economy.

the land use element
5% 8% 18% 16% 17% 17% 11% 2% TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS IMPLEMENTATION strategies and actions
greater low-vacancy 1 low-vacancy 2 moderate-vacancy 1 moderate-vacancy 2 high-vacancy industrial land
downtown use strength
by land
area
industrial land
use change
1 a city OF MULTIPLE EMPLOYMENT
DISTRICTS A CREATE A CITYWIDE FRAMEWORK FOR GROWTH AND INVESTMENT
1 Establish framework zones and future land use maps as the basis for public, private and philanthropic
investment.
2 Base land use decisions on the fundamental physical and market conditions of the city: low-vacancy,
22

2 a city CONNECTING PEOPLE TO
OPPORTUNITy
3
moderate-vacancy, high-vacancy and Greater Downtown areas.
Update framework zones map on a 5 year basis to reflect changes to physical and market conditions.

VAN DYKE

GRATIOT
TELEGRAPH

B
A Green City where
3 landscapes contribute to
SUPPORT A NETWORK OF NEW AND EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD TYPES

WOODWARD
health 1 Establish land use typologies as the vision for the future city.
8 MILE 2 Reorganize land use around neighborhoods, industry, and landscape.
GRAND
RIVER
4 A City of Distinct, Attractive
Neighborhoods
C INTRODUCE NEW FORMS OF DEVELOPMENT
1 Align framework zones and future land use typologies to determine appropriate locations and types of
development across the city.
2 Introduce new and innovative landscape-based development types.
3 Introduce form-based development criteria.
We must use innovative
E. JEFFERSON approaches to transform
our vacant land in D CREATe a new and diverse open space system for the city
1 Implement blue and green infrastructure.
ways that increase 2 Encourage reuse of vacant land with productive landscapes.

its value and 3 Diversify park networks.

productivity and 4 Encourage partnerships between universities and firms in productive landscapes to conduct research and
provide job training opportunities.
promote long term
FORD
sustainability.
E REDEFINE CORRIDORS AND COMPLETE STREETS
1 Develop tiered transit network that ties into regional system.
2 Incorporate multi-modal transit design into all street improvements.
MICHIGAN
We must use our open space 3 Focus commercial development in walkable nodes or auto-oriented strips based on physical/market
conditions and future land use vision.
framework zones to improve the health 4 Introduce blue and green infrastructure as integral to corridor development.
GREATER DOWNTOWN HIGH-VACANCY
of all Detroit residents. 5 Implement blue infrastructure along arterial and other roads.
LOW-VACANCY 1 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE STRENGTH
LOW-VACANCY 2 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE CHANGE
W. JEFFERSON

MODERATE-VACANCY 1 MAJOR PARKS
F ENACT INNOVATIVE REGULATORY REFORM
FORT

MODERATE-VACANCY 2 CEMETERY 1 Phase land use vision over 3 horizons (stabilize/improve, sustain, transform).
2 Revise/amend City Master Plan of Policies and Zoning Ordinance.
3 Update public, private, and philanthropic policy guiding documents.

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team The Framework Zones map was developed from thorough research and analysis of the
city’s physical and market conditions. The composite mapping is framed around degrees
1 2 4 MILEs of existing and anticipated vacancy throughout the city. The Detroit Works Project
Short-Term Actions used similar criteria in the development of their citywide mapping.

the city systems element
60% 30% 10% TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS IMPLEMENTATION strategies and actions
motorized private motorized public non-motorized
transit routes transit routes transit routes

1 Strategic infrastructure
renewal A REFORM DELIVERY SYSTEM
1 Use the framework plan to create certainty around residential and employment density in each area of the
city.
2 Right-size systems so that network capacity matches residential and employment demand for each area in the

2
24 medium term.
LANDSCAPE AS 21ST CENTURY

VAN DYKE
INFRASTRUCTURE 3 Balance investment in areas of greatest need with investment in areas of greatest potential.
4 Address equity: ensure that a good standard of core services are provided to all groups in all areas including

GRATIOT

high-vacancy areas.
TELEGRAPH

3 DIVERSIFIED TRANSPORTATION

B

WOODWARD
FOR DETROIT AND THE REGION CREATE LANDSCAPES THAT WORK
8 MILE 1 Deploy surplus land as multifunctional infrastructure landscapes, primarily addressing flood water mitigation
and air quality.
GRAND
RIVER 2 Bring health and social benefits associated with landscapes and green facilities to lower income groups with
poor access to transportation.

We must focus on sizing
the networks for a C RECONFIGURE TRANSPORTATION
1 Realign city road hierarchy to provide faster connections between employment, district, and neighborhood
centers.
smaller population, making 2 Enhance transit service and increased ridership by realigning transit system to provide integrated network
them more efficient, more based on fast connections between regional employment centers, supported by feeder services from
E. JEFFERSON residential areas.
affordable, and better 3 For higher-vacancy areas, provide smaller-scale, flexible on-demand services.
performing. 4 Align pattern of development in centers and neighborhoods to support greater number of walking and cycle
trips, including promotion of greenways.

5 Support freight and logistics industries through upgrade of key routes and provision of enhanced connections
across the border to Canada.
We must realign city 6 Provide large-scale multimodal freight interchange facilities to support local industry and overall city logistics

FORD
systems in ways that role.

promote areas of economic
potential, encourage D ENHANCE COMMUNICATIONS ACCESS
1 Ensure high-speed data networks are in place to serve existing and new economic sectors and wider
community.
MICHIGAN thriving communities, and 2 Develop e-government platform to maximize efficiency of social service delivery.
improve environmental and 3 Utilize improved data network to develop smart infrastructure systems which deliver improved service with
future public transit routes smaller capacity infrastructure.
PROPOSED PUBLIC TRANSIT BY TIER PROJECTED 2030 POPULATION DENSITY
human health conditions.
LIGHT RAIL 0–2 PEOPLE PER ACRE
E IMPROVE LIGHTING EFFICIENCY
1 Reduce number of lights and upgrade all remaining lights to low-energy LED type.
W. JEFFERSON

TIER 1 BRT ROUTES 3–6
2 In high-vacancy areas, take some parts of the network off-grid, using solar power for generation.
7–10
FORT

TIER 2 CROSS TOWN ROUTES
3 Transfer ownership of the network to a new Public Lighting Authority which can procure services from the
EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS 11–14
private sector competitively.
TRANSIT NODES 15–18
>19

F reduce waste and increase recycling
1 Reduce total levels of waste through citizen education and work with packaging industry.
2 Develop targeted and citywide curbside recycling program.
3 Ensure that incinerator emissions remain at or below US EPA standards and international best practice.
1 2 4 MILEs A simpler and more reliable transit system that creates space for alternative modes of
transportation and provides for faster transfer between those modes.

G ACTIVELY MANAGE CHANGE
1 Adopt Strategic Framework Plan as basis for systems transformation and put in place rolling review program.
2 Create an interagency platform to coordinate change across public and private sector bodies.
3 Communicate with affected communities and monitor processes for emerging success and unforeseen adverse
impacts.

the neighborhood element
4% 22% 22% 29% 15% TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS IMPLEMENTATION strategies and actions
mixed use traditional green landscape industrial

A
neighborhoods by neighborhoods neighborhoods

1 ADDRESS QUALITY OF LIFE CHALLENGES THAT AFFECT ALL DETROITERS
land area
A city OF MANY KEY ASSETS 1 Realign public safety network to reinforce neighborhood stability.
2 Establish neighborhood-based/community-based schools as neighborhood anchors.
3 Develop strategies to address the divide between high taxation rates and low quality city services.

2
26
A city of neighborhood choices Develop regional transit system.
4 Support programs that promote diverse, mixed-income communities.

VAN DYKE

GRATIOT
TELEGRAPH

3 A CITY OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIES
FOR DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS B CREATE DENSE, WALKABLE, MIXED-USE NEIGHBORHOODS
1 Stimulate residential market demand (LIVE programs, equity insurance, etc.)

WOODWARD
2 Establish dedicated public, private and philanthropic gap funding sources.
8 MILE
3 Create financial and regulatory density incentives.
GRAND
RIVER
4 A city of diverse housing types
for diverse populations
Develop walkable retail nodes.
4 Guide development to reinforce transit/public space investment (TOD).

5 A city of residents who engage
in their own futures C REGENERATE NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH FUSION OF ART AND INDUSTRY
1 Relax business start-up and use regulations to stimulate entrepreneurship.
2 Develop comprehensive start-up incentives and support packages for small businesses.
3 Support training and skills development programs to unique local industries (advanced manufacturing, urban
agriculture, green tech).
E. JEFFERSON
4 Create tailored development package for industrial adaptive reuse including brownfield remediation costs.
5 Develop a variety of colocation spaces for residential, artistic and entrepreneurial uses.
We must promote a range 6 Incorporate local arts into comprehensive public space master plan.

of sustainable
REPURPOSE VACANT LAND TO CREATE GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS
residential densities. D 1
2
Undertake massive demolition/deconstruction program.
Create community-based open space master plan.
FORD 3 Deploy a variety of low cost, low maintenance open space improvements.
4 Assemble large areas of public land for green reuse.
5 Prioritize rehabilitation of historic or significant structures.
6 Integrate blue and green infrastructure as part of open space plan.
MICHIGAN
50-year land use scenario
CITY CENTER GENERAL INDUSTRIAL renew traditional neighborhoods
DISTRICT CENTER
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL
GREEN RESIDENTIAL
E 1
2
Prioritize safety initiatives including streetlight renewal in target areas.
Prioritize city services maintenance and renewal in target areas.
GREEN MIXED-RISE INNOVATION PRODUCTIVE 3 Prioritize neighborhood stabilization within 1/2 mile of schools.
W. JEFFERSON

TRADITIONAL MEDIUM DENSITY INNOVATION ECOLOGICAL 4 Colocate services and amenities at schools to anchor neighborhoods.
FORT

TRADITIONAL LOW DENSITY LARGE PARK 5 Target code enforcement on absentee property owners and landlords.
Live+Make CEMETERY 6 Incentivize neighborhood retail nodes with links to transit network.
HEAVY INDUSTRIAL GREEN BUFFERS
UTILITIES
UTILIZE PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES AS THE BASIS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CITY

F 1 Establish voluntary house-to-house program.
2 Assemble large contiguous areas of public land for productive reuse.
The 50-year land use map reflects the long-term vision for a city of diverse 3 Revise regulatory framework to allow wider range of landscape-based uses.
1 2 4 MILEs
neighborhoods, employment districts and productive landscapes.

the land and buildings assets element
7% 29% 64% TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS IMPLEMENTATION strategies and actions
parks landscape typologies other land uses

1 A
a city that shares a vision:
coordinating the management of TARGET VACANT LAND AND BUILDINGS IN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
vacant land 1 Identify strategic targets for acquisition of properties by public entities.
2 Adopt policies for targeted disposition and holding of properties in economic growth areas.
a city where everything is 3 Increase the cost of holding vacant property.
28

2 connected: viewing vacant
and problem properties within
interrelated system
4 Adopt program to foster greater use of underused buildings.

B

USE VACANT LAND AS A TOOL FOR NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION

VAN DYKE

GRATIOT
TELEGRAPH

3
A CITY OF STRATEGIC APPROACHES: 1 Reuse vacant lots to enhance neighborhood stability.
RECOGNIZING THE UNIQUENESS OF EACH
PROPERTY’S VALUE AND CHALLENGES 2 Adopt targeted demolition strategy based on stabilization priorities.

WOODWARD
8 MILE
3 Address problem landlords.
4 Increase the cost of holding vacant property.
GRAND

4
RIVER A NEW URBAN LANDSCAPE: USING 5 Pursue targeted neighborhood stabilization strategies.
LAND FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND
INNOVATION

A CITY WHERE PUBLIC FACILITY C TRANSFORM LARGELY VACANT AREAS THROUGH BLUE AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
1 Hold land between interstates/industrial areas and neighborhoods for green infrastructure (do not release for
5 INVESTMENTS COUNT: ALIGNING
PUBLIC FACILITIES WITH LAND USE
TRANSFORMATION
future residential development).
2 Acquire available land for blue infrastructure in key locations.

E. JEFFERSON

We must be strategic and D Link public facility AND PROPERTY decisions to larger strategies
1 Create priority system for public land acquisition.

coordinated in our use of 2
3
Create joint policies and system for disposition of public property.
Adopt coordinated maintenance strategy for public land.
land. 4 Adopt targeted demolition strategy based on stabilization priorities.
5 Use new and upgraded schools as community anchors for stabilization.
6 Review criteria for school closing to reflect neighborhood stability factors.
FORD 7 Update parks and recreation facilities planning to reflect current and future populations and budgets (update
aspects of 2006 Strategic Master Plan by the DRD).
8 Parks and recreation planning at neighborhood scales: refine city wide strategy of Detroit Strategic
Framework through smaller-scaled analysis.
MICHIGAN
future open space network
CARBON FOREST
BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE
DISPERSED GREEN LANDSCAPE
DISPERSED BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE
E MAKE LANDSCAPE INTERVENTIONS CENTRAL TO detroit’s renewal
1 Adjust city maintenance standards, strategies, and practices to vary by framework zone and future land use
(do not mow all vacant lots in city regardless of location, but instead adopt different lower-cost maintenance
INNOVATION PRODUCTIVE LARGE PARK strategies in different areas); look for partnerships to help with land maintenance.
INNOVATIVE ECOLOGICAL GOLF COURSE 2 Form partnerships with community groups and other organizations, businesses, and individuals to help
W. JEFFERSON

maintain land.
GREENWAYS CEMETERY
FORT

3 Refine set of landscape maintenance typologies and develop cost estimates to implement.
INDUSTRIAL BUFFER

use aggressive regulatory tools to reinforce land development, reuse, and
F management strategies
1 Increase the cost of holding vacant property.
Source: Stoss Landscape Urbanism 2 Address problem landlords.
Future open space networks in Detroit include both larger landscape typologies and 3 Create formal partnership with Wayne County Treasurer for tax foreclosure auctions.
1 2 4 MILEs landscape development types integrated within neighborhoods. Landscape typologies
each include a variety of different kinds of landscape development types.

IMPLEMENTATION horizons for change

30 31


horizon 1 stabilize
Over the next five years, residents and stakeholders of Detroit will believe a new
horizon 2 improve
Over the next 10 years, Detroit is beginning to see the results of preparing residents
horizon 3 sustain
Within 20 years time, Detroit should see a more stabilized population and an increase
horizon 4 transform
Detroit regains its position as one of the most competitive cities in the nation,
future is possible if they begin to see an elevated level of reliable and quality and business (existing and new) for economic growth opportunities and household in local jobs per resident. As such, the city should be well on its way to implementing the top employment center in the region, and a global leader in technology
services to meet their basic needs, as well as stabilization of physical conditions prosperity by growing, recruiting, educating, and training in traditional and innovative, 21st-century systems of infrastructure and transportation, storm water and innovation, creating a healthy and sustainable jobs- to-resident ratio and
through more efficient operational reforms, strategic investments, and stabilization emerging economic sectors. Residents are finding it a more affordable place to management, power, and waste management to support new growth. economic opportunities for a broad range of residents. Traditional and mixed-use
or modest improvement in the economic conditions in the city. live and are beginning to find job opportunities in town. neighborhoods of the city, including city center, district centers and live+make
ƒƒ The population has stabilized, and net loss in population has slowed.
areas, have filled their density capacities and opportunities for new residential
A 21st century city must have 21st century regulations that recognize the changing ƒƒ Public land is being positioned for new development of businesses, retail ƒƒ The gap between the number of job per resident in decreasing, with growth can be expanded into green residential areas. Productive and ecological
needs of the city’s demographics and their requirements for new forms of land and housing, especially in areas with the potential for employment growth. unemployment declining. landscapes are now firmly established as the new form and image of the city.
use and the long-term sustainability of those uses. Zoning, land use, and land ƒƒ Growth in local entrepreneurship is measurably increasing, especially among ƒƒ The first generation of youth coming out of education reform are entering
dispositions policies and regulations must be realigned to accommodate these African Americans and young people. the workforce with jobs in the city.
needs and opportunities. Other signs of stability in Detroit would include
ƒƒ Traditional neighborhoods and the more mixed-use urban centers of the city ƒƒ All neighborhoods have become regionally competitive places to live
ƒƒ Increased efforts to expand existing businesses in the target economic are starting to increase in residential and population density. because of housing and transportation affordability.
sectors of industry, education, medical, information technology, creative ƒƒ The demotion program has slowed and is transitioning to reconstruction and ƒƒ New and convenient public transit options have been expanded to all parts
industries, and local entrepreneurial development, especially among rehabilitation. of the city.
minority-owned businesses and independent sole proprietors who could
move from the informal economy to create businesses that have the ƒƒ A visible increase in mature landscapes for recreation and infrastructure are ƒƒ Strategic upgrades to water, energy, and telecommunications networks are
capacity to grow and to hire. emerging throughout the city. advanced.

ƒƒ Education reform is passed and critical workforce development funding is ƒƒ Reliable and schedule public transit is in place along the busiest transit ƒƒ The city is visibly more green, with air, land, and water quality metrics
preserved. routes in the city and region. improving.

ƒƒ The necessary land use regulations are revised that make the vision legal. ƒƒ Infrastructure upgrades to areas of growth are underway.

ƒƒ The rates of blight and home foreclosures are visibly slowed.
ƒƒ Essential public facilities have been co-located and programming enhanced
to meet the needs of residents in convenient locations.
ƒƒ All public land dispositions are aligned and coordinated with the Framework.
ƒƒ Pilot projects that are testing new ideas for infrastructure, land maintenance,
housing, environmental remediation, urban agriculture, cooperative
retailing, and others are underway in neighborhoods throughout the city.
ƒƒ Local governance has been stabilized.
ƒƒ An implementation organization has been identified and is working to
ensure the vision of the Framework is achieved with local, regional, and
national partners.

the
economic
growth
ELEMENT
035
Transformative Ideas
043
REALITIES
047
IMPERATIVES and
049
STRATEGIES AND
the equitable city
quality of business IMPLEMENTATION

DETROIT FUTURE CITY TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS
A Day in the Life Fulfilling our Economic Potential
35

ECONOMIC GROWTH

the economic growth element : the equitable city
Darius lives in Northwest Detroit with his wife Barbara, a medical technician, and his two kids Unlike many of the country’s struggling cities, Detroit is challenged not with the the very “problem” that has plagued the city: its miles of vacant and underused
creation of a new set of economic assets but with a geographic and strategic spaces. Two emerging industries for Detroit are most promising in this context:
Bakari, 17, and Hope, 15. It’s been a tough decade, but things are looking up. Not too long ago alignment of existing assets. While it is true that the city’s original land patterns food production (taking advantage of Detroit’s resident urban farming movement,
cannot efficiently serve its current residents, the real challenge is this: Detroit is the ingenuity of its people, and a growing nationwide interest in locally sourced
Darius was unemployed because of cutbacks at the auto factory he’d worked at since high not too big, its economy is too small. food); and CDER (construction/demolition/engineering/repurposing, which builds
on Detroit’s industrial skills base and makes a virtue of the very necessity to change
school. The only job Barbara could find was in the suburbs, and her daily commute began at The challenge of growing Detroit’s economy comes with an important imperative: the landscape). Both of these emerging industries, coupled with Detroit’s existing
the need to enhance equity by creating job opportunities for Detroiters of all
4:30 a.m. by bus so Darius could have the car. backgrounds and skill levels. This is not only a desirable output—the right thing
strength in TDL (transportation, distribution, and logistics), will likely provide
thousands of new jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for Detroiters of all
to do for people—but a key input for the city’s sustainable economic future—the
How’d they recover? In 2012, the city government and its business partners began focusing on smart thing to do for business.
backgrounds and skill levels.

four key areas of job growth, including 21st century industrial work. Through a new training The good news is that Detroit’s economy is changing, and its economic base is
Every job—and every resident—is important to Detroit’s future. For the city’s
economic alignment to yield its full potential, economic growth in Detroit
partnership between a local university and a foundation, Darius touched up his advanced- diverse, if modest. Four “pillars” of employment now account for well over half must be fair and must benefit all of the city’s residents. This plan recognizes
of Detroit’s employment base: education and medical employment (“Eds and equitable growth not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it
technology skills and landed a job within 60 days of receiving his certificate. Jobs in the city Meds”), digital and creative jobs, industrial employment (both traditional and makes good business sense: By increasing Detroiters’ access to employment and
new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, manufacture and processes), and
were picking up rapidly, since the city had focused its business development in seven strategic local entrepreneurship. All of these are promising areas of employment, and
entrepreneurship, the city will grow its base of workers and business owners, while
increasing incentives for and investment in further education and training.
employment districts. Businesses locating in these districts attracted others in similar fields, local entrepreneurship in particular is the “sleeping giant” that could change the
economic landscape of Detroit, especially in the areas of business-to-business As Detroit strengthens the key actors and assets within the city, it will also be able
and all of them were hiring. services (B2B), food processing, and construction/demolition/engineering/ to tighten the linkages between the city and regional economies, maintaining its
repurposing (CDER). position as a global trade center. The vision of the Strategic Framework is a strong,
Barbara soon got a job, too, at a new clinic in the “Eds and Meds” district in the McNichols Physical corridors of strength and investment have emerged within the city’s
equitable urban economy that anchors the revitalization of the larger metropolitan
economy.
corridor. She takes one of the city’s rapid bus lines to work now, getting there in about 20 checkerboard development patterns. The Strategic Framework proposes an
economic strategy that builds on existing trends and unique characteristics in The Framework is also designed to be adaptable to the conditions in the regional,
minutes. Bakari and Hope take the rapid bus to school, too, and they even take the bus to after- seven employment districts in the city of Detroit, which will serve as strategic national, and international economies. The intent was to provide a framework for
areas for investment and new growth, attracting residents and companies to action that is flexible and dynamic, yet establishes a strong structure to support
school activities at the library (SAT practice for Bakari, digital photography for Hope). With exchange interests, ideas, and innovations. These seven primary employment both growth and equal opportunities.
everyone’s commute time cut, dinner begins at 6 p.m. sharp: Just in time for a family report on districts account for about half of the city’s total employment but take up
less than 15% of the city’s land. Detroit’s physical transformation is intended to
everyone’s day. create additional job opportunities and tap the incredible potential inherent in


comparative city employment ratios economic pillars global trade / INDUSTRIAL DIGITAL / CREATIVE LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION & MEDICAL

DETROIT
27 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 714,000
size: 139 sq. miles
JOBS: 193,000

36 37

economic Half of Detroit’s employment base can be found in these four economic pillars. These sectors present
the opportunity to provided equitable employment growth for Detroiters of all skill levels.

PHILADELPHIA
growth

35 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 1,526,000

Transformative
size: 134 sq. miles
JOBS: 535,000
1 A CITY OF ROBUST JOB GROWTH
2 A CITY OF EQUITABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH
ideas
Despite six decades of population loss, Detroit’s future will Detroit’s economic growth must be based on fairness and equity.
be driven by its ability to increase employment in the city. Detroit’s diversifying economy should be developed toward job growth for a variety
ATLANTA Most discussions about Detroit’s future to date have focused on land area and of skill demands and business types. This approach will not only enhance equity,
73 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 420,000 population. Yet if we compare Detroit with similar-sized cities, the number of jobs but will also foster growth by tapping under-utilized human capital, increasing local
per resident is far more telling than the number of residents itself. Of the four cities incomes and consumer demand, improving educational outcomes, and reducing
size: 133 SQ. MILES
closest in size to Detroit, only one has more residents, but all four have many more fiscal, social, and human costs associated with poverty.1 More than half of Detroit’s
JOBS: 307,000
jobs and a higher ratio of jobs to residents. In fact, this is true for most American current employment base comes from four economic pillars that are well suited
cities: only 5 of the top 100 cities have fewer jobs per resident than Detroit. to creating jobs for people of all skills and backgrounds: education and medical
employment (“Eds and Meds”); digital and creative jobs; industrial employment
It is true that Detroit’s dramatic loss of population will call for reconfiguration (both traditional and new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, manufacture and
and repositioning of its infrastructure and land assets to create a new city form of processes); and local entrepreneurship.
diverse neighborhood types and land uses that are easier to serve, The key to fiscal
PORTLAND sustainability and a better quality of life for Detroit is not simply higher population, Within each of these key employment “pillars”, job opportunities and professional
although population increases would be welcome. Increasing the ratio of jobs growth should be cultivated for people with a variety of educational backgrounds,
55 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 584,000
to residents will contribute to the financial stability of the city while creating skills, and interests. For example, in Eds and Meds, the innovative capacity of all
size: 133 SQ. MILES economic opportunity for the city’s residents. workers— from medical staff, faculty, and researchers to maintenance, kitchen,
JOBS: 321,000 and housekeeping staff—should be utilized and rewarded. In the small-scale
industrial sector, and especially in the food sector, shared production spaces can
offer low-cost options for local entrepreneurs and more broad-based ownership or
sharing of business assets. Shared creative space is certainly vital to the information
exchange and resource sharing necessary in the creative/digital fields, and can open
up opportunities for training and career development, especially among youth and
DENVER among adults seeking to start a second career.
60 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION 600,000 A crucial step toward equitable job growth will also be the explicit recognition
size: 153 SQ. MILES Text Sources: 1) Pastor, Manuel, and Chris Benner. “Been Down So Long: Weak-Market Cities and and dismantling of current barriers facing Detroit residents in terms of access
JOBS: 360,000 Regional Equity.” In Richard M. McGahey and Jennifer S. Vey, eds., Retooling for Growth. New York: to skills development and employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. In
American Assembly and Columbia University, 2008; Katherine S. Newman, James B. Knapp Dean of fact, those very barriers have forced many Detroiters into the informal economy
While the population in the city has declined over the past 60 years the number of jobs
the Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, Hearing as entrepreneurs, which in turn offers an opportunity to create new pathways
located in the city has fallen at a sharper rate. This has left the city with relatively few
on “Drivers of Intergenerational Mobility and the Tax Code,” July 10, 2012; Robert Weissbourd. to prosperity and job growth for an unknown number of sole proprietors who
jobs for the number of people who reside here. Of the top 100 Cities only 5 have fewer
Strengthening Communities for Regional Prosperity. The Living Cities Policy Series, 2006; Porter,
jobs per resident. might one day be employers themselves. This is discussed in further detail in the
Michael, Orson W. Watson, and Alvin Kwan. The Changing Models of Inner City Grocery Retailing.
Strategies section of this chapter.
Data Sources: 2010 LEHD – On the Map; 2010 SF1 Census; ICIC Analysis Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, 1998.


location quotient ranking among 100 largest cities
Detroit’s economy is already unique.
Compared to other cities, Detroit’s diverse
economic base has an established foothold
in traditional industrial activity and anchor
institutions as well as substantial growth in
new economy jobs.

new economy growth 1998-2009 35 80 74 68 43 42

eds & meds, 2009 9 3 62 21 4 60

industrial, 2006 17 36 1 48 99 80
38 39

Data Source: SICE; ICIC analysis detroit, MI cleveland, oh newark, nj st louis, mo boston, ma chicago, il
1. 2.

