After all, if they were, Detroit wouldn’t be in this mess.
1. Rezone waterfront property to city parks
a. Remove all current structures and buildings:
i. Only Joe Louis, Cobo Arena, & the Ren Center should remain
b. New green space should include:
i. Well lit boardwalks, biking and running paths
ii. Open sand beaches w/ access to the water
iii. Basketball courts, Baseball, Football, and Soccer Fields
iv. New science, history, and art museums
v. An Aquarium and Zoo
vi. Fountains and Sculpture Garden
2. Build Mass Transit Subway Lines
a. Line 1: Airport – NE to Dwntwn – Ren Center – NE to Grosse Pointe
b. Line 2: Ren Center – NW – Comerica / Ford Field – NW – Detroit Med Center – NW – Intersection I-94 & I-75
c. Build free 24hr commuter parking lots at Airport, Grosse Pointe, and
Intersection I-94 & I-75 stops
3. Redraw downtown streets into a grid pattern
a. All streets intersect at right angles
b. Rename streets accordingly North to South and East to West
i. Arthur, Brooklyn, Cass… Ave 1, Ave 2, Ave 3 etc…
c. This will likely require the demolition and removal of vacant buildings
4. Build low income housing projects SW of downtown
a. Position along the subway line between the Airport and Downtown
b. Open up an additional subway stop to service the low income population
c. Gives people who can’t afford houses and the accompanying mortgages another
option and prevents issue 6 from ever occurring in the first place
5. Build three new large public School campuses
a. NE, NW and SW side of the city
b. The three schools will take the place of all current public school facilities
i. These three schools will service all of Detroit’s K-12 students
ii. All 3 schools will receive equal funding
c. Having only 3 schools provides:
i. An opportunity for competition
Example: If any one school’s students underperform the other two on
standardized tests for four years running, the Principles, teachers
and executives can expect to be replaced with a more competent staff
ii. Eliminates superfluous management and fixed costs inherent in
running multiple locations
6. Tear out and demolish remaining vacant homes
a. This should be last, because if everything above is complete and the city is now a
desirable place in which to live and do business, independent real estate
developers will likely already be taking care of this problem.
