What do you think needs to be done about the 110,000 abandoned homes and businesses in the city of Detroit?

Question

I read in the Detroit newspaper today that there are over 110,000 abandoned homes and businesses in the city of Detroit... and in year 2020 there are suppose to be 160,000 abandoned structures. I live in the Detroit suburbs and most people in the suburbs, little alone the rest of the country, have no idea about the huge number of abandoned homes. like literally if you go into to Detroit... you will see that it is turning into a ghost town. if you go down a random street homes are either burned up and abandoned.. or homes just vacant and with weeds growing in them with broken windows and no doors.
and rapes and crimes happen all the time in these abandoned structures. I think it's so unfortunate that none of the big ol' Obama stimulus plan money didn't go to helping out the demolition of the situation of all the abandoned buildings in the city of Detroit.

what do you think should happen?

In an ideal situation I think all the homes and streets should be ripped up and parks and many trees should be put in their place... but obviously that would never happen.

Answer 1

that is like not a national problem... so no one is gonna care. go write a letter to the mayer or your governor or some shi†

Answer 2

The tragedy is that Detroit is a beautiful city and all those homes have this fantastic historical value. Tearing it down is eradicating a city that literally mechanized the world. That was the epicenter of a technological revolution - not just cars but all manner of technology. Ideally Detroit needs to cut out the corruption (which is a long shot) but then attract scientific researchers back to the city. To try and turn Detroit into a place where researchers can attempt to revolutionize the planet once again.



Edit: Obama has nothing to do with the deterioration of Detroit. Deregulation of corporations and tax breaks for those who move factories over seas is what lead to the deterioration of Detroit.

Answer 3

Some people do think it would be better to consolidate neighborhoods in areas and relocate people to reduce costs for police, fire, sanitation, lighting, public transportation, etc.. and convert those abandoned areas to parks, urban farms, etc.. Whether Detroit can come up with a plan to bring in new business, industry and technologies to grow those abandoned areas again remains to be seen. In the short term, something should be done to lower the costs of maintaining city services to those areas. It's going to take time and commitment...these problems didn't happen overnight and neither will the solution. Offering some homes for free or low cost and grants for improvements to city workers may help improve areas. Perhaps Detroit should look into vertical farming or aquaponics methods which employ local people and grow crops where they are needed in the city...they could supply lower cost foods to surrounding areas as well. Mining equipment manufacturing is also a growing field....Detroit could be in a good position to manufacture and ship all over the world.

http://www.startribune.com/business/118533159.html

http://www.prweb.com/releases/construction_machinery/mining_machinery/prweb4596474.htm



http://www.verticalfarm.com/

http://verticalfarmingaustralia.blogspot.com/



A company here in Milwaukee that is a world leader in Aquaponic methods...

http://growingpower.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV9CCxdkOng&feature=related





"Bank of America, the country's largest bank by assets, has announced an initiative to demolish one hundred abandoned Detroit homes currently under the bank's ownership, a task that CEO Brian T. Moynihan says will "help 'right-size' the city," according to the Detroit Free Press.



The bank, which estimates the costs at $1 million, says the land plots will be donated to the city "for green space, urban farming or redevelopment."



Bank of America also plans to donate ten renovated homes to Detroit police officers willing to move into one of Mayor Bing's two designated-need neighborhoods, Boston-Edison and East English Village. Mayor Bing hopes to draw police officers -- and eventually firefighters -- back into the neighborhoods they service. Many have left for the suburbs since a bill ended residency requirements for officers in 1999."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/23/bank-of-america-detroit-abandoned-homes_n_839817.html



"Detroit Mayor Offers Cops Abandoned Homes for $1,000"



"The city is making 200 abandoned homes in two of Detroit's most stable and historic neighborhoods available to the officers, who will also receive $150,000 each in federal grants for home renovations if they join the program, according to The Detroit News. Until 1999, Detroit police officers were required to live within the city's borders."

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/08/detroit-mayor-dave-bing-offers-cops-abandoned-homes-for-1-000/

Answer 4

You are seeing the beginning of the end obama does not want to help do anything that would be good for our nation think about sense he has been in office has he done anything for the people, its has all been for the big corporations and the industries he is and will be for that cause instead of the middle over taxed to death gas-ed out average american the only way to change anything is to demand better from powers to be and speak up before in becomes a war of weapons we must stand together as americans united to make an effort to change the wrong and make them listen if we do not then we are just as much at fault for sealing our fate as they are.

Answer 5

Seems like these places need to be maintained. Maybe the homes can be given to returning Iraq / Afghanistan / Libya veterans, and Detroit might try a reverse property tax, where people who let their places get run down have to pay *more*.