A City of Physically and
3 Strategically Aligned Economic
4 A LEADER IN URBAN INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY

T
8 MILE
Assets

TIO
WO

GRA
ODW
GRA NORTHWEST

ARD
ND ACTIVITIES
RIV CENTER
ER
wcccd Detroit’s economy does not require entirely new economic Across the country, many have come to realize the critical role of manufacturing
assets, but the physical and strategic alignment of existing activity in promoting and sustaining innovation, especially in clusters where product
TELEGRAPH

coleman a. young
sinai grace university of
detroit-mercy
international airport ones. As in all successful cities, fostering economic strength and stability in Detroit and process are tightly linked, such as high-end apparel and biotech.2 Detroit
hospital marygrove
college will require a constant renewal and realignment of key business assets, education has a unique combination of educational and medical institutions, information
and workforce development, innovation potential, and infrastructure. technology companies, low-cost industrial land, and an “industrial commons”
i-94 industrial park that support manufacturing and industrial activity of all kinds. Detroit also has a
wcccd
gateway focus: hope On the side of land use and physical assets, tools such as zoning, public land skilled workforce, managers with operations experience, and broad design and
industrial
RUSSELL
chrysler: jefferson disposition, incentives, and specific strategies can be used to promote concentrated engineering expertise among its residents. With proactive and coordinated
center north assembly plant SON
INDUSTRIAL FFER employment districts as focal points around which to pool public, private, and investment, Detroit can remain an innovative hub for production.
CENTER E. JE
GM assembly plant
philanthropic investment. The implications will be far-reaching and have the
henry ford potential to improve the cost structure, innovative capacity, and competitive In the food cluster, for example, Detroit has the assets and knowledge to lead in the
hEALTH SYSTEM CULTURAL CENTER
westfield
industrial
position of the city’s businesses in regional, national, and international markets. design and production of urban farming tools. In the medical cluster, the Henry Ford
tech town detroit medical center
center Important efforts to create districts of economic activity already exist, most notably Innovation Institute is focused on user-based innovation that translates insights
wayne state
UNIVERSITY in the food cluster around Eastern Market and the education and health-related from the city’s medical practitioners into the next generation of surgical tools and
EASTERN
MARKET clusters in Midtown. Existing efforts must be supported and expanded to include medical devices. These are but two examples of the ways in which Detroit can build
Detroit’s most important traditional and emerging economic strengths. on its legacy of industrial activity, while creating new pathways to industrial and
clark
technology supporting jobs.
park Organizational linkages must also be strengthened and sustained among city
wcccd GENERAL MOTORS
government and neighborhoods, business support organizations, employers and
FORD
HEADQUARTERS employees, and businesses and their suppliers. Although too many key companies
AMBASSADOR Downtown
detroit intermodal BRIDGE and organizations today are islands, physically, they have a strong interest in re-
freight terminal knitting the physical, social, and cultural fabric that made Detroit’s economy great.
new INTERNATIONAL
IGAN trade CROSSING
MICH assets for economic growth
detroit water and
sewage treatment DIGITAL INDUSTRIES INDUSTRIAL ANCHORS AND HUBS
facility
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS
SPRINGWELLS
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION & MEDICAL
PARK
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS
N

FERSO

Text Source: 2) Gary P. Pisano and Willy C. Shih, “Does America Really Need Manufacturing?” Harvard
Detroit has a wide range of economic assets that should be capitalized on to fuel
W. JEF

Business Review, March 2012.
1 2 4 MILEs economic growth. Assets include existing businesses, institutions and transportation
infrastructure. Image Sources: 1) Marvin Shaouni; 2) Paul Sancya/AP


40 41

3. 4. 5.

5 A City of Regional and Global
Economic Assets 6 A City That Supports Minority
Business Enterprises 7 A City of Immediate and Long-Ranging
Strategies for Resident PROSPERITY

Recently, the American automotive Detroit has a diverse base of businesses, organizations, Business ownership shapes the location of opportunity and power in an economy: Although Detroit has an urgent need to support and develop high-quality education
and institutions that are essential to building and Business owners strongly influence organizational practices such as hiring, wage and skills to prosper in the 21st century, there is little evidence for the oft-stated
sector has revitalized, and the role maintaining a competitive edge for Southeast Michigan setting, and procurement and often serve in positions of civic and social leadership. claim that “Detroit can’t fix its economy until it fixes K-12.” In fact, improving
of Southeast Michigan in global in the 21st century. Beginning more than a decade ago, many public, One reason minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) are so important to education and increasing economic opportunity are complementary
private, and philanthropic leaders recognized that economic decline in the city Detroit is that they are more likely to hire minority employees and utilize minority strategies: providing economic opportunities for Detroit’s adults will
automotive research and development and region was not temporary but reflected a broader crisis in local economic suppliers, thus increasing opportunity for a large number of Detroiters.4 improve fiscal conditions in the city, support the academic performance of
expanded. The automotive renaissance assets and capabilities. These leaders and their organizations invested in the ideas,
Minorities in Detroit already account for 89% of the city’s population; however,
their children, and create the incentives for children and adults alike to invest
assets, institutions, and culture to enable growth in innovation-driven clusters in education and skills development.
in the region is part of a larger story like education and technology, while also remaking traditional economic clusters the firms they own account for only 15% of private company revenues. African-
American-owned businesses account for 94% of the city’s MBEs, yet few of these The dramatic downturn in the regional economy has curtailed opportunities for
in which U.S. manufacturing has like food to better serve local needs. Huge investments were made in expanding
companies grow enough to hire even one employee: Only one in thirty African- lower-skilled workers across the region. This opportunity gap must be addressed
the city’s institutions and economy: The College for Creative Studies added major
become more competitive globally. new buildings, an MFA program, and a high school; the Detroit Creative Corridor American companies in the city has at least one employee compared to one in three alongside the skills gap. In fact, the lack of job opportunities seems to have
white-owned businesses. profoundly weakened the link between educational attainment and prosperity
One of the country’s most influential Center opened; Next Energy was founded; the education and medical institutions
for Detroiters. Nationwide, high school graduation reduces the chance of living
in Midtown became national models for maximizing local economic impact; Henry
consultancies, Boston Consulting Ford Hospital opened an Innovation Institute to capture and commercialize the
These numbers reflect the enormous challenges to the MBE community in Detroit in poverty by 56%, and going on to earn a two-year degree reduces poverty by an
(as well as its potential). In a comparison of 25 U.S. cities, Detroit ranked seventh additional 51%. Yet in Detroit, the corresponding reductions are much smaller (39%
Group (BCG), recently estimated that innovative capacity of medical practitioners; Wayne State University opened
in African-American self-employment per capita. Strengthening business and 33%).
TechTown and announced a $93 million biotech hub; and a local son returned to
due to improved competitiveness, the Detroit with 7,000 workers and triggered a new wave of information technology
ownership in the city’s largest population group is one of the best ways to
grow businesses in the city. Strategies to combat the city’s poverty must acknowledge the need for a dual
U.S. is likely to add between 2.5 and growth in Downtown. Concurrently, local leaders remade traditional industries,
approach. Public, private, and philanthropic priorities should support a concurrent
including the Detroit Food Policy Council and Detroit Black Community Food
5 million jobs in manufacturing and Security’s work in creating a vision for the national movement in food justice and
approach to the creation of new job opportunities along with educational
improvements.
support industries by 2020.3 food security issues. Local organizations such as New Economy Initiative and DEGC
are working to promote local procurement and entrepreneurship opportunities
across the city.

Text Sources: 3) Boston Consulting Group, “Why America’s Export Surge Is Just Beginning,” September
12, 2012 and “U.S. Manufacturing Nears the Tipping Point: Which Industries, Why, and How Much?,”
March 22, 2012; 4) Based on Fairlie and Robb (2008)
Image Sources: 3) PAC Jeff Hall, Wikimedia Commons; 4) www.modeldmedia.com; 5) CNS Photo/
Jim West

61%
61% of employed detroiters
21% 30%
30% of detroit jobs are held

39%
work outside the city by detroiters

70% REALITIES
21.5% of detroiters do not have
access to a private vehicle2

39% of employed detroiters 70% of detroit jobs are held
1 43

THE STATE OF DETROIT’S ECONOMY
work within the city 3
by commuters

Detroit confronts major challenges to its revitalization, including issues with LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION. Among working-age residents in Detroit, labor
workforce preparedness and employment opportunities for Detroiters; the need to force participation rates (LFPRs) are low relative to the rest of the region and
strengthen the performance of the city’s companies, including small- and minority- the United States. In the rest of the region, the participation rate is 79%, nearly
owned companies; and the need to translate the city’s available land and buildings identical to the U.S. rate of 78%. If Detroit achieved national participation rates

300K
into affordable, usable spaces that can accommodate growing companies and at each education level, about 38,000 additional Detroiters would be in the labor
POVERTY attract new ones to the city. force and the city’s overall participation rate would be 75%. The participation rate of
Detroiters without a high school degree is low, but this group accounts for only a
300,000 new jobs Detroit is There are currently 27 jobs within the city per 100 Detroiters experience 68% of Detroiters without EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. As in many areas that have historically relied small portion of the adult population. The greatest opportunity for impact in labor
are projected projected to Detroit residents6 high poverty rates at a high school diploma on manufacturing to drive the economy, education levels among working-age force participation is among those with a high school degree and/or some college
for southeast receive only 2% every level of education. are unemployed or do not
michigan by 20404 of these new even 20% of two-year participate in the labor force8
Detroiters are well below the national average: (but not a four-year degree), who account for two-thirds of working-age Detroiters.
regional jobs5 degree holders live in Consequently, if Detroiters without a high school degree participated in the labor
poverty7 ƒƒ 20% do not have a high school degree;
force at national rates, the city’s overall participation rate would increase from
ƒƒ 35% have a high school degree but no further training; 65% to 68%; if Detroiters with a high school degree and/or some college matched
ƒƒ 33% have a high school degree and at least some college; and national rates, the city’s overall participation rate would increase from 65% to 72%,
85%
just below the regional average of 75%.
3%
2% ƒƒ 12% have a bachelor’s degree.
6%

OTHER $12.2B $450M SCHOOL QUALITY. One oft-cited reason for poor labor force outcomes among
9%
HIS

The proportion of Detroit’s population between the ages of 25 and 64 who do
W Detroiters is the low quality of the city’s public schools. Although Detroit’s school
PAN

HI not have a high school degree is 60% higher than the U.S. rate of 13%, while the
TE system has some high performers like Cass Technical High School, Renaissance
proportion of population holding a four-year degree is 60% lower than the average
IC

WHITE OTHER High School, Kettering West Wing, and the Bates Academy, the majority of schools
for the United States.
under-perform relative to those in neighboring school districts. The Michigan
12% Department of Education’s “Top-to-Bottom Ranking” of the state’s schools shows
83% But education alone is not the only indicator of Detroit’s workforce challenge:
AFRICAN that in terms of statewide percentile ranking, schools in the Detroit Public Schools
AMERICAN $1.7B There is a stronger emphasis on education among Detroiters than is often assumed.
Of those with a high school degree, 57% have at least some college, comparable to district averaged in the 12th percentile. Detroit school performance is also weak by
the rest of the United States (68%). Completion rates are lower than the national the standards of urban school districts across the United States. In the most recent
AFRICAN AMERICAN average, however: Among Detroiters with at least some college, only 42% have Trial Urban District Assessment of reading, mathematics, science, and writing skills
completed a two- or four-year degree compared to 64% across the United States. of 4th and 8th graders in 22 cities, Detroit ranked last, but did show improvement
Detroit’s potential Break down of revenue 15% of detroit’s Detroit is ranked In a comparison of 25 u.s. cities, over the previous assessment.
workforce demographics at all detroit firms10 private employer firms 23rd out of 25 u.s. detroit ranks 8th in terms of
(ages 25-64)9 are owned by african cities in african african-american business
americans11 american ownership ownership relative to the size WEAKENED INCENTIVES AND CONNECTIONS. In all groups in all parts of the
of firms with of black/african-american country, labor force participation rates are sensitive to the costs and rewards of
employees* population*
employment, including wages and commuting times. Detroiters of all education
levels have wages that are lower than regional and national averages, with the
Data Sources: 1) US Census 2010 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics; 2) American Community
*The 25 cities used to rank detroit were picked based on variables including population size, minority concentration and geography. The 25 cities are: 1) Detroit, MI; 2) Birmingham, AL; 3) Baltimore, Survey 2010 5-Year; 3) US Census 2010 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics; 4,5) SEMCOG largest gap for those workers without a high school degree and the smallest for
MD; 4) Memphis, TN; 5) New Orleans, LA; 6) Atlanta, GA; 7) Cleveland, OH; 8) Washington, D.C.; 9) St. Louis, MO; 10) Philadelphia, PA; 11)Charlotte, NC; 12) Chicago, IL; 13) Columbus, OH; 2012; 6) Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) State of Inner City Economies (SICE) database, the college-educated. This would help explain why labor force activity is so low
14) Indianapolis, IN; 15) New York, NY; 16) Boston, MA; 17) Houston, TX; 18) Miami, FL; 19) Fort Worth, TX; 20) Los Angeles, CA; 21) Austin, TX; 22) San Antonio, TX; 23) San Diego, CA; US Census 2010; 7,8) American Community Survey 2010 5-Year, Integrated Public Use Microdata among the city’s least educated residents. Similarly, the challenges of using public
24) Phoenix, AZ; 25) El Paso, TX Series (IPUMS); 9) US Census 2010; 10) US Census 2010 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics; transportation to commute to suburban job centers disproportionately harms less
Sources: US Census 2010, 2007 Survey of Business Owners 11) ICIC educated, lower-income individuals, who are less likely to own cars.

Realities

PERCENT OF detroit WORKERS WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE OR LESS BY TARGEt CLUSTER: 2009 privately owned firms with employees
55% 58% 57%
12% 53% 49% 50%
45%
32%
23%
19% 16% 16% 17%
14% 15% 15% 13%
7% 2% 5%
2%
Information creative education healthcare transportation metal construction, automotive food and business to rest of the
Technology distribution fabrication demolition, beverage business economy
engineering,
logistics
repurposing
processing
Of vacant industrial parcels are less than 1 acre in size

6.8%
african american white other
Digital/Creative Eds & meds Industrial Local Other
The target clusters that represent the best opportunities for economic growth in Detroit also represent
Entrepreneurship $50,000 average revenue $780,000 average revenue $240,000 average revenue
44 opportunities to employ individuals with different education and skill levels. The importance of 1/6 of city average 2.6x of city average 4/5 of city average 45
education and skills training can’t be understated as businesses hire significantly higher percentages of Detroiters with less than a high school degree
people with a high school degree than without. Detroiters with less than or equal to a high school degree Minority groups account for 89% of Detroit’s population but only 17% of total private firm revenue. 6.8% of the city’s vacant industrial land is publicly-owned
Data Source: BLS, Employment Projections Program; ICIC Data Source: SBO 2007; ICIC analysis Data Source: Interface Studio, Detroit Industrial Land Use Survey

REGIONAL COMPETITION. Between 2002 and 2010, the proportion of Detroit jobs MINORITY BUSINESS OWNERSHIP HOLDS GREAT POTENTIAL. Although it The selected industries are often oriented toward local rather than regional, otherwise re-developable land in the industrial zones, for example, amounts to only
held by Detroit residents fell from 42% to 30%. Changing skill demands do not seem is true that a large number of Detroiters have dropped out of the labor force, it national, or international markets; they also have higher failure rates.6 MBEs often 6.8% of the city’s total industrial land supply, with most of this found in residential
to be the main culprit: The share of city jobs held by Detroiters declined almost is also true that many Detroiters have responded to the shortage of formal job select these industries because of their own work and business experience, but also parcels in Delray and formerly residential sites around the I-94 Industrial Park. With
as much for jobs paying less than $1,250 per month as for jobs paying greater opportunities by starting businesses, becoming self-employed, or moving into because of lower levels of personal wealth than their white counterparts. MBEs so few opportunities to assemble property directly from public agencies, and limited
than $3,333 per month. What did change during those years was the region’s the informal economy. African-Americans in Detroit are 15% more likely than their also are more likely than their white counterparts to experience “real and perceived resources to outright acquire private property, other strategies must be considered
unemployment rate. During the 2000s, the region lost more than 400,000 jobs, counterparts nationally to be formally self-employed. Overall, there are about challenges in securing external capital.”7 to stimulate more productive use of vacant and vastly underutilized, privately held,
100,000 more than any other U.S. region, suggesting that the region’s jobs crisis 50,000 people who are formally self-employed or own businesses with employees commercial and industrial sites. The depth and breadth of challenges stemming
has severely undercut opportunities for less educated workers. in Detroit, and perhaps as many as 100,000 more who are engaged in the informal Increasing the number and performance of MBEs must address short-term from the condition, location, and configuration of Detroit’s job-producing lands will
economy, either as their only source of income or in addition to formal and/or self- strategies to increase demand for the goods and services provided by MBEs, and have to be met with a variety of strategies to improve the quality, availability, and
The least educated workers faced competition for jobs from better-educated job- employment.5 provide assistance with business development and finance options. Longer-term productivity of private and public commercial and industrial land.
seekers: in the city but also across the region, those without high school degrees strategies must increase minority participation in high-growth, capital-intensive
participate in the labor force at rates well below the national average. The gap Minority residents are strongly represented in “nonemployer firms,” which sectors and address structural barriers to capital access.
between regional and national labor force participation narrows with increasing generally represent formally self-employed persons. These businesses pay taxes
education levels until it more or less disappears for the region’s residents who hold and are part of the formal economy but do not have the scale to hire employees. In LAND IS DETROIT’S GREATEST—AND MOST CHALLENGING—ASSET. Land in
at least a bachelor’s degree. Detroit, there are about 60 self-employed firms per 1,000 residents: Detroit is a potential asset for long-term economic development. Unlike in many
U.S. cities, Detroit does not currently suffer from residential encroachment on job-
INEQUITY EVEN WITH EDUCATION. For all the discussion about the importance ƒƒ 74% are owned by an African-American, 25% have white ownership, and 1% is producing land or face supply limitations that preclude growth in industrial sectors.
of education in addressing the city’s poverty, the disconnect between educational owned by a member of another group. However, the character, configuration, and spatial patterns of vacancy and neglect
attainment and prosperity is profound for many Detroiters. At all education levels, on formerly job-producing land represent a significant challenge to economic
ƒƒ African-American-owned self-employed businesses average about $14,000
Detroiters suffer much higher poverty rates than peers in the region and country: development in the city.
in sales, compared to $32,000 for white-owned self-employed businesses in
ƒƒ 31% of Detroiters with a high school degree and no college live in poverty, Detroit. In 2010, vacancies accounted for 22% of Detroit’s industrial land, a portion that has
compared to 13% of identically educated Americans; ƒƒ Among private businesses with employees,15% are owned by African- likely increased with the further decline in manufacturing activity. Many of these sites
Americans, 78% have white ownership, and the remaining 7% fall under are located along industrial corridors that have ceased to be competitive and now
ƒƒ A Detroiter with a two-year college degree is 50% more likely to live in
primarily Asian ownership. sit derelict and empty, contributing to and aggravating surrounding neighborhood
poverty than the average American with only a high school degree; and
blight. Of the sites that are located in more active and vibrant industrial areas— Text Sources: 5) By definition, the informal economy is very difficult to measure. One study estimates
ƒƒ A Detroiter with a four-year college degree is more likely to live in poverty ƒƒ White-owned businesses with employees average $2.4 million in revenues, corridors with a “critical mass” of industrial activity—a significant portion consists that in Los Angeles County, 9% to 29% of total employment is in the informal economy (Losby, et
than the average American with a two-year degree. African-American-owned businesses average $1.3 million in revenue, and of small, isolated, inaccessible, or oddly-shaped parcels with very limited potential al., 2002). Using this range, the number of people employed in the informal economy in Detroit would
businesses with “other” (primarily Asian) ownership average $600,000. for viable industrial or commercial redevelopment. More than 95% of the vacant be about 25,000 to 105,000. The estimated range is as wide as 3% to 4% of the U.S. workforce
In fact, if every working-age Detroiter invested in a two-year degree, the poverty
ƒƒ When businesses with and without employees are included, the average industrial parcels in the city’s employment districts are less than one acre in size. (Nightingale and Wandner, 2011). Lower-income areas tend to have higher levels of informal activity,
rate in this group would still be almost 21%, higher than overall poverty rates in 70% so Detroit would likely be on the higher end of any estimate. SOURCES: Losby, Jan L., John F. Else,
revenue of all private businesses in Detroit is about $300,000; within this, The remaining parcels that are well-located and large enough to accommodate
of U.S. cities. Marcia E. Kingslow, Elaine L. Edgcomb, Erica T. Malm, and Vivian Kao, “Informal Economy Literature
the average for white-owned businesses is $780,000, for Asian businesses, viable modern industrial development are often so blighted, contaminated, or in
Review,” ISED Consulting and Research and The Aspen Institute, December 2002; Nightingale,
$240,000, and for African-American-owned businesses about $50,000. need of demolition that the anticipated costs can deter investment indefinitely.
Demetria Smith, and Stephen A. Wandner, “Informal and Nonstandard Employment in the United
The gap between white- and black-owned businesses in Detroit can largely be States: Implications for Low-Income Working Families,” The Urban Institute, Brief 20, August 2011.
The major challenge in addressing issues of blight and land assembly in the industrial
explained by the set of industries in which Detroit’s MBEs operate. MBEs across the areas is the patterns of ownership. Unlike in the city’s residential areas, where there 6,7) Timothy Bates, “Entrepreneur Human Capital Endowments and Minority Business Viability,”
United States tend to select less capital-intensive industries, and thus face lower is significant public ownership of sites, the overwhelming majority of land in the 1985; Fairlie and Robb, 2008, p 134. Teresa Lynch and Lois Rho, “Capital Availability in Inner Cities:
overhead but also lower overall growth prospects than white-owned businesses. industrial and commercial areas is privately held. Public ownership of vacant or What Role for Federal Policy?” Presented at the “Small Business and Entrepreneurship during an
Economic Recovery Conference,” Washington, D.C., November 9-10, 2011.

IMPERATIVES AND
QUALITY OF BUSINESS 47

ECONOMIC GROWTH ACTIONS AND IMPACT

We must re-energize
Detroit has been losing population and employment for decades, and years of fiscal
challenges have hollowed out local government capacity. Detroit today provides a
challenging business environment marred by high levels of blight, security issues,
and significant gaps in local government services. Potential buyers driving to
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK
Detroit’s economy
inspect available industrial sites are often deterred by the visible levels of blight
before they have even arrived at the property. These factors often frustrate existing
business owners and employees, increase costs, and deter investment. Businesses, ƒƒ Survey respondents ranked the “Re-energize
like residents, desire a secure, attractive environment and a larger, vibrant business Detroit's economy” as the most important of the

to increase job opportunities
community. For Detroit to thrive as a city, the quality of the business environment 12 Imperatives
must be considered as important as the quality of residential life. This will require ƒƒ Survey respondents ranked EDUCATION as the most
improvements in the following areas: important investment for Detroit’s future

for Detroiters within the city
ƒƒ Top economic strategies recorded from DWP
costs: The operating cost environment for businesses compared to
$
participants included:
regional and peer cities.
ƒƒ SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES - especially small,
new, and resident-owned businesses

and strengthen the tax base.
Networks: Proximity to related businesses, suppliers, and business
services are a key ingredient in location decisions and operating success. ƒƒ IMPROVE RESIDENTS’ WORKFORCE
READINESS for better, well-paying jobs in the
future
informations: There are many information gaps that need to be
i filled to align businesses with workforce, incentives, and public services.

