The success stories about Detroit leave out big pieces of the puzzle, including some just outside of city limits. The Detroit News looks at the ongoing struggles of one of the forgotten neighborhoods in the suburb of South Warren.
"Some residents and merchants along Van Dyke — a busy corridor that runs through south Warren — say they feel the city has neglected their community," according to an article by Nicquel Terry examining the situation in the city of Warren, located just to the north of the city of Detroit.
"Crime, poverty, unkempt rental homes and vacant or aging storefronts dot south Warren, while the northern section of the city thrives with cleaner neighborhoods, big box retailers and companies such as General Motors investing millions of dollars in new developments."
Terry includes reactions to the conditions in south Warren from Mayor Jim Fouts, who "recently announced plans to build a satellite police station that operates 24 hours a day, a city hall office and a new library near Nine Mile and Van Dyke." Mayor Fouts hopes that the civic buildings prove a catalyst for "other development, such as supermarkets and single-family homes that are owned and not rented."
The article includes a lot more detail about the struggles of South Warren, as illustrated by demographic and economic data as well as anecdotes from residents living in the city.
FULL STORY: South Warren: The ‘forgotten’ neighborhoods
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