On May 31, 2017, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan vowed to reverse more than half a century of destructive urban planning decisions, so as to rebuild Detroit as a city for everyone.
Mike Duggan (official photo).
Setting out eight principles to guide Detroit’s redevelopment, Duggan vowed not to support any renovation project that will displace low-income residents.
Duggan emphasized what economic historians have long recognized: that the decline of Detroit and other post-industrial cities was no accident but abetted by discriminatory policies written and enforced by the federal government in a post-World War II environment.
Those policies included denying mortgage insurance to mostly black neighborhoods in cities like Detroit while subsidizing mortgages to white families fleeing to new suburban subdivisions.
Here are Mayor Duggan’s 8 principles for guiding Detroit’s redevelopment:
- Everyone is welcome in our city.
- Detroit won’t support development if it displaces current Detroit residents.
- The city will fight economic segregation by pushing jobs into all neighborhoods.
- Blight removal is critical.
- Detroit will create walkable neighborhoods.
- Those who stayed will have a voice.
- Jobs and opportunities are available first to Detroiters.
- The riverfront is for everyone.
Feature photo credit: Adobe Stock
See full article by John Gallagher in the Detroit Free Press.