Services: Effective and reliable government services are needed to

We must support our
support existing and new businesses.

access: Detroit has a legacy of quality, and diverse infrastructure.

current residents
Strategic improvements are needed to ensure efficient access via
highway, rail, ports, and local streets.

Regulations: Permitting, zoning, and other codes need to be

and attract new residents.
reconfigured to support local job and business growth.

Safety: Safety and security of people and buildings is often cited as a
key concern by business owners.

VAN DYKE

T
TELEGRAPH

TIO
WO

GRA
ODW
ARD
STRATEGIES AND
8 MILE
GRA
ND
RIV MT. ELLIOTT
ER
McNichols

48 E. JE
FFER
SON
IMPLEMENTATION 49
DEQUINDRE/
EASTERN MARKET PLANS FOR ACTION

MIDTOWN

The Strategic Framework proposes five strategies to grow an equitable economy The strategies also emphasize strengthening the city’s minority business community
CORKTOWN
for Detroit: through expanded opportunities for business ownership and growth. Finally, the
plan attempts to create linkages between education and training and opportunities
ƒƒ Support the Four Key Economic Growth Pillars that have already to utilize newly developed skills and address skills gaps and opportunity gaps
FORD
DOWNTOWN demonstrated promising job growth: education and medical employment together, efficiently and fairly.
(“Eds and Meds”), digital and creative jobs, industrial employment (both
traditional and new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, manufacture, and The success of the plan will rest on the capacity of the strategies to unlock the
SOUTHWEST processes), and local entrepreneurship. vast potential of the city’s land assets. Through preferential zoning, targeted
MICHIGAN PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS infrastructure investments, attraction of new capital into the city, and innovative
DIGITAL / CREATIVE
ƒƒ Use place-based strategies to create core investment and employment
approaches to address under-utilization of land, the strategy aims to increase the
corridors, focusing on seven employment districts where job growth is
EDS & MEDS AND DIGITAL / CREATIVE value of and investments in the city’s highest-potential jobs-producing land. If
already occurring;
INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE successful, the city’s available land can become its greatest economic asset.
ƒƒ Encourage local entrepreneurship and minority-owned business;
GLOBAL TRADE / INDUSTRIAL
Sources: DWPLTP Planning Team ƒƒ Improve education and skills development; and
N
FERSO

The DWP Framework identifies seven primary Employment Districts that provide the ƒƒ Transform the city’s land into an economic asset.
T
FOR

W. JEF

1 2 4 MILEs best opportunity for large-scale job growth. Located across the city, these districts
represent a diverse cross-section of Detroit’s economy. Each strategy is designed to address specific challenges but also to reinforce the
other four strategies. These strategies are also designed to be flexible to actual
“When we lost the jobs “Create and cultivate a more dense,
economic conditions and changing needs in the city and region, and thus are
and saw the increase active vibrant city from which
not tied to specific horizons or timelines. They are consistent, however, with the
in crime, that sense businesses can flourish and grow.”
Strategic Framework’s vision for stabilization and transformation over a period of of common purpose/
20 to 50 years. Detroit’s public, private, civic and philanthropic stakeholders should community was lost.” Entrepreneurs Summit
align their investments and programmatic initiatives with the broader Framework
PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT DESCRIPTIONS AND LOCATIONS Seniors Working Session,
and with each other’s objectives.
2/15/2012
digital / creative eds & meds / digital and creative industrial / creative global TRADE / industrial
The core mechanism for this coordination is strengthening seven existing
Districts characterized by economic Districts characterized by economic Districts characterized by economic Districts characterized by economic employment districts in the city. Information from land surveys, data on the city’s
economy, and interviews with key stakeholders formed the basis for mapping these
description

opportunities in information opportunities in education, healthcare, opportunities in industrial activity opportunities in global industrial
technology and creative businesses research, technology and creative like food processing and automotive activity including automotive, metals districts. The unique characteristics of each district are identified not only for their
such as design & advertising. enterprises. manufacturing as well as creative and logistics. economic potential, but for the diverse opportunities each offers to employ people
enterprises and local entrepreneurship. with a broad range of interests and skills.

The Framework recommends:
locations

Downtown Midtown Dequindre-Eastern Market Southwest ƒƒ Formalizing the importance of these districts through land use and zoning
changes; and
McNichols Corktown Mt. Elliott
ƒƒ Encouraging public, private, and philanthropic investments in infrastructure
and real estate to support these districts.

Strategies and Implementation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Seven transformative ideas : Five implementation strategies

111k
111,000 detroiters work

A B
outside of the city - this
is 57% greater than the USE A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR
70,700 detroiters who SUPPORT FOUR KEY ECONOMIC PILLARS GROWTH
work within the city
50 51

Seven specific employment districts have the greatest potential to unleash large-
A strategy that targets the sectors of the economy that are most likely to generate scale job creation in Detroit. These districts will promote a deliberate spatial pattern
broad-based economic growth will allow the public, private, and philanthropic

to business activity, generate multiple benefits to the economy, and help alleviate
sectors to align strategies and resources around economic growth “pillars” that critical fiscal and social issues in the city. Reinvesting in specific employment
can create jobs, foster economic opportunity and social equity, and best utilize the districts will create the scale required for efficient investments in infrastructure and
city’s land assets. These opportunities fall into four broad categories: Education and services; allow development of effective strategies for building demolition and land
Medical; Industrial; Digital/Creative; and Local Entrepreneurship. assembly; and create dense employment nodes that can facilitate transportation
connections between Detroit residents and businesses, an issue that currently
The most recent 30-year regional employment forecast for Detroit, developed
plagues the least-advantaged Detroiters but also employers who would benefit
by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), shows some
from a larger labor pool with more reliable transportation options. This concept will
employment growth in Detroit between 2010 and 2015, followed by a leveling off
have a secondary (but critical) effect of raising property values in the employment
after 2015. For the entire 2010-2040 period, SEMCOG projects the entire Southeast
70,700 detroiters live and Michigan regional economy will add 300,000 net new jobs, of which just over 7,000
districts, thus reducing the required subsidy for new construction and creating
work within detroit conditions to support private real estate activity.
will land in the City of Detroit. Although these projections provide an important
sightline into the dynamics of the city’s and region’s economies, and can be used These efforts will rely on an alignment among all levels of government (city,
as a baseline for understanding future job growth, they suffer from an unavoidable state, federal), the private sector, and the philanthropic community. Many in the
flaw: They were developed assuming “business as usual.” private sector have voiced support for concentrating economic activity, with the
understanding that it will increase the feasibility and efficiency of private-sector
The “business as usual” projections do not account for or anticipate the potential
attempts to address shortcomings in the existing operating environment. Some
impact of aligning future investments with existing major civic investments in the
private companies already pool resources to fund shared security and emergency
four pillar economic areas. Coupled with critical changes in the city’s productive
services. Concentrating activity would make these investments more efficient and
landscape— including the resurgence of the downtown district and the emergence
could create conditions for private-public-philanthropic partnerships to address
where detroiters and of the city as a hub for digital and creative businesses—these investments indicate
other critical issues like transportation linkages between residents and employment
163k commuters work
that continued, intentional investment in the Four Key Economic Growth Pillars will
yield potent benefits.
opportunities. To help target resources and develop effective infrastructure, land
use, and worker-support policies, each employment district will require a menu of
163,500 people commute strategies and investments tailored to the opportunities they present.
into the city - 2.3 times the
number of people commute 30% 70% of detroit jobs are
into the city than live and held by commuters implementation actions implementation actions

30%
work in the city.
1 Align cluster strategies with the Detroit Strategic Framework. 1 Align public, private, and philanthropic investments in employment
70%
2 Establish cluster-based collaboration with labor market intermediaries. districts.
30% of detroit jobs are
held by detroiters 2 Develop detailed action plans for primary employment districts.
3 Encourage industrial business improvement districts (IBIDS).
4 Become a national leader in green industrial districts.

39%
work outside the city

Increasing employment opportunities within the city and decreasing travel
61% 39%
work within the city
times to work will have a positive affect for Detroit residents as many will have
greater access to employment. Data Sources: 2010 LEHD – On the Map; ICIC Analysis


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
FEEDBACK AND PUBLIC
Seven transformative ideas : Five implementation strategies
PERCEPTIONS
ƒƒ Ensure economic development improves
RESIDENTS’ quality of life - BEYOND PROSPERITY
AND INCOME ALONE
ƒƒ Target industries that will provide jobs and

C D E
also improve quality of life throughout the city:
ENCOURAGE LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IMPROVE SKILLS AND SUPPORT LAND REGULATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND recycling, deconstruction, retrofitting/rehabbing/
AND MINORITY BUSINESS PARTICIPATION EDUCATION REFORM ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS weatherization, senior care & services, urban
52 agriculture, clean/sustainable energy (solar, 53
geothermal, wind)
As many Detroit leaders have recognized, growing the base of the city’s Skills building and education reform are key factors driving economic growth in The condition, location, and configuration of Detroit’s job-producing land presents
entrepreneurs is a great opportunity for employment and wealth creation. Detroit. Even more important, they shape opportunity, incomes, and quality of life many challenges that are critical to address in order to generate economic activity

Opportunities for the self-employed and small businesses are likely to increase over for Detroiters. Although the Framework does not discuss K-12 reform, the strategies and jobs for all Detroiters. The regulation of land in employment districts can have
time: Nationally, employment growth has been fastest in those parts of the economy here will complement K-12 improvement in the city’s public schools by increasing far-reaching impacts, including blight reduction, improved safety, and ultimately a
that serve local markets rather than national and international (“traded”) markets. high school graduation rates and improving the value of two-year degrees held surge in private investment.
These opportunities will grow as consumers turn increasingly to local products by Detroiters; better linking the needs of employers with workforce training
A critical opportunity lies in developing and popularizing organizational and funding “While everybody is looking at
and larger national and international companies continue to outsource secondary investments, a direction already underway among the city’s workforce training
Detroit today and saying, ‘Oh, thank
functions, such as building and facilities maintenance. These are significant but providers and community colleges; increasing training opportunities for degreed mechanisms for “clean and safe” programs to dramatically improve the character
God we are not Detroit,’ I say many
often overlooked opportunities. For example, the Local Business Services cluster Detroiters already in the workforce; developing strategies to address challenges and security of Detroit’s industrial and commercial zones and employment centers.
people in America are going to wake
(“Local B2B”) in Detroit employs about 25,000 people (including self-employed) faced by African American high school graduates nationally in securing full-time Perception is reality, so focusing on the look and feel of key employment areas is up 10 years from now surprised that
and could employ thousands more if local demand for these services was met by employment opportunities;8 and in general, increasing overall opportunities essential to their success. Branding and character campaigns can also dramatically Detroit is rewriting the new chapter
Detroit-based companies. The opportunities that exist in Detroit today can support for Detroiters by better linking residents to Detroit jobs as well as overcoming improve the allure of certain areas to specific economic clusters, while conceptual of what an American city looks like.”
different forms of enterprise, self-employment, small business ownership, and challenges with physical access to workforce opportunities by better aligning site and district planning exercises can help brokers and developers to concretely
Omar Blaik, Urban Development Expert
scaling of existing businesses. employment and training locations with residential areas in the city. envision the potential of an area and plan for land assembly as appropriate. In
addition, attention to the natural environment will create modern and green
The local business clusters are also a good opportunity to diversify the city’s This approach attempts to increase the opportunities and means for Detroiters employment districts that improve the health of workers and nearby residents.
base of businesses. Many of the opportunities in the local clusters do not require to improve their education and skills levels, then reward these investments with
large amounts of start-up capital, yet offer proximity to a large and broad base of job opportunities, career paths, and higher wages. The approach recognizes that “If this strategy includes reaching
customers. Moreover, some of the infrastructure to support these initiatives has education and skills are the primary determinants of economic quality of life and into the communities, recruiting the
must be matched with opportunities to utilize these skills and be rewarded. residents who have the skills and
already been built. The Midtown educational and medical institutions are national
training those who don’t, then it will
leaders in identifying opportunities for local suppliers, and DEGC has started a multi-
contribute.”
year Local B2B initiative to increase local opportunities in this cluster. Broadening
and deepening existing efforts and identifying new opportunities could lead to the Maria, Economic Growth Open House,
creation of thousands of jobs in the city. 8/7/2012

implementation actions implementation actions implementation actions
“Focus on providing services and
1 Promote short-term approaches to increase the number and success of 1 “Hire Detroit”: Strengthen local hiring practices. 1 Create an industrial side-lot program. products for the needs [of] under
MBEs and DBEs in the City. resourced families. 1) Agriculture
2 Link workforce investments to transportation. 2 Create a priority permitting process for employment districts.
to provide food products. 2)
2 Support the development of low-cost, shared spaces for clusters with high
3 Coordinate workforce development best practices. 3 Focus on land banking industrial and commercial property. Construction for low-cost efficient
levels of self employment. home ownership. 3) Deconstruction
4 Revitalize incumbent workforce training. 4 Identify alternative capital sources for real estate development.
3 Provide young Detroiters with exposure to and experience in Digital / and reuse of materials from homes.”
Creative and other new economy clusters. 5 Expand public-private partnerships for workforce development. 5 Articulate a reverse change-of-use policy.
Jeff, Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012
4 Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to increase and strengthen 6 Commission a study to identify levers to improve graduation rates and poor 6 Create master-planned industrial hubs.
the City’s MBEs. labor market outcomes of Detroiters. 7 Address underutilization of industrial building space and land.
8 Address weaknesses in the local brokerage sector.

Text Sources: 8) Margaret Simms and Marla McDaniel, “The Black-White Jobless Gap,” Philadelphia
Inquirer, September 5, 2010.


“This strategy [continuing to grow “Provide ‘turn-key’ start up
and support four key economic food production and processing
growth pillars] builds upon existing opportunities and housing
industries that current and aspiring opportunities that entrepreneurs
Detroiters are familiar with, yet could lease if successful.”
also allows for expansion and
Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012
innovation.”
Angie, Economic Growth Open House,
8/7/2012

54 FOUR KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH PILLARS A 55

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FOUR ECONOMIC PILLARS

To provide a broader picture for Detroit’s economic growth, the Framework relies INDUSTRIAL includes those clusters in which processing, assembly, manufacturing,
KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH CLUSTER CURRENT EMPLOYEES PROJECTED GROWTH IN REPRESENTATIVE JOBS
on three sets of 20-year scenarios for the city’s employment. The first scenario repair, or distribution of physical goods is a central activity. A core set of industrial
10 YEARS*
directly borrows SEMCOG’s projections for Detroit, resulting in total city job clusters is thought to drive to Detroit’s current and future economy: automotive;
growth of 1.5% over 20 years. The second scenario applies SEMCOG’s growth rates construction/demolition/engineering/repurposing (CDER); food; metals and
LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: 20,000 10% Accounting, landscaping, facilities maintenance,
for Wayne County to Detroit, resulting in about 4% job growth over the period. The machinery; and transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL). The physical
short haul trucking, wholesale activities,
Local Business to Business (B2B) third scenario applies projected U.S. growth rates to the city of Detroit, resulting in transformation of the city will spur significant job and business growth in the CDER
recruiting, and delivery
almost 20% job growth over 20 years, the equivalent of about 50,000 new jobs in the cluster and create additional opportunity in the food cluster as more land becomes
city. Just as important, in this scenario, job growth in the city keeps pace with that in available for productive use. Together, companies in these clusters employ 27,000
TARGET INDUSTRIAL: 27,000 14% Assembly, fabrication, engineering, processing, the region and contributes to a more vibrant regional economy. people in industrial activity in the city and thousands more in non-industrial
packaging, trucking, rail operation, construction positions. Many jobs in the industrial clusters do not require high levels of formal
Automotive
trades, management LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP. This broad category includes a range of potential education but do pay above-average wages. There are three primary industrial
Food and Beverage (F&B) transformative agendas including formalizing the informal sector; improving areas—Dequindre/ Eastern Market, Mt. Elliott, and Southwest—and multiple
the economic lives of the self-employed by increasing their net wages and/or secondary industrial areas.
Metal Fabrication (MF)
helping them to transition from self-employed to small business owner; and
Transportation, Distribution and Repair (TDL) aiding in business creation and expansion for Detroit’s entrepreneurs and would- DIGITAL/CREATIVE includes companies in Information Technology (IT) but more
be entrepreneurs. One of the largest opportunities for entrepreneurs is in Local broadly, companies that use web-based technologies and platforms to deliver
Construction, Demolition, Engineering and
Business Services, i.e., “Local B2B,” a broad category that captures the opportunity service. The Digital clusters are centered around a few large downtown companies
Repurposing (CDER)
for small- and mid-sized local businesses to provide goods and services to other, that specialize in IT outsourcing for large corporate clients (GalaxE, Strategic
usually larger businesses. Local B2B firms perform professional and support Staffing Solutions, VisionIT) but also Quicken, a mortgage lending company
DIGITAL / CREATIVE: 12,000 6% Programming, engineering, industrial design, IT services like accounting, printing, and employee recruiting; local logistical services that revolutionized the use of on-line platforms in consumer lending; and Crain
repair, web services, fashion, graphic design, arts like short-haul trucking and courier services; and facilities management functions Communications, which makes broad use of digital media. The downtown New
Digital Industries (DI)
including security, janitorial, and landscaping services. Local B2B companies can be Economy cluster is part of a larger regional cluster that includes the IT divisions
Creative Industries (CI) successful at many scales, including sole proprietorships and very small companies. of global companies like General Motors and General Electric. Although still small
There is a tremendous opportunity in this cluster today—Detroit currently has a relative to its potential, Detroit has one of the fastest-growing IT clusters in the
Local B2B “gap” of about 10,000 jobs that could be supported by existing activity— country and is a key reason why the Detroit metro area led the United States in
EDUCATION & MEDICAL: 50,000 26% Teaching, administration, medical services,
and the cluster is expected to grow all across the United States in the next decade. tech-related job growth in 2010. Detroit’s creative cluster, which specializes in areas
research, vocational training, dentistry, medical
Education like design, advertising, and talent management, can be found in every part of the
manufacturing
EDUCATION AND MEDICAL, also known as “Eds and Meds” or the “anchor city but is most highly concentrated along the so-called Creative Corridor and in
Healthcare
institutions”, includes hospitals, health clinics, and health-related manufacturing Northwest around McNichols Road.
like medical devices, as well as universities, community colleges, and some research
other: 86,000 44% Retail management and sales, stocking, organizations. Together, these organizations employ 50,000 people in Detroit,
headquarters activity, public service, nonprofit with concentrations of activity in the Midtown area and in the northwest around
Retail
management McNichols Road. In the city of Detroit, hospitals make up approximately 60% of
Government the employment in Eds and Meds. Henry Ford Hospital is the largest with more
Real Estate than 10,000 employees. Detroit’s colleges, universities, and professional schools
employ over 8,000 while educating 65,000 people per year. In addition, many of
Finance Michigan’s major universities now have Detroit offices or programs. Health-related Table Sources: Quarterly Workforce Indicators Census, ICIC Analysis
organizations like home health care services and outpatient clinics also create large *Percentages exclude Public Administration
numbers of jobs.


detroit as a percentage of regional employment

14% regional employment
Detroit Southeast Michigan

detroit’s employment clusters
30% food industry

29% education

22% healthcare
57
56
17% creative industry
Detroit Southeast Michigan Data Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI), 2011 FOUR KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH PILLARS: STRATEGIES

regional auto assembly detroit population / national institutes of
health (NIH) grants A.1 Align Cluster Strategies With the Strategic
Framework A.2 Establish Collaboration with Labor Market
Intermediaries in Each Economic Cluster

The city and regional economies are loosely organized into clusters with strong, but The profound changes in city and regional labor markets have been accompanied by
Detroit receives 14% detroit receives not always coordinated, local and regional intermediaries in the education, medical, a change in the workforce infrastructure and the role of various intermediaries. One
of state's NIH grants 90% of MSA's creative, digital and food clusters; as well as some coordination of the traditional of the key changes is the growing importance of temp agencies in identifying and
NIH grants
industrial clusters. This diverse set of organizations should create new strategies, placing potential workers. Temp agencies’ role in placing workers in manufacturing
or update existing ones, to reflect the priorities and actions in the Detroit Strategic and technology-related firms has expanded greatly in Detroit and nationally. Today,
ORION ASSEMBLY
7% 17% Framework, which will the space for cooperation within and across clusters on employers utilize temp agencies to screen for new hires that produce value in a

7% 17%
Detroit has 17%
common issues like workforce training, transportation, and security. Cluster
organization and strategy development are perhaps the key mechanism for
short window of time. As such, cluster leaders should coordinate and create linkages
between labor market intermediaries and the private sector in order to develop
Detroit has 7% identifying areas of cooperation and investment that mutually benefit the city a Detroit labor pool that can produce short- and long-term value for companies.
of Michigan’s of MSA’s
STERLING HEIGHTS population and regional economies and create strong and durable linkages between city and Detroit residents’ placement into jobs will be enhanced through tighter linkages
ASSEMBLY population
regional stakeholders. between temp agencies and traditional training intermediaries, and between the
large suburban temp agencies looking for workers and the city residents looking
WARREN TRUCK
Given the current citywide shortage of available, turnkey, low-cost space, each for jobs.
cluster strategy should include a real estate component that identifies real estate
options, including shared-space options, for cluster companies and the self-
JEFFERSON NORTH employed. In addition, each cluster strategy should identify a portfolio of capital
ASSEMBLY options for funding necessary real estate investments and business development
DEARBORN TRUCK
and growth. In short, cluster leaders should look to cooperate with traditional
WINDSOR ASSEMBLY
MICHIGAN and non-traditional capital sources to align resources with growth clusters and implementation actions
ASSEMBLY
activities. Finally, each cluster strategy should outline a comprehensive approach
REGIONAL AUTO ASSEMBLY Metropolitan for inclusion that ensures low-income and minority populations participate in and 1 Align cluster strategies with the Detroit Strategic Framework.
WOODHAVEN STAMPING Statistical Area benefit from cluster growth. 2 Establish cluster-based collaboration with labor market intermediaries
AUTO ASSEMBLY PLANTS Michigan (MSA) population
AUTO ALLIANCE population
INTERNATIONAL DETROIT 4,296,250
9,883,640
WAYNE COUNTY Detroit Detroit
population population
3.5 7 14 MILEs COUNTY BOUNDARIES 713,777 713,777

Source: Interface Studio Data Sources: Census 2010 SF1 File; National Institute of Health,
Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools; ICIC Analysis

Detroit has been and continues to be the center of the industrial network in Southeast Michigan. The Due to the strength of institutions in Detroit, the city receives a large proportion of the state’s NIH
geographic location of the city at the center of the region and a larger international trade hub is a Grants. This puts Detroit at the center of medical research for the Region with the city receiving 90
strategic asset that can be leveraged to revitalize Detroit’s economy and increase opportunities for percent of grants by NIH in the metro area.
the city’s residents.


business strength land opportunity job opportunity
detroit economic anchors 2010 2010 estimated vacant under- POTENTIAL AVAILABLE JOBS job capacity
estimated estimated additional (acres) utilized at vacant
number of employment* employment (acres) sites
businesses capacity at >1 acre
existing firms,
1990-2010

Detroit Water and Sewerage, Ford
Pack Plant, Detroit Intermodal
850 7,500 3,000 405 588 Stock clerks and order
fillers, truck drivers, first line
4,500
USE A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR
southwest

GROWTH INVESTING IN
Freight Terminal, Ambassador Bridge supervisors and managers,
and Customs Complex Marathon carpenters, civil engineers

EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS B
Refinery
58 59
GM Detroit Hamtramck Assembly 1,700 10,000 4,000 423 181 Assemblers and fabricators, 3,900
mt. elliotT
industrial

Plant, I-94 Industrial Park, Detroit machinists, truck drivers
Chassis, Chrysler Axle, Chrysler Tool accountants, civil engineers

& Die, Cassens Transport

Eastern Market, Russell Industrial 650 4,000 4,000 307 42 Packing and filling machine 4,600 Detroit was built around a diverse and distributed collection of employment SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS. Not all existing economic activity
occurs within the core employment districts. Other locations in Detroit provide
e. market

corridors. Concentrations of large institutions, including universities and medical
industrial / new economy

Complex, Detroit Resource Recovery operators, assemblers and
centers, formed in Midtown and along McNichols Road (6 Mile); and Downtown valuable jobs, just not at the same density or scale as the core districts. These
Facility, Pepsi Bottling, fabricators, advertising sales
was built as a hub for business and entertainment. Industrial uses, long associated secondary districts represent many of Detroit’s remaining industrial areas and are
Wolverine Packing agents, lawyers
with Detroit’s innovative spirit, were developed alongside the city’s infrastructure characterized by established industrial businesses but also higher vacancy rates.
networks (notably rail, the Port and, more recently, highways). Some formerly Due to the presence of larger tracts of vacant land, a few of these districts present
Post Office, DHL, Michigan Avenue 750 2,500 200 124 8 Laborers and freight, stock, 1,600**
some significant opportunities for redevelopment. However, due to location,
retail, Ponyride, UPS, proximity to and material movers, stock active areas of industrial employment have indeed experienced the worst of the
corktown

infrastructure, and the level of investment needed to bring these sites to market,
Downtown and Southwest Detroit clerks and order fillers, truck city’s decline. Fortunately, other areas remain strong today and provide the framing
they have remained vacant. While valuable to the city’s economy, the secondary
drivers, editors, advertising for creating concentrations of business activity. Detroit’s established employment districts lack a distinct niche or marketing identity that could help to spur additional
sales agents corridors, therefore, face very different futures. private investment, and—in a world of limited resources— should generally not
The fundamental challenge for economic development strategy and growth is not a absorb public or philanthropic dollars for new infrastructure or programmatic
Quicken Loans/Bedrock, Renaissance 7,150 40,000 11,500 N/A† N/A† Computer programmers, N/A† investments. The strategy for these districts should include maintenance of existing
Center, Comerica Park, Ford Field, computer support matter of the physical scale of the city, as is often claimed, but the lack of employment
digital / creative

infrastructure, retention of existing businesses, and flexibility to allow public and
MGM Grand, Cobo Hall, Riverfront, specialists, advertising density. Attracting investors, new businesses, and employees to Detroit is now
philanthropic dollars to follow the lead in the event of large-scale private-sector
Municipal Center, Compuware, Blue sales agents, editors, lobby inhibited by physical deterioration, limited services, and aging infrastructure that
investment.
downtown

