Police response times average 58 minutes for worst crimes and at times only 10 of the city's 36 ambulances are in service: Detroit's woes extend far beyond its unpaid debts. Many residents are hoping emergency management will bring drastic change.
"As officials negotiate urgently with creditors and unions in a last-ditch effort to spare Detroit from plunging into the largest municipal bankruptcy in the nation’s history, residents say the city has worse problems than its estimated $18 billion debt," writes Monica Davey.
“'The city is past being a city now; it’s gone,' said Kendrick Benguche, whose family lives on a block with a single streetlight, just down from a vacant firehouse that sits beside a burned-out home."
While some residents fret about the impacts of a possible bankruptcy filing, others are ready for drastic change.
“'For a lot of people, I think city government has become a nonentity here,' said Kurt Metzger, the director of Data Driven Detroit, which tracks demographic, economic and housing trends in the region. 'People almost feel like the city goes on in spite of city government — that city government in this case certainly doesn’t define the city — and that affects how they’re feeling about what comes next.'”
FULL STORY: Financial Crisis Just a Symptom of Detroit’s Woes
Detroit Still a Long Way from Recovery
It's fun to write miracle comeback stories, but the epic of Detroit's resurgence has been exaggerated, according to an article in The Conversation.
Lessons from Masterminds of Detroit's Rebirth
The enthusiasm of Detroit's new civic leadership, who engineered its bankruptcy and set up its recovery, is infectious. How the city will ultimately fare, and how other troubled cities learn from Detroit's mistakes, remains to be seen.
Judge Allows Detroit Bankruptcy to Proceed
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled today that the city of Detroit is eligible for bankruptcy protection, allowing the city to proceed with the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Public employee unions are expected to appeal.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research