Cross Blue Shield, GM Headquarters, attendants and ticket takers, comes with the reduction in the number of companies and employees in a given
area. Similarly, potential public investments in key infrastructure like transportation TRANSITIONING INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS. Some industrial land is no longer
DTE Energy, Greektown, Olympia ushers
are difficult to deploy efficiently because of the checkerboard pattern of business suitable for modern industrial use due to a combination of different factors
Entertainment
activity in the city. Detroit must strategically boost employment density to fuel including a high concentration of vacant land and buildings, buildable sites that are
too small to attract investment, and poor truck or rail access. In a handful of cases,
Wayne State University, Tech Town, 3,400 29,500 16,000 N/A† N/A† Specialists, postsecondary N/A† economic growth and investment and provide targets and a rationale for public
what was formerly industrial is now institutional or commercial, all but eliminating
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit teachers, registered nurses, investments to strengthen the economy.
the likelihood of new industrial development. Like many cities, Detroit needs to
Medical Center, College for Creative physicians, surgeons, change land use policy to enable a full transition of these unmarketable industrial
Based on the existing patterns of business activity, potential for future growth,
midtown

Studies computer support areas to alternative uses as identified in the Land Use and Land and Building Assets
location of key economic assets, and land availability and ownership patterns, three
specialists, secretaries, Element chapters of this Strategic Framework.
categories of employment districts have been identified. These include:
EDUCATION AND MEDICAL

janitors and cleaners
CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS. Seven employment districts across the city IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Sinai Grace Hospital, WCCCD, 1,900 5,500 2,500 N/A† N/A† Specialists, postsecondary N/A† represent the best opportunities to leverage existing land and infrastructure
Marygrove College, University of teachers, registered nurses, 1 Align public, private, and philanthropic investments in employment districts.
and support sustainable economic development. Core employment districts are
Detroit-Mercy, Livernois Avenue physicians, surgeons, defined by the presence of significant economic anchors to build upon including 2 Develop detailed action plans for primary employment districts.
mcnichols

computer support major legacy businesses or institutions, a diversity of economic activity, excellent 3 Encourage industrial business improvement districts (IBIDS).
specialists, secretaries, infrastructure access, a recognized niche or brand that can help to attract additional
janitors and cleaners 4 Become a national leader in green industrial districts.
businesses, and relatively vibrant existing employment activity. It is in these districts
where focused and proactive public investment can have the greatest impact. PRECEDENTs
Legacy businesses in each district 1,850 11,500 7,500 683 372 Machinists, assemblers 8,200 Given their importance to the overall economic health of Detroit, core employment
and fabricators, inspectors, 1 Los Angeles Downtown Industrial District (LADID): Los Angeles, CA
districts should be the target of efforts to assemble and redevelop land, improve
testers, sorters, samplers,
secondary
industrial

and upgrade infrastructure; and test and develop initiatives designed to maximize
weighers, truck drivers, PILOT PROJECTs
private investment and improve workforce training. In an era of limited resources,
carpenters, first line 1 Action Plans for Primary Employment Districts
Detroit’s economic growth should be built upon the future of these districts.
supervisors and managers
2 Industrial Buffers
Table Sources: 2010 NETS; SEMCOG; QWI; Interface Studio Industrial Land Use Survey; ICIC Analysis
*2010 employment numbers include self-employment
**Corktown statistic is only for the redevelopment of industrial vacant land
†
Survey data on vacancies and under-utilized sites are not available


in total merchandise
export value in 2011

Among the nation’s
metropolitan statistical areas INDUSTRIAL

60
in terms of export value
SOUTHWEST 61

CAPITALIZING ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE
1 2 4 MILEs

6.

SOUTHWEST EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT DISTRICT VISION. Southwest Detroit has unparalleled access to infrastructure and represents a signature
DISTRICT VITALS
AREA VITALS
ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES opportunity for Detroit. Through investments to the area’s Port, rail yards, international crossings, and main
LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE streets, Southwest will be positioned to become the country’s largest, non-coastal transportation, logistics, and
PROPOSED TIER 1 ROUTE CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT
SIZE (acres) 2,694 distribution (TDL) hub and an integral node for national and international trade. Expansion of TDL operations
proposed

michigan ave INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET
clark tech park will transform blighted land into jobs-producing assets that provide economic opportunity for Detroiters of
ring

INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET VACANCY (acres) 405 all backgrounds and skill levels. To protect both industrial activity and the nearby communities, industrial land
road

POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES UNDERUTILIZED (acres) 588 uses will be consolidated south of I-75 and around the proposed Detroit International Freight Terminal (DIFT).
NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES Landscape buffers will be created to reduce noise, visibility, and pollution impacts on nearby communities. A
u.s. customs % VACANT AND PUBLICLY
detroit intermodal complex 6% proposed ring-road that connects employment districts across the city as well as the Coleman A. Young Airport
freight terminal OWNED
PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES will help to fuel additional demand for TDL activities in Southwest from local businesses.
FREEWAY CARBON FOREST I-75, NS Container Port,
Ambassador Bridge, Port of
GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS DISTRICT DETAILS. Southwest Detroit is a compact industrial corridor radiating from the Corktown neighborhood
dearborn Detroit, Fort Street, DIFT
along the Detroit River on the south and along the rail corridor leading to the proposed Detroit Intermodal Freight
Intermodal Hub
port of detroit
Terminal (DIFT) on the north. Nearby residential and commercial districts are located in Mexicantown, Hubbard
ambassador Michigan Central Railway Farms, Springwells, and Delray neighborhoods, along with major civic assets such as Historic Fort Wayne (now
detroit produce bridge PLANNED
Tunnel expansion, DIFT
terminal INFRASTRUCTURE closed, but open to visitors), and Riverside Park.
ford rouge expansion, New International
complex INVESTMENTS
PROPOSED Trade Crossing
INTERNATIONAL
Southwest’s unique concentration of industrial assets includes the newly expanded and consolidated DIFT and
river

TRADE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY three international border crossings at the combined Ambassador Bridge / new Customs complex; the Michigan
TE CROSSING
detroit

ROU CONTAINER
ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map Central Railway Tunnel (slated for replacement); and the proposed New International Trade Crossing (NITC). These
IER1 PORT
SE DT st crossings supplement the major infrastructure assets: the Rouge and Detroit River Marine Terminals; access to I-75
PO TOTAL NUMBER OF
PRO w fort “Don’t pigeonhole other areas 850 and I-94, proposed rail track upgrades to West Detroit Junction; the reconstruction of southwest Fort Street and its
– people live in SW Detroit; BUSINESSES
River Rouge Bridge; and numerous freight rail hubs and drayage trucking links to the DIFT Southwest. Southwest
it is a desirable place still for CURRENT EMPLOYEES 7,500 is thus the ideal location for a range of industrial activity, including the region’s only oil refinery (being upgraded
people to move…There’s a
dwsd JOB OPPORTUNITY to include “heavy crude” capability), a DWSD Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Detroit Produce Terminal, and two
treatment place for both [industry and
marathon plant neighborhood amenities].”
industrial parks: Springwells and the Clark Technology Park. The proposed infrastructure investments are essential
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN
refinery 3,000 additional jobs for Southwest to reach its potential for economic growth, but only if accompanied by complementary efforts to
DWP Website, 8/2012 EXISTING FIRMS
strategically assemble land that supports global trade and logistics activities. Although there are opportunities for
CAPACITY FOR NEW redevelopment in the Springwells and Clark Technology Parks, the most promising assembly areas lie just west of
EMPLOYMENT THROUGH
4,500 additional jobs the NITC project area in Delray, the area adjacent to the DIFT expansion, and the land around the Port of Detroit.
redevelOPMENT OF
VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team The TDL, automotive, and CDER clusters currently dominate the district with a mix of large operations and small-
Stock clerks and order to mid-sized firms. Southwest is the second-largest industrial corridor in the city by employment, with more than
0.25 0.5 1 MILE
fillers, truck drivers, first line 7,500 employees, and companies currently operating are able to add 3,000 more jobs.
TYPES OF JOBS supervisors and managers,
carpenters, civil engineers,
accountants
Data Sources: International Trade Administration
Image Source: 6) Little House on the Urban Prairie blog


16,000 chevy volts were sold
in the first 9 months of 2012†
INDUSTRIAL
Among electric cars sold
in the u.s.† MT. ELLIOTT
62 CREATING A MODERN INDUSTRIAL AND 63

INTERMODAL FREIGHT DISTRICT
1 2 4 MILEs

7.

MT. ELLIOTT EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT DISTRICT VISION. The Mt. Elliott employment district was built around automotive and metals activity. The
DISTRICT VITALS
ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES vision is to upgrade Mt. Elliott as an intense and attractive industrial area designed to accommodate modern,
CHRYSLER
CHRYSLER ASSEMBLY LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE large-format industrial development; provide ample employment opportunities for Detroiters; and reinforce the
CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT
VAN DYKE

TOOL & DIE
region’s role as a global hub for manufacturing. Expansion of the Coleman A. Young Airport will serve to support
OUTER DRIVE INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET SIZE (acres) 3,203 the local auto and metals industries but also provide additional opportunities in aerospace activities that align
INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET with many skills already in place to serve auto production. A new ring-road will connect this district directly with
conant

PROPOSED CROSSTOWN route VACANCY (acres) 423
7 MILE POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Chrysler to the south along with logistics activities, the Port, and the international crossing in Southwest Detroit.
7 MILE

HAYES
NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES UNDERUTILIZED (acres) 181 The contraction of the auto industry in 2008-2010 set the stage for a new wave of growth and diversification in
E
gratiot ROUT PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES % VACANT AND PUBLICLY Mt. Elliott by opening up large tracts of land. The three largest land development assets in the corridor include the
MT. olivet 11% nearly complete I-94 Industrial Park, the large parcel vacancies centered on the former Chrysler Detroit Axle Plant
FREEWAY CARBON FOREST OWNED
CEMETERY
1

and the Trident Huber site to the south, and the vast—and largely vacant—residential area between Forest Lawn
IER

D GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS I-94, Detroit North
ROA
ED T

mcnichols RING Rail Yard and Freight Cemetery and the Coleman A. Young Airport. In addition, with moderate land assembly efforts, four additional
SED
POS

INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS
MT. ELLIOTT

PROPO VE Rail, Coleman A. Young mid-sized parcels could be created out of current vacancies. With the resurgence of the auto industry and the
DRI
PRO

davison ER
OUT International Airport assemblers’ and suppliers’ new and evolving research and training needs, this district can be positioned for
innovative education and training facilities and can support smaller-scale tech center research and development
Coleman A. Young
COLEMAN a. YOUNG PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE for smaller and lower-tier suppliers.
International AIRPORT International Airport
INVESTMENTS
CHRYSLER expansion, I-94 widening
AXLE DISTRICT DETAILS. The Mt. Elliott employment district runs from the center of Detroit north to the city limits at
HIGHLAND
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Eight Mile. It lies in the heart of the region’s automotive manufacturing corridor that runs through the city and
hamtramck
PARK into the suburbs by way of the Chrysler Warren Truck Plant and the GM Powertrain and Tech Centers. Mt. Elliot
I-94 IndustriaL ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map
“I am trying to work is Detroit’s manufacturing heartland and its potential is bolstered by its proximity to major infrastructure assets
PARK
where I live and volunteer TOTAL NUMBER OF such as Coleman A. Young Airport, freight rail and rail yards, and direct access to I-94. The area is slated for further
where I live: Van Dyke 1,700
WO

BUSINESSES infrastructure investment in the form of rail improvements, bridge construction, and the widening of I-94 through
O

and Mt. Elliott, E. Seven
DW

N CHRYSLER the area to four lanes.
RRE
ARD

WA ASSEMBLY PLANT
Mile. I’d love to see both CURRENT EMPLOYEES 10,600
GM ASSEMBLY chain and local shops
PLANT JOB OPPORTUNITY The automotive, metals, and TDL clusters dominate this district’s economy, with large stakeholders such as
of all kinds on [these]
the GM Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant, Detroit Chassis, and Chrysler Tool and Die interacting closely with
corridors. Coffee shops, EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN
boutiques, restaurants 4,000 additional jobs metal manufacturers, fabricators, and shippers. Mt. Elliott is the single largest industrial corridor in the city by
EXISTING FIRMS
with patios, pop-ups, employment— and the third largest industrial or non-industrial employment district in Detroit—with an estimated
Source: DWPLTP Team Team
Planning retail, etc.” CAPACITY FOR NEW 10,000 employees within its boundaries as of 2010. Companies currently operating in the district are able to add
0.25 0.5 1 MILE EMPLOYMENT THROUGH 4,000 jobs.
Angie, Economic Growth Open 3,900 additional jobs
redevelOPMENT of
House, 8/7/2012 vacant sites >1 acre

Assemblers and
fabricators, machinists,
TYPES OF JOBs
Data Sources: †http://www.clean-greencars.com/chevy-green-cars.html truck drivers, accountants,
Image Source: 7) General Motors/John F. Martin/Jeffrey Sauger civil engineers


$1.5B †

INDUSTRIAL AND CREATIVE
Detroit has one of the largest and highest-quality
water systems in the WORLD to support DEQUINDRE/EASTERN MARKET
64 A CENTER FOR FOOD-RELATED JOBS AND 65
1 2 4 MILEs
PRODUCTION IN THE REGION
8.

dequindre / eastern market DISTRICT VISION. Building on local assets, Dequindre/Eastern Market is envisioned as the center for food in
HIGHLAND district VITALS
PARK hamtramck employment district Detroit and the region, with uses that support retail, wholesaling, packaging, and food/beverage processing.
former LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE Investment will leverage this activity and grow additional food-related businesses. This district exhibits a visible
ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES
american connection to the land, with urban farms and the popular indoor/outdoor market that gives the district its name,
axle SIZE (acres) 1,130
CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT where as many as 40,000 Detroiters come from across the city each week for locally grown produce and locally
chicago INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET made food. Productive landscapes proposed to the east of the district provide the opportunity to create a full-
VACANCY (acres) 307 year growing cycle, which would ensure Detroiters have better access to fresh food and feed the processing and
russell gm assembly INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET
INDUSTRIAL plant packaging activities that provide the greatest number of jobs in the food cluster.
center POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES UNDERUTILIZED (acres) 42
Eastern Market is an intense mixed-use district. Investments should seek to not only grow food cluster activities
clairmount
NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES % VACANT AND PUBLICLY
8% but also reinforce local retail and creative production. Above I-94, investments should continue to strengthen the
mt

OWNED
.

PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES auto cluster. Unlike other districts, Dequindre/Eastern Market will become a combination of Live+Make activities,

UTE
FREEWAY CARBON FOREST I-94, I-75, freight rail, light, and general industrial typologies.
elliott

resource 1 RO INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS
woodward

recovery Dequindre Cut
e.
plant GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS New businesses focused on food and beverage processing and the expansion of existing facilities should be a
IER

T
TIO
ED T

warren PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE I-94 widening, Dequindre
DEQUINDRE CUT GREENWAY priority in this district. These activities should be linked to the expansion of local food production, as proposed in
GRA

grand
POS

b lvd INVESTMENTS Cut Phase II the Productive Landscapes typology in the Detroit Strategic Framework’s Land Use Element. For the auto cluster
PRO

.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY north of I-94, the successful redevelopment of the American Axle site is key to the district’s success. At nearly 170
grand acres, this sprawling complex actually includes a large area of vacant acreage that American Axle was “banking”
pepsi co
plant ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map for future development. The site could be redeveloped into a modern, multi-tenant industrial park.
wayne state
university mack
“Eastern Market is a great TOTAL NUMBER OF DISTRICT DETAILS. The diverse corridor extending from Eastern Market on the south up through the freight rail
650
detroit
example of a fresh & thriving BUSINESSES node of Milwaukee Junction to the massive former American Axle site comprises the Dequindre-Eastern Market
medical .
H WY Employment Center. The district has good access to major highways (I-75, I-94) and perhaps most crucially,
center market place, and more areas
vernor CURRENT EMPLOYEES 6,000
warren like it need to spring up proximity to the innovation corridor in Midtown Detroit. On its south end, the corridor also abuts the Dequindre
throughout the city.” JOB OPPORTUNITY Cut Greenway, soon to be extended through Eastern Market to the north, which serves as an important and highly
woodward

eastern
market visible neighborhood and recreational amenity in Detroit. Phase II of this “rails to trails” conversion will lie cheek-
Detroit 24/7, 5/2012 EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN
DEQUINDre CUT TTE 4,000 additional jobs by-jowl with active industrial uses, setting an important precedent for the mingling of clean, low-impact modern
AYE EXISTING FIRMS
GREENWAY LAF industrial uses with recreational and residential priorities in Detroit.
CAPACITY FOR NEW
This unique, mixed-sector corridor is currently dominated by several clusters, most notably food. The southern
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team EMPLOYMENT THROUGH
4,600 additional jobs part of the district is anchored by the multitude of wholesalers, suppliers, and processors based in the Eastern
redevelOPMENT of vacant
0.25 0.5 1 MILE
sites > 1 acre Market, as well as a handful of large food-related plants, including Pepsi Bottling and Wolverine Packing. Near
the intersection of I-75 and I-94 lies the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as well as a large
Packing and filling collection of city industrial functions, including a DPS maintenance facility, the Detroit Resource Recovery Facility,
machine operators, a Detroit Transportation Department yard, DTE’s Trombley Service Center, and the Detroit Household Hazardous
TYPES OF JOBS assemblers and collection center. Metals cluster activity is interspersed throughout this area and extending north to the former
fabricators, advertising American Axle site. The district’s Russell Industrial Center has become a hub for design, arts, and artisanal craft
sales agents, lawyers activities and entrepreneurs. With the closing of American Axle, employment in Dequindre-Eastern Market fell
Data Sources: † ICIC, et al., “Designing an Inner City Food Cluster Strategy,” Submission to EDA, October 13, 2011 dramatically. As of 2010, there were about 6,000 jobs in the district and firm utilization rates were about 50%,
Image Source: 8) Marvin Shaouni largely because of the dramatic downsizing at American Axle.


Corktown is home to
jobs in a mix of logistics,
creative enterprises and retail†

has been earmarked for
INDUSTRIAL AND LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
redevelopment efforts, including
66 the former tiger stadium site†† CORKTOWN 67

A NEW ENTREPRENEURIAL DISTRICT
1 2 4 MILEs

9.

corktown employment district DISTRICT VISION. At the edge of Downtown, Corktown is envisioned as one of the City’s most desirable
ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES
DISTRICT VITALS
Live+Make neighborhoods. New small businesses and creative enterprises will mix with existing industrial uses to
MGM
GRAND CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE further attract talent both national and global talent. New housing and continued revitalization along Michigan
CASINO Avenue will provide a walkable environment for businesses with new services, entertainment, and housing.
TIGER INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET SIZE (acres) 509
STADIUM
site INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET At the heart of Corktown’s future is a network of community leaders, volunteers, and business entrepreneurs who
VACANCY (acres) 124
PROPOSED TIER 1 ROUTE
rosa

POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES can undertake neighborhood improvements and reclaim vacant lots as productive community spaces. Such groups
michigan ave
NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT & STABILIZATION UNDERUTILIZED (acres) 8 include the Corktown Historical Society, Greater Corktown Residents Council, Detroit Hispanic Development
parks

ORHOOD matrix
GHB
trum

dpw yard NEI theatre Corporation, Greater Corktown Development Corporation, Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, the Roosevelt Park
b ull

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ASSETS % VACANT AND PUBLICLY
3%
INV

ATI
O N
OWNED Conservancy, Most Holy Trinity Church, and The Greening of Detroit, among others. Corktown’s resurgence has
EST

ILIZ CIVIC ASSETS
TAB attracted new businesses and entrepreneurs, and has gained momentum through the interest of funders and
ME

MICHIGAN &S I-75, Ambassador Bridge,
NT

CENTRAL COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS investors.
station AWARENESS GROUP freight rail, Fort Street
lafayette PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES Michigan Central With existing companies operating close to capacity, additional employment in Corktown will come through
PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE
FREEWAY CARBON FOREST Railway Tunnel
detroit hispanic INVESTMENTS the strategic repurposing of vacant buildings and new construction on targeted sites. Similarly, with a housing
development corp. expansion
shortage in the community, future growth of Corktown will be accommodated by the development of critical
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY parcels of land currently held by speculators and other private land owners.
ON

&

STABI IZATI
U.S. POST ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map
ENT

L

OFFICE To realize this vision, investment should be coordinated closely with community leaders to promote new business
TM

International
TOTAL NUMBER OF
VES

port of entry penske
“…By creating concentrations of new 750 and housing development. Initial investments should leverage projects and programs underway, including: the $3.8
D IN

logistics BUSINESSES
UPS SALVATION industry and business entrepreneurship in million federal earmark awarded to help redevelop the old Tiger Stadium; the Detroit RiverWalk, funded with over
OO

ARMY
ORH

community, we can make it easier to meet CURRENT EMPLOYEES 2,500 $40 million to connect Corktown and the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle; and the recently established program to
HB

NEIG the needs of businesses and developers, promote business in Corktown, funding up to $50,000 or 25% of total development/capital improvements.
employees. It possible present opportunities JOB OPPORTUNITY
to use our vacant buildings in more EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN DISTRICT DETAILS. A National Register Historic District, Corktown is Detroit’s oldest neighborhood. Established
MI

fort st. 200 additional jobs
RA

CH

ambassador bridge u.s. gallery productive ways.” EXISTING FIRMS by Irish immigrants in the wake of the Potato Famine of the 1840s, this once-industrial area is now home to key
IL T

IGA

customs complex TE
UN

NC

OU CAPACITY FOR NEW local and regional assets and popular eateries and shops, including Slow’s Barbecue, Honey Bee Market, and
1R Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012
NE

EN

IER
LR

Mudgie’s Deli. Green spaces include Murphy Playlot and Roosevelt Park. Additionally, the Welcome Center and
TR

T EMPLOYMENT THROUGH
SED st
EP

AL

PO 1,600 additional jobs
LA

PRO fort N redevelOPMENT of vacant Mercado act as vital economic anchors in the neighborhood.
CE

SO
FER
ME

JEF sites > 1 acre
NT

Corktown is convenient for freight and people alike, providing access to the Detroit riverfront, the International
Laborers and freight,
stock and material Ambassador Bridge, the International Michigan Central Railway Tunnel, and all major highways. MDOT has made
movers, stock clerks streetscape improvements to make Corktown’s retail district inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists.
0.25 0.5 1 MILE TYPES OF JOBS
and order fillers,
truck drivers, editors, Corktown is home to about 2,500 private-sector jobs, as well as thousands of public sector jobs, including postal
advertising sales agents and public works employment, Wayne County Community College (WCCC) faculty and staff jobs, and hundreds of
Data Sources: †2.5K stat from 2010 NETS; SEMCOG; QWI.; ††http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/08/old_tiger_stadium_ local logistics jobs through major employer Penske Logistics and others. A 30,000-square-foot creative business
conservancy.html incubator, Pony Ride, currently provides almost 20 creative firms with shared space at reasonable rents.
Image Source: 9) Marvin Shaouni


Detroit is ranked
among the 100 largest cities for
growth in information technology
†
businesses between 1998-2009
DIGITAL and CREATIVE
visitors come to downtown
††
DOWNTOWN
68 detroit every year A CITY CENTER WITH AN INFORMATION 69

TECHNOLOGY HUB
1 2 4 MILEs

10.

EASTERN downtown employment district DISTRICT VISION. The seat of government for the City of Detroit and Wayne County, Downtown is already an
DISTRICT VITALS
WO

MARKET ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES important hub for employment and a symbol of Detroit. It is also a major convention and entertainment destination
ODW

LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE for the region, with a major convention center, the nation’s largest automobile show, three sports teams, and
. blvd
ARD

jr CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT

1 route
mlk casinos, along with other attractions. Downtown is poised to become the best location in the state for medium-
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ASSETS SIZE (acres) 723
ave

and large-sized corporations, the center of the region’s burgeoning digital/creative cluster, and a nationally
proposed

tier

IOT
EDUCATIONAL ANCHORS known center for entertainment. Vacant buildings in Downtown, often characterized by striking architecture,
AT
n/a (survey data on
proposed

GR

36TH DISTRICT
light

GOVERNMENT VACANCY (acres) vacant and underutilized will be rehabilitated and occupied with new creative, digital, and professional services companies. Light rail
COURT
sites not available)
rail

CIVIC ASSETS along Woodward will connect Downtown to other employment centers and services, while the Detroit River will
filmore theater FORD
FIELD GREEKTOWN ECONOMIC ANCHORS continue to provide a unique asset for Downtown residents, workers, and visitors. Over time, new development
COMERICA
hotel and UNDERUTILIZED (acres) n/a
fox theatre 375 casino INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET will complement the existing Downtown fabric to fill in the gaps and create a mixed-use and flourishing city center.
PARK
YETTE
proposed AFA % VACANT AND PUBLICLY
GRA tier 1
ND E. L NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES 3% This vision is already underway, with millions of square feet of office space being readied for occupancy. In early
RIV GRAND OWNED
ER route
CIRCUS park PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES 2012, a public-private partnership was announced to develop three historic buildings for mixed-use space in Capitol
BLUE CROSS
BLUE SHIELD I-75, M10, I-375, Park. Potentially the largest driver of Downtown transformation is Quicken Loan’s acquisition of 1.6M square feet
FREEWAY CARBON FOREST INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS
Woodward Avenue of Downtown space, which makes the company the third largest landholder in Detroit behind the City itself and
1 route
DETROIT PEOPLE MOVER PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE
tier N GM. Working with multiple public agencies, Quicken Loans has purchased nine publicly owned vacant sites with
MGM DTE
ERS
O M-1 Rail
GRAND ENERGY proposedJEFF INVESTMENTS the intention of filling them with companies and entrepreneurs from across the country.
compuware
CAMPUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
proposed tier 1 route MARTIUS DISTRICT DETAILS. Downtown Detroit is a major employment center that enjoys a number of key regional and
MICHIGAN ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map national assets, including the region’s highest concentration of entertainment venue: Three professional sports
rosa
parks stadiums, three full-service casinos, and the Detroit riverfront. As a National Register Historic District since 1978,
transit TOTAL NUMBER OF
center riverwalk 7,159 the district includes over 50 Nationally Registered Historic Places, such as the Fox Theatre and Detroit Opera
“Young people are BUSINESSES House. Downtown Detroit is the largest employment hub in the city of Detroit and among the largest in the region,
renaissance recognizing movement
HART with about 40,000 employees. Existing companies could add 11,500 jobs, suggesting that current companies have
1 route center CURRENT EMPLOYEES 40,000
tier PLAZA
IVER to the city and
COBO
port authority
OIT R space to grow.
DETR
T excited about coming
FOR JOB OPPORTUNITY
DETROIT

proposed CENTER
downtown.”
The digital and creative clusters are well-represented in this district, as are regional and global headquarters of large
TUNNEL

COLEMAN A EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN
Information Cluster Working 11,500 additional jobs
-WINDSO

JOE LEWIS ARENA YOUNG MUNICIPAL EXISTING FIRMS companies such General Motors, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Compuware, Quicken Loans, and DTE. The headquarters
CENTER Session, 5/3/2012 activity is attracted to the availability of affordable and abundant Class-A office space. The high density of office
CAPACITY FOR NEW
R

jobs and close proximity to local retail amenities have created the conditions for intercompany cooperation and
EMPLOYMENT THROUGH
n/a the branding of the area. Examples of collaborative efforts include the “WEBward Initiative” led by Quicken Loans
redevelOPMENT of vacant
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team and the “Outsource to Detroit” campaign by GalaxE Solutions.
sites > 1 acre
0.25 0.5 1 MILE
Computer programmers,
TYPES OF JOBS computer support
specialists, editors

Data Sources: †ICIC SICE Database; ††Detroit Economic Growth Corporation
Image Source: 10) Marvin Shaouni


The henry ford health system has
invested $1 billion to create a 300-
acre, mixed-use campus†

Source detroit has
transferred about EDUCATION, MEDICAL, DIGITAL, and CREATIVE
$16.5M in spending
70 to detroit-based businesses since the program’s inception†† MIDTOWN 71
1 2 4 MILEs
BUILDING UPON LOCAL EDUCATIONAL,
11.
MEDICAL, AND CREATIVE INSTITUTIONS

midtown employment district DISTRICT VISION. With an unprecedented level of public/private cooperation that builds on the local skills,
A
district VITALS
FISHER ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES resources, and knowledge base of the district’s major institutions, Midtown serves as a national model for anchor-
building D.
BLV LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE based revitalization in distressed urban areas. With the advent of the Henry Ford Innovation Institute and myriad
ND CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT
GRA collaborative ventures across the College of Creative Studies, Wayne State, and the medical institutions, Midtown
N NEW CENTER
ILI
ZA
TIO
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ASSETS SIZE (acres) 1,534 has the potential to be a national model for innovation-based economic growth. The staging of tech-based growth
AB
ST
O
D
MEDICAL ANCHOR / ASSET companies and the creation of flex space to absorb second-generation growth from TechTown and the hospitals
N/A (survey data on
ORHO

EDUCATIONAL ANCHORS
and universities will promote knowledge spillovers and fuel multiple scales of entrepreneurial activity—further
VACANCY (acres) vacant and underutilized
HB

N leveraged by the proposed light rail system on Woodward Avenue and the Woodward Corridor Initiative, a
RRE sites not available)
IG

COLLEGE FOR WA NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION AND
NE

TECH TOWN CREATIVE STUDIES collaborative effort between Midtown Inc. and Living Cities Integration Initiative to attract local residents and
HENRY FORD INVESTMENT
hospital CULTURAL UNDERUTILIZED (acres) N/A businesses.
CENTER NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES
IGH
B
% VACANT AND PUBLICLY Despite the positive momentum and national attention, barriers to this vision remain. Midtown is a very large
NE
6%
O
R
RH

PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES OWNED district and, although many assets are in place, there is no real or symbolic center of activity. Places like TechTown
OO

VA HOSPITAL
need a recognizable, physical district to help attract and retain knowledge workers. There is also too little low-cost
D

FREEWAY CARBON FOREST
S
ST

1-75, M-10, 1-94,
AB

INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS flex space for creative firms. Targeted redevelopment activity is needed to support the small, creative and IT firms
IL

freight rail
IZA

DETROIT ACK as well as B2B operations that support and serve the large local institutions like Wayne State University and Henry
AT

WAYNE STATE MEDICAL M
IO

UNIVERSITY
N
N

CENTER Woodward Avenue Light Ford Medical Center.
PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE
Rail/BRT, Midtown
INVESTMENTS DISTRICT DETAILS. Midtown is comprised of the traditional Midtown, North End, and New Center neighborhoods.
Shuttle
MOCAD This district is home to a number of key regional assets, including four of the region’s most celebrated hospitals
N

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ATIO

EASTERN that collectively represent 23,000 jobs; an agglomeration of post-secondary institutions; renowned Cass Tech High
ILIZ

MARKET
proposed
TAB

School; the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; the Detroit Public Library; community groups
GRA tier 1 ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map
S
OD

ND such as the Detroit Parent Network and Black Family Development; and three up-and-coming incubators that
HO

RIV route ORCHESTRA
WO

ER
BOR

HALL leverage Midtown’s position as Detroit’s core innovation corridor. The district also includes over 70 sites on the
proposed DWAR

NUMBER OF BUSINESSES 3,400
O
GH

“ . . .there [has been]
NEI

MASONIC National Register of Historic Places, including the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the Whitney Restaurant, and the
a culture shift in the
light

TEMPLE
DA

world’s largest Masonic temple, the Detroit Masonic Temple.
-

university to recognize CURRENT EMPLOYEES 29,500
VE.

1 route

CASS TECH
rail

HIGH SCHOOL that Wayne [State The education and medical clusters are the economic anchors in this district, while creative sector activity from
University] and Detroit JOB OPPORTUNITY
organizations like Detroit Creative Corridor, TechTown, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), Detroit
tier

OT

D. motor city are linked.”
BLV EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN Symphony Orchestra (DSO), and Mosaic Youth Theater are some of the most tangible representations of the
proposed

ATI

JR. casino 16,000 additional jobs
MLK
GR

375 Education Cluster Working EXISTING FIRMS broad set of skills in the city and region. Collaborative efforts include the $93M “Bio-Tech Hub” led by Wayne
Session 5/2/2012 CAPACITY FOR NEW State University with participation from the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) and Henry Ford Health System (HFHS);
EMPLOYMENT THROUGH and Live Midtown—a wildly successful $1.2M incentive program that pays employees of a group of Midtown
n/a institutions to purchase, rent, or improve residential property in Midtown.
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team redevelOPMENT of vacant
sites > 1 acre As the second largest employment hub in the city of Detroit, Midtown Detroit is also the fastest-growing non-
0.25 0.5 1 MILE
Janitors and cleaners, industrial employment district. Existing companies could add 16,000 jobs, suggesting that they have space to
secretaries, registered grow. Larger anchors are helping to give the area a facelift with DMC and HFHS planning to spend over $1B in
TYPES OF JOBS nurses, computer support facility upgrades over the next few years. These anchors are also leveraging their balance sheets to build out
Data Sources: †http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120603/SUB01/306039941/henry-ford-lands-first-tenant-for-health-park-in- specialists facilities for suppliers and other complementary companies. One anchor institution recently agreed to build a
midtown ; †† https://sourcedetroit.com/background/?doing_wp_cron=1354558186 $25M medical warehouse to house supplies it uses regularly and plans to procure additional acreage in Midtown,
Image Source: 11) dbpedia.org where one-third of the available land is currently owned by the City.


McNichols is home to

In the eds and meds EDUCATION and MEDICAL AND CREATIVE

72 sector McNICHOLS 73

DETROIT’S SECOND EDS AND MEDS CORRIDOR
1 2 4 MILEs

12. 13.

EVERGREEN mcnichols employment district DISTRICT VISION. The vision for McNichols is to connect its education and medical institutions, as well as creative
CEMETERY A
DISTRICT VITALS
ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES enterprises, into a revitalized McNichols Road corridor that will serve as home to a mix of new small businesses,
SHERWOOD PALMER
OUTER DR. forest WOODS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE retail, and supporting services. While redevelopment and expansion opportunities are predominantly located
CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT
within existing campuses, McNichols Road will serve as an attractive front door, improved to provide a unifying
WYOMING
GREENFIELD

OUTER DR.

7 MILE MEDICAL ANCHOR / ASSET SIZE (acres) 962
PALMER
character and brand focused on Eds/Meds, creative businesses, and retail. Targeted investments will strengthen
PARK EDUCATIONAL ASSET existing retail along Livernois Avenue and new programs will support housing and neighborhood stabilization
n/a (survey data on vacant
OLD REDFORD SINAI GRACE BIL
IZATION NORTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION AND VACANCY (acres) and underutilized sites not around the district. The major employment opportunities, quality of the surrounding housing, and location near
ACADEMY STABILIZATION HOSPITAL ACTIVITIES INVESTMENT
NEIGHBORHOOD STA

DETROIT available) the city border position McNichols as an ideal district to attract new businesses or residents that may otherwise
B ORHOOD

NEIGHBORH
CENTER
OO

GOLF CLUB
choose the suburbs. McNichols could also become the city’s second key district for growth of creative firms.
D

STABILIZATIO
NE
IG H NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES
WCCCD UNDERUTILIZED (acres) n/a
N

McNICHOLS PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES Active partnership among the district’s primary employers is necessary to enact this vision. Although large land
cross-town route % VACANT AND PUBLICLY holdings by Jesuit and other publicly minded organizations foster a well-kept, pastoral feeling in the district,
FREEWAY CARBON FOREST 2%
McNICHOLS UNIVERSITY OF OWNED
NEIGHBO

DETROIT MERCY McNichols is currently comprised of islands of major institutions that feel disjointed from one another, which
IZATION

inhibits efforts to capitalize on this concentration of employment, pool money for improvements, or market
RH
RENAISSANCE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS Southfield Freeway, M-10
OOD STABILIZATION

HIGH SCHOOL
BIL

NEIGHBORHOOD STA MARYGROVE the district and its services. The key to success for this district rests in the ability to tackle the nuts and bolts
NE

PURITAN
N

COLLEGE
IGH
BORHOOD STABILIZATIO
PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE of revitalizing a commercial corridor to attract businesses, manage parking, and improve the physical character
M-10 improvements
SCHAEFER HWY.

INVESTMENTS
of McNichols Road (including improved lighting, sidewalks, landscaping, signage, and public art). The major
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY institutions will need to develop a comprehensive strategy beyond the boundaries of any one campus to create
LIVERNOIS

FENKELL
a much-needed center of gravity, which will benefit them all by providing attractive options for faculty, staff, and
ECONOMIC ANCHORS Refer to adjacent map
students to live and play. Marygrove College and University of Detroit Mercy are positioned to lead this district
NUMBER OF BUSINESSES 1,900 forward, as Wayne State University is a leader in the revitalization of Midtown.
tier DISTRICT DETAILS. The McNichols employment district extends from Greenfield road to Woodward, (east and
GRA 1 CURRENT EMPLOYEES 5,500
ND route
RIV west), and from Puritan to 8 Mile, (north and south). Local assets include two turn-of-the-century post-secondary
ER
JOB OPPORTUNITY institutions that were historically the schools of choice for much of Detroit’s homegrown talent; a 36-hole private
SCHOOLCRAFT
golf course, designed by Scottish golf-pro Donald Ross with a clubhouse designed by famed architect Albert Kahn;
DEX

EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN
T

2,500 additional employees a 18-hole public golf course; the Michigan State Fairgrounds, a sprawling 160-acre site that is home to the oldest
ER

EXISTING FIRMS
state fair in the United States. The district also boasts the most expansive concentration of high-quality housing
CAPACITY FOR NEW stock in the city and a rich network of faith-based organizations who work with community groups to address
EMPLOYMENT THROUGH neighborhood challenges and opportunities.
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team n/a
redevelOPMENT of
0.25 0.5 1 MILE vacant sites > 1 acre The Eds and Meds clusters contribute just under 65% of the economic activity as measured by employment. Sinai
Grace, a Detroit Medical Center affiliate, recently began a $77M renovation project. Additional large-scale activity
Janitors and cleaners,
can be seen in the District’s unveiling of the 36-acre Gateway Marketplace retail development. Local retail and
security guards, secretaries,
personal services range from local restaurant gems like La Dolce Vita, home to Ronald Regan’s former personal
TYPES OF JOBS registered nurses, editors,
post-secondary teachers, Chef Matteo, to the Swanson Funeral Home, which has handled the “going-home” arrangements for everyone
physicians and surgeons from Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to Rosa Parks. Local groups like University Commons are drafting strategic
Data Sources: 2010 NETS; SEMCOG; QWI for the 5,500. initiatives and building internal capacity to leverage dollars for economic development through programs like
Image Sources: 12) Dwight Burdette, Wikimedia Commons; 13) HAA Re$tore Detroit.


VAN DYKE

T
TELEGRAPH

TIO
WO

GRA
ODW
ARD
8 MILE UPPER CONNER
GRA CREEK
ND
RIV
ER

DISTRICT VITALS EDUCATION & MEDICAL AND CREATIVE
LYNDON
LOWER CONNER
LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE
SIZE (acres) 3,752 acres SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT
districts
CREEK
I-96 VACANCY (acres) 683 acres
SON
FFER
74 E. JE 75
UNDERUTILIZED (acres) 372 acres

% VACANT AND PUBLICLY
REINFORCING INDUSTRIAL JOBS
6%

LIVERNOIS OWNED
WESTFIELD
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
VISION. In addition to Detroit’s primary employment centers, a number of peripheral nodes of industrial activity
NUMBER OF BUSINESSES 1,850
comprise a smaller, less intensive, but important set of secondary employment centers. As they contain many
active and viable businesses that employ Detroiters, the vision is to stabilize and maintain these centers going
CURRENT EMPLOYEES 11,500 forward. Each district offers potential development opportunities to further strengthen the city’s auto, metals,
FORD
TDL, and CDER clusters if led by private interest and investment. Proposed investments in infrastructure include
JOB OPPORTUNITY
targeted industrial buffers to protect nearby communities promoted for stabilization and growth and a new ring-
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY road designed to connect employment districts across the city with infrastructure assets in the Southwest.
IGAN 7,500 additional employees
MICH SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT districts IN EXISTING FIRMS
DETAILS. These secondary employment centers are scattered across Detroit, primarily following highways and rail
INDUSTRIAL CAPACITY FOR NEW corridors. Four of these centers—I-96, Westfield, Lyndon, and Livernois—are located in northwest Detroit, while
INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE EMPLOYMENT THROUGH the remaining two—Upper and Lower Conner Creek—extend to the north and south of the Coleman A. Young
8,200 additional jobs
REDEVELOPMENT OF Airport, respectively, on the city’s east side. Home to 1,850 businesses and a combined industrial employment of
PRIMARY DISTRICT LOCATIONS VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE more than 11,500, these districts comprise a significant proportion of Detroit’s overall industrial activity.
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team TYPES OF JOBS Machinists, assemblers
N

At the root of an expansive and vibrant industrial corridor that extends west out of Detroit into neighboring
FERSO

and fabricators, inspectors,
In addition to Detroit’s primary Employment Districts there are six secondary Livonia and beyond, the four northwestern Secondary Employment Centers all lie within a short distance of I-96
T

testers, sorters, samplers,
FOR

W. JEF

1 2 4 MILEs Employment Areas. These areas are home to a wide range of employment opportunities weighters, truck drivers and active freight rails. They contain a mix of cluster activities, from TDL uses—including an active intermodal
and currently contain 1,850 businesses and 11,500 jobs. yard that is currently being consolidated into the DIFT expansion in Southwest Detroit—to metal fabrication and
CDER. These corridors historically contained many larger, rail-adjacent industrial properties which have become
fragmented in the intervening years due to continuous subdivision. Many of the remaining properties are currently
industrial industrial/creative
underutilized and these employment centers suffer from a lack of “critical mass” of industrial diversity or anchor
I-96 WESTFIELD LIVERNOIS UPPER CONNER CREEK LOWER CONNER CREEK LYNDON activity. However, three of Detroit’s largest multi-tenant industrial buildings are located here. In contrast, Upper
and Lower Conner Creek are driven primarily by auto cluster anchors, including the large Chrysler Jefferson North
Near Detroit’s western city limits, South of the freeway and east of Centered along a freight rail spur One of the smallest Secondary Lower Conner Creek is a legacy The Lyndon corridor is a unique and vibrant collection of Assembly Plant in the south, and Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Upper Conner Creek near Eight
this area is anchored by the CP Oak the I-96 Employment Area, Westfield south of I-96 and north of I-94, Employment Areas, Upper Conner industrial corridor anchored by the smaller industrial companies from many different clusters Mile. These infrastructural and anchor assets underpin the redevelopment and intensification potential of these
Yard, soon to be consolidated into is centered along a north-south the Livernois Employment Area is Creek is nonetheless significant giant Chrysler Jefferson North that occupy the garages and shops of Lyndon Avenue secondary employment districts.
the DIFT to the south, the Gateway freight rail corridor anchored by PVS anchored by three large industrial due to its industrial anchors—the Assembly Plant on Conner Ave and from Livernois, west to Schaefer Highway. The few larger
Industrial Center on I-96, Sherwood Nolwood Chemicals, the Westfield users: the DTE Warren Service Chrysler Conner Avenue Assembly the Mack Avenue Engine Plant. Lower anchor businesses in the area include DDOT’s Coolidge
Food Distributors, and a number Industrial Centers, the Joy Road Center, a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, Plant, a DWSD Filter Station, and W Conner Creek retains tremendous Terminal, DTE MichCon Gas Co.’s Coolidge Station, and
of TDL, metal fabrication, and Distribution Center, and a number of and the giant ThyssenKrupp Steel Industries—as well as its location at development and redevelopment a Comcast Yard. However, there are dozens of smaller
engineering companies. The most other construction, chemicals, metal Distribution Center that receives the base of an extensive intra-city potential in the form of the stalled workshops and fabricators in every cluster from TDL to
significant redevelopment opportunity fabrication, and TDL companies. and processes rolled and billet steel industrial corridor radiating north into Riverside Industrial Park, which Food Processing, Construction, Metal Fabrication, Business
here lies to the south of the CP Oak There is a great deal of space from the Port of Detroit bound for Warren along 97, and a moderate is currently partially assembled to Business, to Chemicals and Automotive. A smattering of
Yard and I-96 on the large site of available in the Westfield Industrial regional Auto cluster firms. There are redevelopment potential centered and developed, located between smaller redevelopment opportunities exist here that would
the former Farmer Jack Distribution Centers themselves, as well as large and significant redevelopment around a land assembly opportunity Jefferson and Freud Streets south of strengthen the corridor. The eastern portion of the corridor
Center. redevelopment opportunities to the and land assembly opportunities in at East State Fair and Hoover the assembly plant. is anchored by Focus:Hope, a multifaceted career training
north around the former Chrysler the areas adjacent to ThyssenKrupp Streets. community advocate and industrial innovation center.
office complex at Plymouth and between Warren Ave and I-94.
Freeland Streets.


PRECEDENT “I can easily remember the busy
restaurants and shops along Grand
LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN River…updated versions of those
INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT (LADID) places are really important to
LADID is a 44-block industrial business creative and entrepreneurial work…
improvement district administered by the need to be located all over the
Central City East Association. The district city, but especially in the targeted
areas.”
provides public safety, maintenance and trash
services, and abandoned property removal. David, DWP Website, 8/2012

76 A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR GROWTH: 77

STRATEGIES
14.

PILOT PROJECT Encourage Industrial
B.4
Develop Detailed Action Plans
B.3
Align Public, Private, and
ACTION PLANS FOR PRIMARY B.1 Philanthropic Investments in
Employment Districts B.2 for Primary Employment
Districts
Business Improvement
Districts (IBIDS)
Become a National Leader in
Green Industrial Districts CIVIC
EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS
Utilizing the data collected through the
ENGAGEMENT
Detroit Works process, detailed action plans
Employment districts provide targets for private,
public, and philanthropic investments, including
An important step is to develop detailed action plans
and a prioritized list of actions and investments for
Cities across the country utilize Business
Improvement Districts (BIDS) to supplement
A series of landscape initiatives can improve and
integrate employment districts into the fabric of
FEEDBACK
should be created for each employment
district. These plans will identify relevant land
local and national philanthropy, and city, state, and specific land assembly opportunities, infrastructure city services and ensure an attractive and safe the city, boosting economic growth and improving AND PUBLIC
federal government investments. By concentrating investments, public realm improvements, and business environment through a nominal yearly tax. neighborhoods. Currently, industrial areas and major
assemblies, infrastructure investments, and investments and economic activity, Detroit can facilities to provide assistance with pre- and post- Detroit’s industrial districts would greatly benefit transportation infrastructure (interstates and rail PERCEPTIONS
other public improvements may be needed. create the economic density associated with employment support for workers to address issues from a similar approach. Led by local business corridors) directly abut residential neighborhoods in
more successful cities, and provide a framework like transportation and childcare. Drawing on the representatives, an IBID would focus its activities many areas of the city. As a result, pollution, noise, ƒƒ Relate economic
for the effective and efficient allocation of public data collected for the development of the Strategic on the needs of each specific district. Likely IBID and light/glare from industry and infrastructure development and land use:
and philanthropic investments. For example, road Framework, as well as the work of entities working activities would include improving safety, reducing threaten resident health and comfort. In particular, target different industries
funds can be strategically deployed to support on the ground in these districts, the planning must blight, maintenance, coordinated marketing emissions from these land uses degrade air quality and businesses in different
employment districts; investments in and operation rely on an active dialogue with existing businesses initiatives and offering shared services unique to and contribute to a number of health problems areas of the city
of public transportation can prioritize employment and adjacent communities to set priorities for local businesses, such as job training. An IBID would for nearby residents, including cardiovascular,
districts; and workforce and training facilities can actions and investments that will grow the base help to build business leadership across the city, and respiratory, and other diseases. ƒƒ Plan for and develop retail
15.
be concentrated in neighborhoods and employment of economic activity in each district as well as create a more secure environment in which to invest. in certain areas – along
districts. One-stop centers in each of the primary opportunities for Detroit workers. The plans must BID legislation is in place; however, the process of Industrial buffers, carbon forests, and setback commercial corridors
employment districts could offer practical services strive to brand core employment districts with a organizing local businesses to create a BID is often requirements are proposed solutions aimed at
ƒƒ Using existing buildings and
PILOT PROJECT to working parents, such as high-quality daycare clear identity that can be reinforced and marketed a difficult challenge to overcome. A pilot IBID is reducing the impact of these uses on residential
infrastructure (convenience
and help with applying for the Earned Income to prospective employers. For areas lacking a clear needed to help demonstrate the benefits of this neighborhoods by cleaning air, reducing sound,
stores, etc.) to sell fresh/
INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS Tax Credit and other support for lower-income identity or requiring a change in direction to best approach to businesses across the city. The pilot IBID blocking light/glare and providing a visual barrier.
healthy food
Industrial Buffers are forested areas that working parents. Funding for similar centers across leverage assets and business climate, the plans must should target an employment district with strong Specific strategies for these approaches are
the country has come from some combination of discussed in the City Systems, Land Use, and Land ƒƒ Update zoning codes to
repurpose vacant land around industry to detail necessary steps to reposition such districts. existing leadership willing to work with the public
employment consortia and public and philanthropic and Building Assets Elements of this Strategy. support small businesses
clean air, reduce sound, block light/glare, sector to enable the organization and establish its
funds.9 Policy makers should focus on investing (don’t “over-zone” for
and provide a visual barrier for adjacent mission and activities.
in infrastructure that guides public, private, and commercial, ensure
residential neighborhoods. Buffers also
philanthropic investments to employment districts, residential zoning densities
limit land use conflicts and create a more
tracks cumulative investments, and identifies and match/support nearby
attractive, healthy business environment.
addresses any operational issues that arise. These commercial or mixed use)
district boundaries need to be formally adopted
by relevant organizations and staffed with the Text Sources: 9) Karin Martinson and Pamela Holcomb,
appropriate internal capacity. The coordination “Innovative Employment Approaches and Programs for Low-
of city and state investments is paramount. A Income Families,” The Urban Institute, Center on Labor, Human
Services, and Population: February 2007.
formal mechanism for this coordination should be
considered. Image Sources: 14) Eric Richardson; 15) HAA; 16) Bing Maps
16.


Encourage Local Entrepreneurship
and Minority Business Ownership C 79

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE NEW BUSINESSES

C.1 Promote Short–Term Approaches to Increase the
Number and Success of MBEs in the City C.2 Support the Development of Low-Cost, Shared Spaces
for Clusters with High Levels of Self-Employment

Successfully promoting minority business enterprises (MBEs) requires short- and Detroit should develop new models of shared space for entrepreneurs and small
long-term strategies. Short-term strategies should promote growth in sectors of businesses in clusters with high levels of entrepreneurship and for which there are
the economy that serve local markets, have low capital requirements, or are known currently few models that include local business services and construction. Like
to have a strong MBE presence. These characteristics are prevalent in the city’s some of the shared and incubator models that exist, these spaces would provide
Local B2B cluster, which should be an early target for MBE growth. In addition small businesses and entrepreneurs with low-cost office space with shared services
to increasing opportunities for MBEs, business and economic development and access to relevant expertise, including cost estimation, contract negotiation,
organizations should create a specific toolbox to help MBEs to address financing accounts receivable, and business development planning. Unlike most shared and
and business development challenges. incubator spaces, however, this concept would also provide areas for businesses to
store equipment, tools, products, and so forth.
Over the longer term, strategies must attempt to address the larger social and
economic factors that curtail MBE creation and growth, including lower average
personal wealth, less experience with family businesses, lower average education
levels, and challenges with access to capital.

STRATEGIES
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK 1 Promote short-term approaches to increase the number and success of
AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS MBEs and DBEs in the City.
2 Support the development of low-cost, shared spaces for clusters with high
ƒƒ SUPPORT SMALL, NEW, AND RESIDENT-OWNED levels of self employment.
BUSINESSES 3 Provide young Detroiters with exposure to and experience in Digital /
ƒƒ Provide more resources for existing and small businesses Creative and other new economy clusters.
via collaboration with and among universities, funding 4 Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to increase and strengthen the
– e.g. grants and competitive tax breaks – at City, State, City’s MBEs.
and Federal levels, and resources for specific types of
businesses, e.g. Black-owned and home-based businesses PRECEDENT
ƒƒ Create a physical environment that makes it easy to 1 Minority Business Enterprise-Focused Funding
operate a business (safe, clean, properly zoned, accessible)


examples of DETROIT MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES BY economic pillar
C.3 Provide Young Detroiters with Experience in Digital/
Creative Clusters and the New Innovation Economy C.4 Develop a Comprehensive Long-Term Strategy to
Increase and Strengthen the City’s MBEs CAFE CON LECHE BOB'S CLASSIC KICKS NORAH'S VINTAGE LOFT G.R. N'namdi gallery

Business ownership tends to follow generational patterns: People with relatives who Detroit must develop strategies to increase the participation of minority
were entrepreneurs are more likely to own businesses and often have more tools to populations in all modes of entrepreneurship, including self-employment, business
grow those businesses. Moreover, those who start businesses tend to concentrate ownership, and communal models such as cooperatives. Getting there will require a
in areas of the economy with which they are most familiar. In some cases, this can comprehensive strategy that addresses the particular opportunities and challenges
make it difficult for MBEs to break into some of the highest-growth, most profitable facing MBE growth in the city of Detroit—such as the city’s high rate of minority
segments of the economy. To strengthen the number and performance of MBEs in self-employment and its very low rate of graduation from self-employment to

LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
the city, children and young adults without these advantages will need to be given hiring employees. Where possible, a comprehensive strategy will need to address
a similar set of experiences and skills. A consortium of business leaders in digital common challenges that face MBE development and growth as described above
and other sectors, Detroit schools, and the city’s leading business incubators should in Strategy C.1. Such a strategy should include a cluster-by-cluster assessment of
work together to expose young Detroiters to employment and entrepreneurship in opportunities and roadblocks to more and stronger MBEs in the city; assessment 17. 18. 19. 20.
80 81
the city’s high-growth Digital/Creative clusters. of the variety of models that promote local and minority ownership of economic
assets; and an assessment of the capital needs and challenges facing the city’s
The traditional clusters, like automotive and food, are also important not only for MBEs. Some of the country’s leading experts on MBEs are in Detroit’s universities; DSE HONEYBEE MARKET GOOD GIRLS GO TO PARIS crÊpes spiral collective
job growth in the city and region but for innovation to address national challenges. their expertise should be tapped.

For example, Southeast Michigan was a global center for automotive research
To help interested Detroiters transition from informal to formal activity will likely
and development even before the region’s automakers recently agreed to double
require a menu of strategies. Some Detroiters have been excluded from formal
average vehicle fuel economy by 2025. Students in Detroit’s high schools should
sector activity by strict licensing requirements for a range of occupations, an issue
be contributing to these goals and preparing for careers in the leading innovative
that has received attention at the state level. Michigan Department of Licensing and
segments of the economy. The public schools already offer specializations in
Regulatory Affairs recently proposed dropping licensing requirements associated
most of the city’s major economic clusters, and some of the programs work with
with 18 occupations, although few seem to be in the occupations that have been
businesses in the city and region. By more closely linking cluster development with
identified by national groups as limiting options for lower-income workers.10
the innovation pipeline and education reform, Detroit can create a national model
However, a bill to loosen requirements for barbers was recently introduced in
while preparing its students to succeed in the new economy.
the Michigan House.11 Detroit stakeholders could be important voices in policy
discussions around occupational access for lower-income and populations. 21. 22. 23. 24.
In addition to licensing, strategies to graduate informal workers into the formal
sector and help the self-employed scale their businesses must address capital
challenges and regulatory burdens. Increasing the availability of capital, especially new center stamping diseÑos ornamental iron Future net group oakland stamping
micro-loans that small businesses often require, can create incentives for informal
businesses to transition for formal activity and can provide the self-employed
with needed capital to scale their activities.12 Similarly, changes in the regulatory

INDUSTRIAL
“We should have Detroit environment that reduce costs of registering or maintaining businesses can also
designated a regional center for foster formalization of activity. Finally, additional strategies must be employed to
the purposes of investor visas and help those with criminal records, poor credit history, or other factors that create
encourage entrepreneurs from all real or perceived barriers to licenses, capital, and other factors that contribute to
“Support small over the world to come to Detroit to entrepreneurial success.13
businesses with start businesses.”
grants to get to
the next level.” Richard, Planning Cluster-based Meetings, Text Sources: 10) Turner, Mike, State Office of Regulatory Reinvention report: Deregulate 18
1/2011 - 3/2011 occupations, kill 9 boards,” Detroit Free Press, April 16, 2012. Michigan Office of Regulatory
Planning Cluster-based 25. 26. 27. 28.
Meetings, 1/2011- Reinvention, “Recommendations of the Office of Regulatory Reinvention Regarding Occupational
3/2011 Licensing,“ February 17, 2012; Carpenter, Dick M., II, Lisa Knepper, Angela C. Erickson and John
K. Ross, License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing, Institute for
Justice, May 2012. 11)”2012 House Bill 5517: Repeal barber licensure mandate” on http://www. ignition media group Real Times Media LLC Velocity Cow Alter ego management
michiganvotes.org/; 12) Klapper, Leora, Raphael Amit, Mauro F. Guillén, and Juan Manuel Quesada,
“Entrepreneurship and Firm Formation Across Countries, “The World Bank, Development Research

DIGITAL / CREATIVE
Group, Finance and Private Sector Team, Policy Research Working Paper 4313, August 2007; 13)
Losby, Jan L., Marcia E. Kingslow, and John F. Else, “The Informal Economy: Experiences of African
Americans,“ ISED Solutions, September, 2003.
Image Sources: 17) Flickr.com - Girl.in.the.D; 18) Bob's Classic Kicks Facebook; 19) Norah's Vintage
—
Loft—Facebook; 20) www.grnnamdi.com; 21) Definitive Style Exclusives (DSE); 22) Jim Griffioen,
www.sweet-juniper.com; 23) www.modeldmedia.com; 24) Spiral Collective—Facebook; 25) http://
detroitfunk.com; 26) Diseños Ornamental Iron; 27) Future Net Group; 28) http://hothiphopdetroit.
com; 29) www.theimgexperience.com; 30) www.realtimesmedia.com; 31) Velocity Cow; 32) Alter
Ego Management
29. 30. 31. 32.


“Help create a plan for building new
viable self-sustaining communities
of the future with an emphasis on
changing the culture of our youth...
by promoting the development of a
community workforce that will help
improve the quality of life for city
residents within their neighborhood
and communities. The goal is to build

IMPROVE SKILLS BUILDING AND
healthy, strong, vibrant, self-sustaining
neighborhoods and communities in
Detroit.”

EDUCATION REFORM
Ann, Planning Cluster Meeting, 2/5/2011

D
The strategies for building skills aim at increasing skills and opportunities for
82 Detroiters by improving access to training institutions, aligning training with cluster 83
strategies, increasing the number of local opportunities, and addressing current
“The single most
roadblocks to training and employment, especially transportation. PREPARING THE WORKFORCE FOR A DIVERSE ECONOMY
important thing the City

can do is better workforce
training.”
Entrepreneurs Working Session “Most of the innovative
entrepreneurship
programs I am aware
of are already here in
D.1 “Hire Detroit”: Strengthen Local Hiring Practices
D.2 Link Workforce Investments to Transportation
D.3 Coordinate Workforce Development Best Practices

Detroit (even national /
international ones).” Shared prosperity will depend on the ability of Detroit residents to secure Transportation accessibility remains a key issue for Detroiters looking for Workforce conditions and challenges in Detroit and the surrounding region
employment at the major institutions and corporations in the city, which will largely employment. Many of the city’s households do not have access to private vehicles are unique among American cities: The scale of job loss over the last decade is
Angie, Economic Growth
depend on a continued shift towards demand-driven models of workforce training. and public transportation options do not usually succeed in reliably linking unparalleled, job sprawl is more pronounced than in any other region, and the
Open House, 8/7/2012
These must be accompanied by clear mechanisms for recruitment and hiring of Detroiters to employment centers. Over the longer term, these issues can be returns on education appear to be low, especially for male Detroiters. The civic
Detroit residents, and even roundtable discussions with local employers regarding addressed through the development of employment districts and the alignment of and philanthropic communities recognize that these unique conditions require
perceptions and misperceptions of Detroit workers and benefits of local hiring. The new public transportation investments around them. In the shorter term, innovative innovation and experimentation. There is also recognition that sharing information
Midtown education and medical institutions are already at the national forefront of public-private models must be explored. All workforce investments, especially for and experiences is critical, yet stories exist about the replication of unsuccessful
“hire local” efforts. Best practices include the following: targeting specific positions unemployed or lower-skilled workers, should be linked to a transportation solution. models. Stakeholders in workforce development need to double down on efforts
with the greatest potential for local resident recruitment and documenting to coordinate investments, share findings from innovation, and replicate successful
education, training, and experience requirements; developing screening and Innovative models to better link workers and jobs have been successful in other models. Development and dissemination of a shared fact sheet on the Detroit
referral partnerships in the community and setting targets for local applicants cities. For example, the Lake Cook Shuttle Bug Program in Chicago is a public- workforce, hiring trends, and successful models can be used to track progress and
to be interviewed and hired; creating strategies to retain and retrain incumbent private partnership that serves 1,300 riders per day by shuttling them from develop the pipeline of talent to meet employer needs.
workers through flexible scheduling and on-line training modules; and formulating commuter rail stations to employers.14 The program, which is currently funded by
incentives for managers to hire locally. These efforts should be scaled first within private employers and the metropolitan transportation authorities, began with
Midtown to organizations not currently involved, and then expanded citywide. vans that brought employees directly from public transportation stops to work sites IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
“Connect . . . transit lines with
a much-expanded international then expanded to buses as demand grew; this scalability makes it a good model for
1 “Hire Detroit”: Strengthen local hiring practices.
airport hub. Build a big enough Detroit. Developing public-private partnerships to better link workers to employers
hub for Detroit and it will in Detroit will be made more feasible by the strengthening of employment districts 2 Link workforce investments to transportation.
inevitably regain its massive that better concentrate jobs in the city. 3 Coordinate workforce development best practices.
export capacity. Watch the jobs
pour in...” 4 Revitalize incumbent workforce training.

John, Facebook Comment 5 Expand public-private partnerships for workforce development.
6 Commission a study to improve graduation rates and poor labor market
outcomes of Detroiters.

PRECEDENT
1 Focus: HOPE: Detroit, MI

Text Sources: 14) Barbara Ladner, “Blending Public/Private Funding Sources for Employment
Transportation.” Accessed at http://joblinksencore.ctaa.org/presentations/panel_3. June 2008.


“I believe that you can
make a greater impact with
job training and educating
people of all walks of life.”
Sonja, DWP Website, 8/2012

84 85

“Education is an economic
tool. It is good business.”
Commission Study To Identify Levers To Improve
D.4 Revitalize Incumbent Workforce Training
D.5 Expand Innovative Partnerships For Workforce
Development D.6 Graduation Rates and Poor Labor Market Outcomes
of Detroiters
Nonprofit and Community
Development Roundtable

The greatest opportunity for changing the quality of life for Detroiters is to improve Innovative partnerships have the potential to address challenging workforce The strong correlation between educational attainment and future employment
employment options, increase wages, and reduce commuting time for those who issues. For example, the public-private partnership “Michigan Shifting Code” was prospects highlights the need to better understand how to increase high school
already hold jobs. Over 60% of Detroiters who hold jobs commute to the suburbs; of launched in January 2012 by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in graduation rates, improve the quality of GED preparation, and address poor labor
these, 40% make less than $1,250 per month or less than $15,000 per year. In other order to address critical labor shortages in the areas of computer programming market outcomes for those with two-year degrees. Studies of GED recipients in
words, 25% of Detroit’s working population faces long commutes for low wages. and information technology (IT)-related occupations. Designed as demand-driven recent years demonstrate that while they fare better in terms of college acceptance
The majority of this group of Detroiters has at least a high school degree, and a training modules, each Shifting Code program responds to specific market needs by than those who drop out of high school, only 31 percent of them enroll, mostly in
significant segment has at least some college. By virtue of their employment status, relying heavily on local IT employers in partnership with local community colleges. two-year colleges, and 77% percent of them last no longer than one semester. GED
many of these Detroiters already possess the so-called “soft” skills needed to find Public-philanthropic partnerships have also shown promise. The statewide “Earn recipients who do not enroll in college tend to earn salaries on par with high school
and secure employment. and Learn” program works to place the chronically unemployed, including the dropouts of similar ability.15 The study should also examine trends in high school
formerly incarcerated, into long-term employment. The local partner, Southwest graduation rates and in particular, the recent dramatic decrease in high school
For these workers, training to advance in their current jobs or secure better-paid Solutions, aims to help over 1,000 metropolitan residents by the end of 2013. The graduation rates of young black men in Detroit. Finally, the study should examine
employment is critical. Unfortunately, federal funds for incumbent workforce city’s strong set of faith-based organizations (FBOs), which already contribute the relatively poor economic outcomes of Detroiters with two-year college degrees “If you mention training on a lot
training have evaporated. Philanthropic funding can be aligned with cluster-based to community and economic development, can also be important partners in who, as a group, suffer from 16 percent unemployment and poverty rates of more of campuses there’s a negative
growth strategies to better leverage the existing pool of Detroit labor and talent. workforce development programs, especially for harder-to-serve populations such than 20 percent, both well above the national average for Associate’s degree sentiment. But if you mention
These funds are the key to the “forgotten middle” in Detroit’s workforce. as the formerly incarcerated. holders. education there’s a positive response.
Are you training people to function
in the work pool, or are you training
PRECEDENT people to be thinkers?”
Education Cluster Working Session, 5/2/2012
FOCUS: HOPE
Focus: HOPE operates two flagship programs:
the Machinist Training Institute and the
Information Technologies Center, which
have jointly trained and certified thousands
of machine and CNC operators, and IT
professionals in specific areas like network
administration and small office operations.

Text Source: 15) Margaret Becker Patterson, Wei Song, and Jizhi Zhang. GED candidates and their
postsecondary educational outcomes: A pilot study. Research Studies 2009-5, GED Testing Service,
Washington, DC, December 2009. James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Nicholas S. Mader, The
GED, NBER Working Paper No. 16064, June 2010
33. Image Source: 33) Focus: HOPE


PRECEDENT PILOT PROJECT PRECEDENT

43E EXPEDITED PERMITTING PRIORITY PERMITTING IN cleveland INDUSTRIAL-
This Massachusetts program promotes EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS COMMERCIAL LAND BANK
expedited permitting of development In cities and states across the country, priority This land bank allows the City of Cleveland
projects on sites with dual designation as permitting has been used as a catalyst in to strategically assemble properties and
“Priority Development Sites.” The program economic development. This approach create long term economic and community
requires permitting bodies to review and take would streamline the permitting process and investments. The City aggressively pursues
final action within 180-210 days of receiving a create incentives to shift investment and assessments, acquisition, demolition, and
permit application. development patterns towards these districts. remediation of identified properties.

LAND REGULATIONS
86 Encouraging Private Investment and
Environmental Actions
E 87

34. 35. 36.

Land regulation strategies recognize the key role
Create a Priority Permitting Focus on Land Banking
that private markets must play in unlocking the
city’s potentially vast real estate assets. Unlike in
residential areas, almost all of the jobs-producing
E.1 Create an Industrial Side Lot
Program E.2 Process for Employment
Districts E.3 Industrial and Commercial
Property
land in the city, including the vast amounts of vacant
The vast majority of industrial vacancies are very In cities and states across the country, priority Detroit must take the lead among cities in America’s
and under-utilized land, is held privately. With so few
small (under 1 acre) parcels, for which there are permitting has been used to facilitate investments manufacturing heartland that have established a
opportunities to date to assemble property directly
few industrial development opportunities in that will have significant economic development or land banking process dedicated to the acquisition,
from public agencies or land banks and limited
Detroit today. The goal of this program would be community impacts. Detroit should adopt expedited assembly, and disposition of property for industrial
resources to outright acquire private property, other
to dramatically reduce the number of these parcels. permitting in employment districts. This approach and commercial development. The Detroit Land
strategies must be considered to affect change on
Modeled on the residential side lot approach, this would create incentives to shift investment and Bank Authority has substantial statutory powers
stagnant, privately held commercial and industrial
program would transfer property rights of small development patterns towards the employment to flexibly acquire and convey property. To date,
sites. Markets right now are locked because of
(under 1 acre) industrial lots to an adjacent owner districts and, by reducing construction time and risk, land bank activities have focused on the challenges
speculation, the age and quality of the building
with the proviso that the lots be combined into one would increase overall investment in the districts associated with vacant and tax delinquent residential
stock, gaps between development costs and rents,
larger parcel. and the city. Models for priority and expedited property. An arm of the Detroit Land Bank Authority
and other financing challenges. Land regulations
permitting, including pre-permitting, have been focused on industrial-commercial land would build
need to encourage the private market through
successfully utilized in Chicago, Washington, D.C., upon these activities and serve to address the
a combination of strategic land assembly and
and at the state level in Florida, Massachusetts, New challenges associated with redevelopment within
consolidation where appropriate while also focusing
York, and Rhode Island. designated employment districts. Such a program,
on long-term management tools that provide
industrial side lot program designed with DEGC, would allow the City of Detroit
healthy, safe, and attractive employment districts.
to proactively assemble and transfer properties to
COMBINED SITE
attract businesses and create long-term economic
LARGE SITE “To help industrial growth.
SMALL SITE development, there should
be pre assembled sites for
The vast majority of vacant industrial sites are less than one acre in size and have few prospects for redevelopment. Similar to the residential development and obsolete/
side-lot program this program would transfer these small sites to the adjacent business. blighted structures torn
down.”
For Profit Real Estate Developer and
Broker Working Session, 1/27/2012

Image Sources: 34) http://mass.gov; 35) Marvin Shaouni;
36) www.city.cleveland.oh.us


“Detroit is a good place
PRECEDENT
to own a business
because of the VOLKSWAGEN CHATTANOOGA
opportunity, openness, SUPPLIER PARK POTENTIAL TO SUBLET
and the spirit of the Volkswagen’s new supplier park is key to UNUSED SPACE
people. You can’t do powering the success of the Chattanooga AND BOOST LOCAL
elsewhere what you can assembly plant. Once completed, seven VW EMPLOYMENT
do in Detroit.”
supplier companies will assemble parts in the underutilized facility
Entrepreneurs Working Session park as well as ready them for use there. Five
COMBINED SITE
hundred new jobs will also be created. NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY LARGE SITE
IN SAME CLUSTER SMALL SITE

The challenge of underutilized land requires a long-term initiative
88 designed to boost employment at existing firms. This example 89
demonstrates a common condition: underutilized facilities that
used to employ many more Detroiters.
37.

Identify Alternative Capital Address Underutilization of IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
E.4 Sources for Real Estate
Development E.5 Articulate a Reverse Change-
Of-Use Policy E.6 Create Master-Planned
Industrial Hubs E.7 Industrial Building Space and
Land E.8 Address Weaknesses in the
Local Brokerage Sector 1 Create an industrial side lot program.
2 Create a priority permitting process for
Detroit is in desperate need of capital and subsidies In many U.S. cities, a steady erosion of valuable The most innovative trend in industrial development Many industrial buildings and sites are simply As in many cities with dramatic employment loss, employment districts.
for commercial and industrial building construction industrial land has been underway through in recent years has been the emergence of holistic, underutilized, with too few workers given the Detroit suffers gaps in local business services. In 3 Focus on land banking industrial and
that New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) provide. piecemeal conversion of formerly industrial parcels master-planned industrial hubs such as Supplier building and parcel size and location. These are residential real estate, few brokers focus on Detroit, commercial property.
Nationally, 21 NMTC allocatees include Michigan to commercial or residential uses. Detroit, however, Parks, Inland Port developments, Distribution Parks, generally the result of long-term employment loss but several strong existing organizations with deep
in their service area but only one, Invest Detroit, is is in the unique position of being able to rezone land Workforce Development Hubs, and Eco-Industrial that leaves companies with only a fraction of the knowledge of the city could be tapped to expand 4 Identify alternative capital sources for real
headquartered in the state of Michigan. An annual for jobs producing uses in and around the city’s most Centers. Such developments often concentrate company’s peak-level workforce. Companies suffer into residential services. In commercial/industrial estate development.
report and convening of NMTC allocatees would valuable jobs-producing areas. A clearly articulated synergistic industrial activities in close proximity, because of the high space and utility costs they must real estate, an entire regional infrastructure exists 5 Articulate a reverse change-of-use policy.
promote Detroit to non-Michigan organizations. In reverse change-of-use mechanism should be providing many benefits to tenant companies and absorb; growth in the city is stifled because these but there is too little incentive to show Detroit 6 Create master-planned industrial hubs.
addition, the potential for philanthropic program- established to effectively return vacant, abandoned clients (including large manufacturers), including large sites are not available for more productive use. properties given the glut of space in the region.
related investments (PRIs) in a Detroit-centric real or foreclosed residential or commercial properties closer supply-chain integration, shared services, This program would evaluate potential strategies The Framework recommends working with key 7 Address underutilization of industrial building
estate investment trust (REIT) and solicitation of adjacent to key employment centers to productive and more effective innovation and product to create a market for subletting unused space downtown organizations to develop programs space and land.
non-Michigan REITs should be explored. use. As a minimum threshold of properties is development. As such, these developments offer to smaller companies and entrepreneurs and in to strengthen and coordinate information about 8 Address weaknesses in the local brokerage
reached, such a mechanism could be utilized by major competitive advantages over traditional, extreme cases, to “right size” companies by moving residential real estate options and the development sector.
the city or land bank to extend adjacent productive dispersed, industrial development models. The them to smaller sites in the city. of an incentive pool to encourage commercial/
land use and zoning designations to the target feasibility of specific applications within the City of industrial brokers to show Detroit properties. PRECEDENTS
properties. Long term, the future land use map Detroit should be explored in detail.
1 43E Expedited Permitting: Massachusetts
proposed in the Land Use element chapter identifies EMPLOYMENT DENSITY 2 Cleveland Industrial-Commercial Land Bank:
and recommends converting formerly commercial
and residential lands to industrial zoning in areas Cleveland, OH
that have the greatest potential to create new job 3 Volkswagen Chattanooga Supplier Park:
Historic Employment Density CURRENT Employment Density
and business growth. Chattanooga, TN

PILOT PROJECTs
1 Priority Permitting in Employment Districts
2 Industrial Side Lot Program
5 EMPLOYEES PER ACRE 3 EMPLOYEES PER ACRE
Many industrial sites are underutilized, but could accommodate
many more jobs.

Data Sources: Interface Studio
Image Source: 37) www.gray.com

the land use
093 099 101 103
element
the image of the city
Transformative Ideas REALITIES IMPERATIVES STRATEGIES AND
IMPLEMENTATION

DETROIT FUTURE CITY TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS
A Day in the Life Transforming the Use of Land LAND USE
93

Antonio grew up in the house his grandfather bought in a once-thriving neighborhood. As a little boy, he sat for Land is Detroit’s greatest liability and its greatest asset. The space, urban woodlands, ponds and streams, and new uses of natural landscape to
preoccupation with what to do with all that land has driven the discussion about land clean the air, restore ecological habitats, and produce locally sourced food. Such a
hours on the driveway while his Papi tinkered with the motorboat that was his pride and joy. Some weekends,

The LAND USE elemenT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY
use and led to oversimplified strategies. In fact, Detroit’s population density is still Future Detroit will not have a single “hub and spoke” pattern with one downtown,
when Papi wasn’t working, the family hooked the boat up to their Cutlass Supreme and drove to the marina for a similar to that of cities like Portland, Atlanta, and Denver. To be sure, a traditional but many centers and neighborhoods that each have a distinctive identity and
day of relaxation and fun. “build it and they will come” approach is not going to work for Detroit. a character all their own. One of the newest and most ambitious aspects of this
change will be the network of productive and working landscapes that actively
Detroit’s image and identity have evolved through three major eras, each tied maintain a higher quality of public health for Detroit, while offering beauty and a
The boat was sold years ago, and his grandfather passed away in 1986, but the house remains in the family.
to a particular aspect of the city’s economy. First, the early period of riverfront wholly new way to experience an urban environment. Detroit actually has the
Antonio swore he’d never leave, but five years ago he was ready to give up and sell out. About 20 out of 50 houses trade and commerce set the tone for downtown’s majestic Beaux Arts buildings opportunity to lead the region in creating a new urban form, becoming a
remained occupied on his block, and it felt like the city had forgotten them. Streetlights that went out stayed out, and formal street pattern. Then as the city grew during the Auto Age, an extensive model for other North American cities. Here, in the midst of tremendous
industrial ring grew up around the city core. New modes of industrial production challenge, is the opportunity to transform the city’s form and function in
police calls took longer and longer, and every spring meant flooded basements and gutters. As worried as he was decentralized the city still more, with a combination of rail and highways serving new and exciting ways.
for himself and his family, Antonio was more worried for his neighbor Sarah, who was 75 and had no family left the sprawling outer reaches of Detroit. During the third phase of Detroit’s identity,
large neighborhoods of single-family detached homes spread out across the city. Some initial efforts can start immediately, through small- or large-scale demonstration
in the city. projects. A sustained and sustainable transformation of Detroit calls for even more:
Once a sign of the American Dream, these neighborhoods were never as efficient
Things started to change when the Detroit Strategic Framework was released. The City soon put routine city to serve as more mixed-use, compact neighborhoods would have been. Both the connected land use and design strategies that stimulate economic growth, align
neighborhoods, and the over-scaled systems that serve them, fell on hard times as city systems, provide open space, and strengthen neighborhoods, supported by
services and maintenance on a regular schedule in response to community requests, and police and fire services the city lost population and revenue. an entirely new framework for decision making and regulation that can respond
have improved. Although it is no secret that the neighborhood will never return to its former days, a new kind of rapidly to business opportunities, urgent public health needs, and the imperative
This plan outlines a fourth idea for the city: A stronger, greener, and more socially of job growth and residents’ quality of life. The Strategic Framework’s new physical
neighborhood is being proposed, and planned with the neighbors’ collaboration—a Green Residential area that and economically vital Detroit, where neighborhoods feature a wide variety of vision for the city taps the potential of Detroit’s land-rich environment, supports
will be organized around a city pond that Antonio will be able to see from his window. Not everyone will stay: residential styles from apartments to houses, and where residents are connected to existing areas of growth and stability, and sets forth specific recommendations for
jobs and services by many transportation options (and especially a regional network serving current residents where they live and work right now.
Sarah is taking advantage of Detroit’s new “house swap” incentive program, trading her house for a townhome of transit) in a “canvas of green” that features stately boulevards, open green
in a senior living community in Midtown, close to shopping, health care, and other activities, all accessible by
transit.
Better than that is something Antonio never dreamed of for his home: The City of Detroit and Wayne County have
created a plan together to stabilize values for remaining homeowners, while creating a new park, bike path, and
water-retention pond to take a burden from the city’s aging infrastructure.
So Antonio is staying. Because by the time his own kids give him grandchildren, he’s going to have something to
show them, something he wishes his own grandfather could see: A view of green space every day of the week,
from his own home.

TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

peer city density comparison by area
6% DETROIT
4% DENVER
22% ATLANTA
6% PORTLAND, OR

0-5 PEople per acre

55% DETROIT
47% DENVER
44% ATLANTA
51% PORTLAND, OR

5-15 PEople per acre

94 LAND USE 33% DETROIT
95

Transformative
31% DENVER
17% ATLANTA
1 a city OF MULTIPLE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS
2 a city CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OPPORTUNITy

detroit future city | december 2012

ideas
31% PORTLAND, OR

15-25 PEople per acre

The Strategic Framework’s employment-district strategy addresses the key A new network of transportation corridors will connect employment centers
6% DETROIT economic issue in Detroit: not the size of the city's physical footprint, but to neighborhood districts, allow for new bicycle routes and bus rapid transit
19% DENVER the scale of the city relative to current levels of economic activity and job corridors, reinforce economic and neighborhood centers, and provide a range of
and business growth. By promoting focused growth in seven districts, the city can infrastructural services in sustainable natural landscapes that filter stormwater
17% ATLANTA
create employment levels typically associated with more prosperous cities, while (blue infrastructure) and clean the air of transportation and industrial emissions
13% PORTLAND, OR creating viable strategies for addressing the physical deterioration, limited services, (green infrastructure). Existing proposals for enhanced transportation systems
and aging infrastructure across the city. in Detroit can be modified to create a transformed network that connects
30 + PEople per acre people to jobs and services within the city and to employment centers beyond
Each district will have a unique scale and character suited to its function and the city limits. The transformed network needs to respond to today's metropolitan
Even with many parts of Detroit experiencing high land vacancy, the percentage of Detroit's existing or potential assets, development pattern, and building styles. For example,
low density areas is comparable to peer cities. However, Detroit lacks high density areas as a region while actively contributing to the planned growth of employment districts
the McNichols corridor will leverage its institutional assets, including the University and localized needs within the city. The key principle behind the transformation is
percentage of its overall land area when compared to peer cities; only 6% of Detroit's land area
is high density compared to 13-19% of peer U.S. cities. Source: US Census 2010 of Detroit-Mercy, Marygrove College, Sinai-Grace Hospital, and Wayne County the creation of a clear hierarchy of corridors, ranging from high-capacity and high-
Community College, to expand Eds and Meds employment opportunities, attract speed arterials and highways to intermediate thoroughfares, and lower-capacity
employees to live in the area, and improve a diverse range of neighborhoods neighborhood strips with frequent stopping services. Transportation networks
abutting the corridor from the historic University District to the creation of new will be conceived in concert with planning for retail amenities and services at the
multi-family apartment buildings directly fronting McNichols and Palmer Park. regional and residential scale, with neighborhood-level transportation routes
designed as "complete streets" that allow bicycling, walking, and a broader range
8 HOUSEHOLDS PER ACRE estimated tax revenue1 of approaches to getting places.

Efficient movement of goods and waste in and through Detroit is key to the economic
and environmental health of the city. For freight as well as personal transit, the
interchanges between hierarchy tiers or different modes of transportation are as
important as the routes that run between them. The type of interchange required
will have an important impact on the land use in that area. A transit interchange will
2 HOUSEHOLDS PER ACRE estimated tax revenue1 offer a range of higher-density land uses that can offer services to those passing
through. A freight interchange may require large amounts of space and therefore
Density directly impacts the financial condition of the city. Areas of the city with high land should be considered for areas expected to stabilize at lower residential densities
vacancy only generate a fraction of the tax revenue that higher density areas produce. The
or even change land use altogether.
problem is compounded when city systems, originally sized for a higher density, must be
maintained and renewed for a population that is significantly smaller. Source: HAA
1
Based on a household income of $30,000, and a housing value of $50,000. The resident
income tax rate is 2.5%, and the current millage rate for the City of Detroit is 65.14 per 1,000.

TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

CREATING A 50-YEAR LAND USE VISION

A CITY OF MULTIPLE
EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS

A CITY CONNECTING PEOPLE
96 TO OPPORTUNITY 97

3 A Green City where landscapes contribute
4 A City of Distinct, Attractive Neighborhoods


to health

Unlike other cities pressed to find space for transformative landscapes, Detroit has Detroit has room to offer many neighborhood types and lifestyle choices
an abundance of available land resources that can be leveraged to create a new for residents who want to stay in the city, while welcoming new residents
green and sustainable city unlike any other in the world. Landscape has enormous looking to make Detroit their home. To achieve this, a series of traditional and A GREEN CITY where landscapes
potential to structure or foster social and cultural relationships through innovative neighborhood typologies have been established to directly engage contribute to health
adapted and productive ecologies that will give rise to a new urban form. existing challenges within the city, and to leverage the strengths and assets
of existing neighborhoods and places with unique characteristics. Guiding the
Landscapes are inevitable: If you do nothing else, landscape will re-establish development of these neighborhoods are a series of development targets and
itself  even in the most built-up areas. Relative to other forms of infrastructural or performance measures to define neighborhood goals and measure their success
urban development, then, landscape strategies are very affordable. Landscapes in meeting those goals—which are in turn tied to the goal of a high quality of life
also adapt well to different conditions, so they can require different types and lower for all residents.
intensities of maintenance to sustain them.
While Detroit's traditional neighborhoods offer a compelling starting point for this
Landscapes are productive and multi-functional. They clean air and water and soil; transformation, many other areas—some of which are not necessarily recognized
they make urban environments healthier; and they generate food, jobs, energy, as viable neighborhoods today—offer a significant long-term opportunity for
A CITY OF DISTINCT,
commerce, and habitat. In this way, they cultivate new kinds of urban landscapes Detroit to be a leader in establishing a new urban form.
ATTRACTIVE NEIGHBORHOODS
and experiences. They are also effective grounds for research and experimentation.
New ideas can be safely and effectively tested in landscape settings for later For Detroit, this new urban form includes areas in which vacant and underutilized
application across the city and in other cities like Detroit. land and defunct industrial building stock provide the material for innovative
residential environments. Green residential and green mixed-rise neighborhoods
Landscapes are the original “green” land use: they can reduce the resources transform existing land vacancy into integrated landscapes, providing recreational,
necessary to sustain the city. Landscapes enrich communities by improving the ecological, and productive functions. Mixed-use neighborhoods for living and
health of the environment and of the people in it, and also create a lush, rich image making not only transform parts of Detroit's unutilized industrial and residential
and identity for the city—one which competing cities would love to have. areas, they also capitalize on Detroit's production philosophy, where ideas are
developed, and become real.
Because they work most effectively across large scales, with the ability to connect 50 YEAR LAND USE VISION
and coordinate seemingly unrelated entities, landscapes also have the potential to
reconnect Detroit with its regional context. Landscapes of this type are already in
place in Detroit, including the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor, Detroit
RiverWalk, and Belle Isle.

The four transformative ideas provide the
basis for the future land use vision.

21 8
61%
21 was the average number of 8 was the average number of

1950 2010
residents per acre in 19501 residents per acre in 20103

5.7 3 REALITIES
61% population loss between
1950 - 2010 in detroit

avg
5.7 was the average occupied 3 was the average occupied
housing units per acre in 19502 housing units per acre in 20104

THE STATE OF DETROIT’S LAND USE
98 99

UNDERUTILIZATION OF LAND. The breathtaking growth that defined Detroit's typically low due to a legacy of past industrial uses, current pollution releases, and
72 SUPERFUND emergence into the American industrial age is now a distant memory. In the last 10 lead contamination.

SITES IN DETROIT


years the total number of vacant housing units has doubled while the population
has declined by 25 percent. Today, approximately 20 square miles of Detroit's Not everyone in Detroit bears the burden equally. Past decisions, policies, and
occupiable land area are vacant. Within this context, the City of Detroit finds practices placed disproportionate environmental and health burdens on poorer
Superfund is a program established to address
hazardous wastes caused by industrial activities & itself insolvent and struggling to provide the core services Detroiters need. With neighborhoods. A new approach to land use must now correct these inequities.
abandoned sites5
projected population decline in the city extending to 2040, and low workforce
OVERSCALED, NON-SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURES. Current infrastructural
participation, the reutilization of Detroit's land must also navigate within an anemic

80k 22% 36%
systems (including open spaces and recreational facilities, school, etc.) were built to
market and environmental challenges while fulfilling currently unmet demands of
accommodate populations more than twice the size of current-day Detroit. These
Detroit's residents and employees.
systems are too big and maintenance-intensive—and they consequently cost too
Of detroit's 349,170 22% of detroit's 36% of detroit's CHALLENGING MARKET. While the consideration of Detroit's market challenges is much to sustain. Built at a time when sustainable practices were not prevalent, they
total housing units, industrial zoned commercial parcels often framed within the context of declining population, the resulting disinvestment also can harm the environment, as in the case of CSOs.
79,725 are vacant6 land is vacant7 are vacant9
has left 36 percent of the city's commercial parcels and 80,000 homes vacant.
NEED FOR MORE OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL RESOURCES. For all the
Within Detroit's struggling market, such vacancy quickly becomes abandonment,
discussion about vacancy and surplus land, Detroit still falls well below the national
blight, and a public safety risk. These realities represent real, physical hurdles to
average for park space acreage per resident. The still-new 31-acre William G. Milliken
Detroit’s redevelopment, and demonstrate a diminished quality of life. For those
State Park and Harbor, as well as historic Belle Isle and Campus Martius, offer a
Approximately 20 square miles of detroit's occupiable land who remain in the city, the ability to obtain amenities and services remains strained,
area is vacant8 glimpse into what is possible for Detroit’s transformation into a greener city of
particularly for Detroiters without a private vehicle. The result is unmet demand,
beautiful vistas, playing fields, urban woodlands, bicycle paths and walking trails, as
loss of revenue, and inequity.
well as lakes and ponds, streams, playgrounds, and pocket parks.
Detroit has far to go if it is to recapture its competitive edge in the region and the
Today, however, Detroit lags behind national standards and comparable cities in
state of Michigan. Ultimately, $1.5 billion in annual Detroit retail spending is lost
park availability. Parks and recreation centers are also poorly distributed across the
to surrounding cities, including $200 million alone in unmet retail food demand
city, relative to population densities: Areas of high-vacancy often have an abundance
that dramatically undermines Detroiters’ access to fresh, healthy food. Although
of open space that is being underused, while more populated areas lack enough
there is demand for apartments and multi-family homes in Detroit, most of the
parks to serve their residents. Care for parks and playgrounds is also an issue: Most
city’s housing choices are large, single-family homes that cannot compete with
current open spaces designed for traditional, high levels of maintenance, which is
similar home choices in the suburbs. Further contributing to market struggle and
not affordable for limited park budgets.

6.7
health concerns are the 72 superfund sites located in Detroit where the unmanaged
industrial legacy of the city has created a range of areas with measurable hazardous

65% 66%
waste that must be cleaned up before the land can be reused.

583ksq ft acres
park space per person
UNHEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR RESIDENTS. Combined Sewer Overflows
(CSO) and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) pollute rivers several dozen times per
year on average, far in excess of state and national clean water standards. Heavy
1,2) US Census 1950; 3,4) US Census 2010; 5) US Environmental Protection Agency; 6) US Census
2010; 7) Interface Studio; 8) Detroit Planning & Development Department (P&DD), HAA; 9) Wayne
The amount of money spent on Detroit falls below the national recreation and park 65% of total citywide 66% of total housing
groceries outside the city could association recommendation of 10 acres of park space housing supply is single demand in detroit's rainfalls also cause flooding, which shuts down roads, interrupts transportation and State University Department of Urban Studies & Planning, P&DD; 10) Social Compact 2010; 11)
support approximately 583,000 per 1,000 residents11 family detached12 greater downtown is for business, and threatens human health and safety. Air quality and soil quality are Trust for Public Land; 12) American Community Survey 2010 5-Year; 13) Zimmerman & Volk
square feet of additional grocery multi-family13
retail space in detroit10

We must use innovative IMPERATIVES
approaches to transform our LAND USE ACTIONS AND IMPACT
vacant land in ways that increase The Detroit Strategic Framework provides specific land use typologies to properly
guide investment and land use decisions for achieving a sustainable, equitable,
101

its value and productivity and

and healthy city. The Strategic Framework’s identification and development of
innovative land use forms and patterns was shaped by the quality-of-life and
quality-of-business elements identified during the public process to engage with WHAT WE LEARNED FROM
residents, employers, and other civic leaders. These elements not only guide the CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK
promote long-term sustainability.
land use recommendations of the Strategic Framework, but also form the basis for
long-term measurement of how well these proposed land uses are meeting the ƒƒ Survey respondents' top choice for where they would
needs of residents, employees, and the city at large. like to do activities in the future was "Within walking
distance from my home".
The future land uses, integrated with coordinated investment strategies, will
demonstrate opportunities to fulfill needs for employment districts, neighborhoods, ƒƒ Survey respondents' top choices for neighborhood
city systems, and open space. Among other objectives, they achieve sustainable types to develop in the next five years were less
densities and forms, effectively connecting to city transit corridors, integrating open traditional neighborhood typologies:

We must use our open space to
spaces and services within neighborhoods, and using green and blue infrastructure
ƒƒ Green Residential
to improve system performance and cost. Each approach defines an urban form to
more efficiently use Detroit's land-rich environment to improve quality of life and ƒƒ Green Mixed Rise
business in the city. In some cases, these approaches leverage existing forms of ƒƒ Live+Make

improve the health of all Detroit
development, but in others they deploy more innovative urban forms that create
new models for land and facilities reuse by transforming existing buildings and land ƒƒ Top land use strategies recorded from DWP
area into productive contributors to a sustainable Detroit. participants included:
ƒƒ Prioritize green and natural areas

residents. ƒƒ Develop a wider range of safe, affordable, and
diverse housing
ƒƒ Remediate, maintain, clean-up, and utilize land
more effectively—including currently vacant,
City-owned, and privately owned land

development types

development types
residential
retail

single family
urban farm

MIXED USE

landscape
STRATEGIES AND
IMPLEMENTATION

landscape
typology
land use typology illustration

102 103

creating productive landscapes Detroit’s successful transformation will rely on its ability to retain current residents, city’s future land use map and zoning districts. Instead of standard zoning practices
with a variety of development types businesses, and institutions while attracting new ones. Because Detroit did not that classify each property within the city, land use typologies seek to generate


arrive at its current condition overnight, its turnaround will require considerable complete neighborhoods by prescribing densities and allowable development
time, and a willingness to adapt and try new solutions. Putting the proper tools types for larger areas. To illustrate, each neighborhood typology aims for specific
and resources in place today can ensure more coordinated, flexible, and effective ratios and types of residential, commercial, and landscape uses that will allow
actions in the future. residents and employees to live, work, and play within every unique neighborhood.

The appropriate land use strategies to fulfill this objective are situated between the Development Types are the physical development of buildings and landscape
city's existing conditions and a range of preferred futures. The Detroit Strategic that may occur within a particular land use typology. They are divided into four
Framework organizes a wide variety of potential land use types within three levels major categories: residential, commercial, landscape, and industrial. For example,
framework zone map

of scale and purpose: a development type may be a single family home, a retail strip, a stormwater
retention pond, or a warehouse. Development type suitability and use criteria are
Framework Zones are meant to guide citywide and investment decisions determined by the land use typology.
in terms of the best ways to make positive change in areas with differing
characteristics. These zones seek to categorize the city’s residential, commercial, The focus of the land use strategies is to recognize these three levels of
and industrial land based on similar physical and market characteristics. The most consideration as a fundamental set of reference points for investment and future
influential characteristic is vacancy, because of its drastic effect on physical and directions. In addition, the Detroit Strategic Framework recommends the following
market conditions of an area. supportive strategies for land use:

Land Use Typologies provide the future vision for land use within the city. ƒƒ Create a new and diverse open space system for the city.
They are divided into three primary categories: neighborhood, industrial, and
ƒƒ Redefine corridors and complete streets.
landscape. Land use typologies are used within the framework zones to provide
building the image of the city: the next-highest-level tool for decision making. They also provide the basis for the ƒƒ Develop innovative regulatory reform.
framework zones, typologies, development TYPES

employment districtS transit network AND corridors landscape network neighborhoods

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

1 2 3 4
FOUR transformative ideas : SIX implementation strategies

CREATE A CITYWIDE SUPPORT A NETWORK INTRODUCE CREATE A NEW AND REDEFINE CORRIDORS
A FRAMEWORK FOR GROWTH
AND INVESTMENT B OF NEW AND EXISTinG
NEIGHBORHOOD TYPES C NEW FORMS OF
DEVELOPMENT D DIVERSE OPEN SPACE
SYSTEM FOR THE CITY E AND create
COMPLETE STREETS F ENACT INNOVATIVE
REGULATORY REFORM

The public, private, and philanthropic sectors need The Detroit Strategic Framework introduces Areas of high, moderate, and low-vacancy Landscape, open space, and environmental Similar to its residential land, Detroit’s commercial The overlay of Framework Zones, land use
a tool to assess the city’s land use conditions and a new set of land use typologies that combine all hold the potential to be assets in the systems are envisioned as a new, healthy, green, and transportation corridors have seen massive typologies, and development types provide the
104 develop strategic approaches to investments to represent the future land use vision for reinvention of the city. As part of the land use and productive structure for the city of Detroit. disinvestment over the last 50 years. The city’s basis for a revised regulatory framework that the 105
that will improve quality of life across all parts of the city, from traditional forms that now vision, the Detroit Strategic Framework posits two Large-scale ecological and productive landscapes reduced population has left its roadways oversized City of Detroit should formally adopt. The City’s
the city. Based on comprehensive research and characterize Detroit to entirely new departures. key points regarding development: First, not all will take the place of vacant lots, and begin their for the population they serve. The space left behind anticipated adoption and codification of the Detroit
analysis of the physical and market conditions These are organized in three major categories: development can occur in all places; and second, work cleansing the water, the air, and the soil, all holds the potential for rethinking the city’s corridors. Strategic Framework will also call for multiple


of the city, the Framework Zones map will help Neighborhoods, Industry, and Landscape. Each new forms of development can affirm the city’s the while putting people to work. They also become In fact, we cannot afford to continue to think of layers of policy guidance documents within City
assesses the condition of Detroit’s districts and typology is scaled to the district or neighborhood assets and address existing physical conditions. a center for improving public health, sustaining transportation and other city systems as “mono- departments and other public agencies, so that they
neighborhoods in terms of degrees of vacancy, level, and includes a range of strategic interventions New residential and commercial development must Detroit’s rich mix of cultures, and strengthening functional”—Detroit has the opportunity and the can align implementation with the citywide vision
from low to moderate to high. From this fact-based and development types to support the larger reinforce areas of strength and increase densities social connections in neighborhoods and across imperative to combine many services and functions for Detroit’s new image. The Detroit Strategic
mapping, decision makers from city leaders to vision for Detroit’s new form. In addition to there. At the same time, areas with significant the city. in repurposed corridors that can accommodate Framework also offers an important opportunity to
neighborhood organizations have the ability to take more conventional land use typologies, such as population loss and high degrees of vacancy can different types of transit, bicycling, and walking. provide a fully coordinated basis for regional and
a more strategic approach to the opportunities Traditional Residential Neighborhoods or General be the sites of new, innovative, and productive Doing so will create a network of “complete streets” state decision making about land use and public
and challenges facing neighborhoods, and to Industrial Districts, the Detroit Strategic Framework development types that improve quality of life for that offer an efficient set of transportation options investment, recognizing the importance of the city
place those challenges in the context of the city introduces new typologies that repurpose vacant city residents. and also address the need for green space and within a larger regional, state and national context.
at large. The discussion of vacancies in this broad, land or obsolete industrial areas for innovative high-quality street design. Excess space within the
citywide context does not attribute “strength” or or productive uses, such as Innovation Ecological right-of-way can accommodate blue infrastructure
“weakness” to neighborhoods only on the basis of landscapes and Live+Make districts. such as swales to collect stormwater run-off. Within
vacancy: Every neighborhood within the city is at areas of low-vacancy, land can be assembled in
risk, and every effort needs to be made to stabilize nodes to create walkable retail districts or new
and transform the existing conditions to improve residential development that reinforces adjacent
quality of life in all parts of the city. neighborhoods.

implementation actions implementation actions implementation actions implementation actions implementation actions implementation actions

1 Establish framework zones and future land 1 Establish land use typologies as the vision for 1 Align framework zones and future land 1 Implement blue and green infrastructure. 1 Develop tiered transit network that ties into 1 Phase land use vision over 3 horizons
use maps as the basis for public, private, and the future city. use typologies to determine appropriate 2 Encourage reuse of vacant land with regional system. (stabilize/improve, sustain, transform).
philanthropic investment. 2 Reorganize land use around neighborhoods, locations and types of development across productive landscapes. 2 Incorporate multi-modal transit design into 2 Revise/amend City Master Plan of Policies
2 Base land use decisions on the fundamental industry, and landscape. the city. all street improvements. and Zoning Ordinance.
3 Diversify park network.
physical and market conditions of the city: 2 Introduce new and innovative landscape- 3 Focus commercial development in walkable 3 Update public, private, and philanthropic
low-vacancy, moderate-vacancy, high- based development types. 4 Encourage partnerships between universities
and firms in productive landscapes to nodes or auto-oriented strips based on policy guiding documents.
vacancy and Greater Downtown areas. 3 Introduce form-based development criteria. physical/market conditions and future land
conduct research and provide job training
3 Update framework zones map on a 5-year opportunities. use vision.
basis to reflect changes to physical and 4 Implement green infrastructure along
market conditions. highway corridors.
5 Implement blue infrastructure along arterial
and other roads.


VAN DYKE

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MAP TITLE MAP TITLE MAP TITLE CREATE A CITYWIDE FRAMEWORK
FOR GROWTH AND INVESTMENT A
LEGEND LEGEND LEGEND
LEGEND LEGEND SON LEGEND
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E. JE
LEGEND LEGEND LEGEND
LAND USE FRAMEWORK ZONES
1 2 4 MILEs

SOURCE: DWP Long Term Planning Technical Team Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption
106 here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. Caption here. 107

Public, private nonprofit, and philanthropic decision makers urgently need a who currently live there, while ensuring future land use is more productive,
thorough understanding of existing and anticipated land use conditions throughout ecologically beneficial, and manageable from the standpoint of city systems.


Detroit to guide strategic investment for long-term strength and viability. The
fundamental tool for this is the Framework Zones map, developed through In the middle of the Framework Zones spectrum are the moderate-vacancy areas.
FORD
comprehensive research and mapping of both the physical and market conditions These areas represent both the largest overall land area and largest population of
of the city’s residential, industrial, and commercial land. On the basis of existing the framework zones. They also represent degrees of vacancy and market condition
FRAMEWORK ZONES and anticipated degrees of vacancy, the Framework Zones map aids developing that range considerably across their geographies, posing challenges to stabilization
IGAN the most appropriate range of strategies to inform land use decision making and and long-term land use transformation. In many ways, these are the areas that
MICH GREATER DOWNTOWN HIGH-VACANCY
investment, as well as city-wide decision making for city system infrastructure, tell the most compelling stories of the city’s growth, losses, and resilience: It is in
LOW-VACANCY 1 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE STRENGTH these areas where the most innovative land use strategies can stabilize residential
public land, and facilities.
LOW-VACANCY 2 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE CHANGE neighborhoods and define new types of neighborhoods to seamlessly integrate
MODERATE-VACANCY 1 MAJOR PARKS The boundaries of the Framework Zones were determined not only by vacancy landscape and neighborhood.
conditions, but also by neighborhood identity and physical separation created by
MODERATE-VACANCY 2 CEMETERY The areas of lowest vacancy are neighborhoods that have historically been stable
major pieces of infrastructure or variations in land use. The goal was to analyze
N

The Framework Zones map was developed from thorough research and analysis of the in terms of population and housing values, making them more competitive with
FERSO

districts and neighborhoods in their entirety, not on the basis of parcel-level or
city’s physical and market conditions. The composite mapping is framed around degrees their regional counterparts. Similar to the areas of moderate-vacancy, these
T

block-level conditions. Previous mappings of the city– including the City’s Detroit
FOR

W. JEF

1 2 4 MILEs of existing and anticipated vacancy throughout the city. The Detroit Works Project neighborhoods continue to house a large percentage the city’s population. With
Works Project Short Term Actions map and Community Development Advocates
Short Term Actions used similar criteria in the development of their city-wide mapping. the deployment of near-term strategies that help to stabilize the housing market,
of Detroit’s (CDAD) Strategic Framework map—aggregated data to the block
level. While block level analysis is critical to neighborhood-based planning, it is less forestall the rate of foreclosures and maintain improvement levels of neighborhood
effective in determining direction for citywide decision making, particular where appearance and public safety, these neighborhoods can offer some of the best
ANALYSES THAT INFLUENCED THE FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKING
conditions may vary significantly from block to block as is common in the city today. traditional urban housing options in the region.
RESIDENTIAL PHYSICAL CONDITION ANALYSIS MARKET VALUE ANALYSIS DWP SHORT TERM ACTIONS INTEGRATED ANALYSIS The Framework Zones map should be understood to work in concert with these
The range of conditions found throughout Detroit provides the opportunity for
Evaluation of prevailing physical conditions and Evaluation of market factors and trends across Designation of general market types by the City of and future finer-grain maps: the Framework Zones providing the basis for citywide
creative reinvention of this land while simultaneously aligning scarce resources
DESCRIPTION

household occupancy trends in residential areas the city, identifying areas sharing common market Detroit based on physical conditions and market decision making; the finer grain mapping the basis for individual neighborhood
to have the greatest effect. Each Framework Zone should be seen in terms of its
across the city, identifying areas sharing common value characteristics to inform decision making and value characteristics, articulating specific short-term planning efforts.
opportunity, with the differences lying only in the range of strategies available to
characteristics to inform decision making and strategy. governmental roles for intervention. achieve transformation.
The Framework Zones define four main composite characteristics across the city,
strategy.
and where those characteristics may be found. This composite is defined typically
Percent change in households 2000-2010; vacant Median housing unit sales price 2009-2010; sales price Residential Physical Condition Analysis; Market Value by degrees of overall land and structural vacancy. These include Low-Vacancy, IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
INDICATORS

land; vacant housing; housing condition coefficient of variance; percent residential properties Analysis Moderate-Vacancy, High-Vacancy, and Greater Downtown. Greater Downtown
in REO; subsidized rental stock; vacant lots; vacant, stands out distinctly because while it does have considerable land vacancy, its 1 Establish framework zones and future land use maps as the basis for public,
open, and dangerous buildings; foreclosures; market characteristics remain the strongest in the city, and may incorporate private, and philanthropic investment.
commercial residential ratio; owner occupancy
/ different long-term goals and opportunities. 2 Base land use decisions on the fundamental physical and market conditions
Hamilton Anderson Associates; Data Driven Detroit; The Reinvestment Fund; Southeast Michigan Council Detroit Planning and Development Department; The of the city: low-vacancy, moderate-vacancy, high-vacancy, and Greater
Areas with the highest degree of vacancy represent areas in which the existing
SOURCES

US Census 2000-2010 of Governments (SEMCOG); US Census 2010; Data Reinvestment Fund; Hamilton Anderson Associates Downtown areas.
residential fabric has been significantly eroded and land is often lying fallow and
Driven Detroit; US Department of Housing and Urban unused. Transformational approaches to areas with the highest degree of vacant 3 Update framework zones map on a 5 year basis to reflect changes to
Development (HUD); Wayne County Assessor's Office land represent opportunities to dramatically improve the quality of life for those physical and market conditions.


locations

GREATER DOWNTOWN LOW-VACANCY MODERATE-VACANCY HIGH-VACANCY INDUSTRIAL LAND INDUSTRIAL LAND
USE STRENGTH USE CHANGE
GREATER DOWNTOWN LOW-VACANCY 1 MODERATE-VACANCY 1 HIGH-VACANCY
LOW-VACANCY 2 MODERATE-VACANCY 2 INDUSTRIAL LAND INDUSTRIAL LAND
USE STRENGTH USE CHANGE
1 2 4 MILEs 1 2 4 MILEs

108 109
example area


OCCUPIED VACANT

POPULATION: 45,279 MEAN INCOME: $32,652 POPULATION: 254,260 MEAN INCOME: $48.509 POPULATION: 318,140 MEAN INCOME: $35,821 POPULATION: 88,255 MEAN INCOME: $28,082 POPULATION: N/A MEAN INCOME: N/A POPULATION: N/A MEAN INCOME: N/A
32% V 7% 22% 56% 44% 21% 47% 32%
21% 16%
26% 30%
14% 5% 3% 26% 15% 33% 17%
OF CITY po OF CITY OF CITY 39% OF CITY 21% 14% 21% 16%
po po

HOUSING VACANT PARCELS: LAND AREA HOUSING VACANT PARCELS: LAND AREA HOUSING VACANT PARCELS: LAND AREA HOUSING VACANT PARCELS: LAND AREA VACANT PARCELS*: VACANT LAND AREA: VACANT PARCELS*: VACANT LAND AREA:
VACANCY PUBLICLY OWNED VACANCY PUBLICLY OWNED VACANCY PUBLICLY OWNED VACANCY PUBLICLY OWNED PUBLICLY OWNED PUBLICLY OWNED PUBLICLY OWNED PUBLICLY OWNED
DESCRIPTION AND STATISTICS

GREATER DOWNTOWN is broken out as a LOW-VACANCY 1 neighborhoods have very low MODERATE-VACANCY 1 neighborhoods have HIGH-VACANCY neighborhoods have very high INDUSTRIAL LAND USE STRENGTH areas contain INDUSTRIAL LAND USE CHANGE areas are
separate framework zone due to its role as the land and building vacancy. They also have the moderate land and building vacancy. The traditional rates of both land and building vacancy. These Detroit's industrial lands that hold the most promise formerly industrial corridors and nodes in Detroit
commercial core of the city and its unique physical strongest residential markets relative to the rest residential fabric in these neighborhoods is areas have largely lost their residential character. for productive use going forward. At the heart of where an industrial critical mass is gone, or nearly
form and zoning, which support higher densities of the city. Despite falling market values, they have punctuated by interspersed vacant land and Residential structures are often isolated in a larger these zones lie Detroit’s strongest and most diverse so. The topography of viable industrial activity in
and mixed-use development. It is characterized maintained steady demand, accounting for their buildings. Market conditions in most instances are field of maintained or unmaintained vacant land. existing industrial nodes, which act as anchors for Detroit has evolved in tandem with technological
by moderate amounts of land and building low-vacancy rates. Relative to the rest of the city weak, showing vulnerability with low demand and These areas have experienced high rates of illegal other industrial and commercial activity. These advances and market globalization, and these
vacancy. As a result, it has the highest capacity they have had lower rates of home foreclosure. high foreclosure rates. Many Moderate-Vacancy dumping and other forms of neglect. They exhibit areas combine higher employment density with changes are reflected in industrial firms’ individual
for increased commercial and residential growth They include many of the city’s historic districts. 1 areas, due to their proximity to Low-Vacancy very weak to no market outside of speculative land good infrastructure access, a variety of appropriate and collective land use decisions. As a result, certain
due to significant amounts of buildable land and neighborhoods, show greater potential for purchases adjacent to key city assets. A very high development sites, and buffering from residential areas once appropriate for industrial use are no
an existing multi-story building fabric. Greater LOW-VACANCY 2 neighborhoods have low land stabilization than Moderate-Vacancy 2 areas. percentage of vacant land in High-Vacancy areas is land uses. These corridors have the best potential longer so and should be reassessed and ultimately
Downtown has the strongest market demand in the and building vacancy and by all appearances in public ownership. for meeting the needs of current and future transitioned to land uses more beneficial to Detroit
city for additional residential and commercial uses. retain their identity as intact traditional residential MODERATE-VACANCY 2 neighborhoods show advanced and traditional industrial sectors. communities.
It also has low rates of foreclosure, relative to the neighborhoods. However, the residential markets an extreme variation of vacancy conditions from
rest of the city. in these areas have shown elevated rates of home moderate to high. As a result, many Moderate-
vacancy as well as high rates of home foreclosure. Vacancy 2 areas are on the verge of losing their
Falling home values and weakening demand have largely residential character. These areas have weak
made them vulnerable to future depopulation and residential markets with very low demand and high
increased vacancy. foreclosure rates. They tend to be located adjacent *Note: Vacant Land was coded in the Industrial land survey as 1)
to areas of High-Vacancy. vacant site; abandoned or 2) vacant site; empty


EXISTING DETROIT LAND USE TYPOLOGY EXAMPLES
RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOGIES GREEN RESIDENTIAL TRADITIONAL LOW DENSITY TRADITIONAL MEDIUM DENSITY GREEN MIXED-RISE

SUPPORT A NETWORK OF NEW AND
1. 2. 3. 4.
EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD TYPES B
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER DISTRICT CENTER CITY CENTER Live+Make
LAND USE TYPOLOGIES
MIXED USE TYPOLOGIES

110 111

Land use typologies comprise the building blocks for the future land use map. They INDUSTRIAL TYPOLOGIES. The proposed industrial typologies recognize
provide the vision and strategic direction for specific districts and neighborhoods that Detroit's economic and productive uses vary significantly in terms of their


throughout the city, while simultaneously addressing the existing and anticipated scale, intensity, and impacts. The amount of vacant land around many industrial
land use conditions presented within the Framework Zones. The three major areas also provides unique design opportunities that are integrated into the
categories of land use typologies—Neighborhoods, Industrial, and Landscape— typologies.
work together within the Framework Zones to guide strategic decision making that
contributes to a more sustainable city and improves quality of life for residents. Modern industrial activity is essential to Detroit's economic growth but it needs to
be carefully planned to maximize the use of existing land and infrastructure while
5. 6. 7. 8. NEIGHBORHOOD TYPOLOGIES. Detroit’s neighborhoods must be regionally creating an attractive and healthy environment for both businesses and adjacent
competitive to retain current residents, attract new residents, and provide the neighborhoods. This includes an opportunity to establish a new era for making
quality of life everyone deserves. Such neighborhoods should not only fulfill things in the city, with cleaner, more sustainable measures that support research,
multiple resident lifestyle needs, they must also contribute to a neighborhood cultivation, assembly, and artisanal uses.
HEAVY INDUSTRIAL / utilities GENERAL INDUSTRIAL LIGHT INDUSTRIAL
“Given the prevalence of model that establishes sustainable densities for the city at large. The neighborhood
Detroit’s market for industrial land and real estate is unique in several ways when
INDUSTRIAL TYPOLOGIES

high-vacancy neighborhoods typologies range from recognizable, traditional forms to non-traditional and
and industrial areas with innovative prototypes that offer opportunities for new mixed-use communities compared to the markets for other typologies. Users often choose their space
abandoned warehouses, and the integration of residential structures with transformative landscapes. In and location based on purely pragmatic criteria such as access to transportation
it would seem that the infrastructure and workforce, number of loading docks, ceiling clearances, and
some instances, such neighborhood development will leverage existing assets to
Green Residential and the floor loads. These recognized real estate standards for modern industry need to be
Live+Make typologies would
stimulate greater market demand that could support higher density housing types.
accommodated in the design of Detroit's industrial typologies to ensure they are
be . . . particularly beneficial.”
LANDSCAPE TYPOLOGIES. Not all areas of the city that were historically traditional regionally competitive.
Alexandra, Community Conversation residential neighborhoods can remain as such. In areas with high levels of vacancy,
#3, 9/2012 eroding physical condition, diminished quality of life, and virtually nonexistent Proposed industrial activity is categorized into five distinct typologies that outline
market demand, new investment in residential uses cannot be recommended. No standards for density and use. A critical consideration for the design of the industrial
resident should be forced to move, however. The Detroit Strategic Framework typologies is the proposed interface between industrial activity and other, nearby
9. 10. 11.
recommends a range of approaches to serving residents in these areas, while non-industrial uses. The Live+Make typology, for instance, is intended to encourage
preparing for the transformation of these areas as residential population declines. a wide range of uses from small-scale manufacturing to housing and can therefore
New and productive land uses in these areas can provide needed jobs to Detroit be designed in the context of existing economic districts and neighborhoods. On
INNOVATION PRODUCTIVE INNOVATION ECOLOGICAL LARGE PARKS the other hand, the Heavy Industrial typology recognizes that some industrial uses
residents, and allow land that no longer serves a productive purpose to return to a
require a significant distance and buffering from other uses. The result is a range
LANDSCAPE TYPOLOGIES

maintained version of its natural state.
of typologies that enable the opportunity to either integrate small-scale industrial
These areas can be re-imagined as landscapes for economic growth, infrastructure, activity into communities, or buffer higher-impact uses in a way that supports
and ecology. In each, landscapes provide a unique opportunity to address existing economic activity.
challenges of environmental justice and environmental decline. New landscapes
can provide needed jobs to Detroit residents, perform infrastructural functions
like capturing stormwater and cleaning air, provide habitat to local wildlife and
migrating birds, and decrease maintenance costs. Landscape typologies also include Image Sources: 1) HAA; 2) HAA; 3,4) Marvin Shaouni; 5) HAA; 6) Parkerdr, Wikimedia Commons;
large parks like Belle Isle and Palmer Park, which provide important recreational 7) Marvin Shaouni: 8,9) HAA; 10) Connie Johnson; 11) Interface Studio; 12) Marvin Shaouni; 13)
opportunities and ecological functions for the city and region. Suzanne Temple, blogspot.com;14) Mike Russell
12. 13. 14.


TRADITIONAL medium-density
TRADITIONAL LOW-DENSITY
TYPOLOGIES: RESIDENTIAL
neighborhood land use

GREEN RESIDENTIAL

GREEN MIXED-RISE
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neighborhood land use
TYPOLOGIES: mixed use

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER

DISTRICT CENTER
112 113

CITY CENTER

Live+Make


FORD

IGAN 50-YEAR LAND USE map
MICH

CITY CENTER GENERAL INDUSTRIAL
DISTRICT CENTER LIGHT INDUSTRIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER GREEN RESIDENTIAL
N
FERSO

GREEN MIXED-RISE INNOVATION PRODUCTIVE
“It seems neighborhood centers

HEAVY INDUSTRIAL / utilities
W. JEF

TRADITIONAL MEDIUM INNOVATION ECOLOGICAL would most provide what’s
missing. They’d bring in needed

INDUSTRIAL land use
TRADITIONAL LOW LARGE PARK

GENERAL INDUSTRIAL
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL
Source: DWPLTP Planning Team services and foster community,
FORT

Live+Make CEMETERY

tYPOLOGIES
which is vital to connection, safety,
HEAVY INDUSTRIAL GREEN BUFFER life, and excitement . . . I appreciate
1 2 4 MILEs
UTILITIES adding the green aspects to each
for true sustainability, especially
The 50-year land use map is built from the land use typologies. There are three major categories of land use typologies: Neighborhoods, Industrial, buffering the industrial areas.”
and Landscape. Within each of these major categories there is a range of potential typologies, each providing the vision for returning vacant land
Karen, Email Comment, 9/2012
to productive uses.

“The employment districts are
needed as soon as possible. The
connected transit network is
a major concern for all Detroit
residents. Innovative landscapes

INNOVATION PRODUCTIVE

INNOVATION ECOLOGICAL
LANDSCAPE land use

is what is needed in bringing
services up to a better degree of
TYPOLOGIES

LARGE PARK
living.”
Merrell, Land Use Open House, 8/28/2012


neighborhood land use typologies: residential

GREEN RESIDENTIAL areas illustrate one of the more profound ways in which TRADITIONAL LOW-DENSITY defines several of Detroit's historic districts. The TRADITIONAL MEDIUM-DENSITY areas are primarily residential, with peripheral GREEN MIXED-RISE presents an innovative new residential neighborhood that
Detroit may become a leader in sustainable land use, responding to neighborhood predominant housing type in these areas is the detached single-family house on retail and other commercial uses. Traditional medium-density areas typify the combines medium- and high-density multi-family housing (both low- and high-
disinvestment and population loss by creating a new urban identity integrated a 45-foot-wide (or larger) parcel, placed within a range of urban grids or lower- dominant residential pattern throughout the city. The predominant housing rise) within a landscape setting. This landscape context can favor more productive
114 with landscape. The Green Residential typology proposes transformed, landscape- density meandering suburban streets. A limited mix of commercial retail types type is the detached single-family house on a 30- to 45-footwide parcel within characteristics (such as community gardens and forests), or more ecological 115
based neighborhoods that transform Detroit’s vacant and underutilized land may be located at the periphery. Public space is provided by neighborhood parks, a conventional urban street grid, but may also include attached duplex and characteristics (such as blue and green infrastructures and new urban habitats).
into a canvas of green, supporting single- and multi-family residential along with schools, or recreation centers. Future development of a similar size and scale townhouse structures. A mix of retail types is located in commercial strips or nodes Commercial retail and employment may be interspersed within the development area
community-maintained recreational spaces, productive landscapes, and blue/green should be reviewed carefully to confirm sustainable densities, and suitable cost/ at the periphery of these neighborhoods. Public space is provided by neighborhood or at the periphery along corridors. Green Mixed-Rise neighborhoods demonstrate a


infrastructure. revenue ratio to provide services. Traditional Low-Density neighborhoods rely upon parks, schools, or recreation centers. At full density, Traditional Medium-Density unique way for Detroit to incorporate and attract greater density by capitalizing on
relatively better market strength compared with other Detroit neighborhoods, Residential neighborhoods maintain a sustainable cost to provide services. existing physical assets– such as the east riverfront, and especially areas susceptible
GREEN RESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONAL use shares the same set of strategic and have correspondingly higher taxable valuable and revenues to sustain cost- to flooding—while fostering a more symbiotic relationship with the natural
interventions as the Green Residential typology, but defers city systems renewal effective delivery of services. environment. The relatively high density of the Green Mixed-Rise neighborhood
decisions until residential densities have achieved long-term stability. achieves a low cost to provide services.
neighborhood land use typologies: mixed use

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS are vibrant mixed-use environments that are hubs DISTRICT CENTERS are active, medium-to-high density, mixed-use areas that CITY CENTER is a dynamic mixed-use environment that functions as the city and LIVE+MAKE presents another opportunity for Detroit to become a change leader
for commercial, community, and recreational activities for adjacent residential provide an even split of residential and employment uses. They are typically region’s core for commercial and service employment. The typology supports in innovative urban design. Repurposed historic industrial structures and land that
areas. These neighborhoods incorporate a limited mix of commercial employment anchored by a major commercial or institutional employer such as a university or dense multi-family apartment and loft residential to maintain a 24/7 mixed-use fosters a blend of smaller scale, low-impact production activity is combined with a
and retail uses, and support a diverse range of residential housing types from medical center. Residential areas incorporate a mix of housing types from multi- environment. A mix of retail types caters to its diverse employee, resident, and diversity of other land uses. This typology provides a framework for true live-work
multi-family to townhouse to detached single-family. Neighborhood retail is family to townhouse to detached single-family. Multiple medium-density residential visitor populations. Major civic public spaces provide regional destinations for in Detroit by allowing artisanal and small manufacturing, fabrication, assembly,
integrated into the residential fabric in nodes or along commercial strips. Public neighborhoods typically surround a District Center. District and neighborhood events and recreation. and workshop uses compatible with housing and retail. The scale of industrial use
spaces include neighborhood parks or squares, as well as integrated landscapes. center retail types cater to resident and employee populations. Major civic cultural is relatively fine grained, with a range of overall forms, including occupying multi-
Schools, recreation centers, libraries, cultural centers, or places of worship provide institutions and public spaces provide regional and neighborhood destinations. story, former industrial structures as well the development of new building types.
institutional anchors. Any adaptive reuse or new construction should be encouraged to have space set
LAND USE COLOR CODE aside for productive activities.
OFFICE RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONAL RETAIL INDUSTRIAL


"We need to grow
more of our own food,
clean our air and water
through strategic use of
INDUSTRIAL land use typologieS

plants, produce energy
from renewable sources."
Mary Lou, Land Use Open
House, 8/28/2012

“While I don’t know all
neighborhoods well enough
to determine if the land
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL areas incorporate modern, light industrial uses that provide GENERAL INDUSTRIAL areas incorporate the bulk of Detroit’s non-infrastructural HEAVY INDUSTRIAL districts accommodate high-impact industrial activity use typologies designated
attractive environments for jobs and are compatible with nearby neighborhoods. industrial lands. They provide job centers to accommodate a wide range of isolated from other residential and commercial uses. Low building coverage– often in the given maps is the
116 They accommodate light industrial business and technology parks, food processing production and distribution activities, buffered from other uses with blue/green lacking enclosed activity—accommodates industrial activity like storage tanks, best choice, I think defining 117
and wholesaling, advanced manufacturing, and research and development infrastructure. The impact of the activities located here is lower than those found pipelines, and material yards in this zone. Heavy industrial zones are more permissive land use typologies and
looking at where they best
facilities on high-value urban land in an attractive, low-impact environment. Design in heavy industrial areas, and many general industrial zones already abut residential of high impacts such as noise, vibration, odor, traffic, and activity in order to provide
fit will be potentially very
guidelines, performance standards, and a percentage of by-right office uses would neighborhoods. Higher building coverages, large lots, and building footprints for functional and secure space in the city required by petrochemical tank farms,
beneficial.”


provide for an environment competitive with suburban business and technology and truck circulation areas are found in this zone, which comprises the most refineries, gasification plants, asphalt, and concrete plants. Additional areas for
parks, with the added advantage of proximity to educational and health assets appropriate territory for retention and growth of modern industrial facilities. Urban community-serving heavy industrial activities– including scrap yards, salvage yards, Alexandra, DWP Community
located in the city. Low-impact light industrial users– fabricators, wholesalers, and desi

Detroit Future City: 2012 Detroit Strategic Framework Plan

Detroit Future City: 2012 Detroit Strategic Framework Plan

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