Planning and development in Detroit since the late 20th century has attempted to enhance the economy and quality of life of Detroit, Michigan, United States. In 1970, the private group Detroit Renaissance began to facilitate development in the city. Its successor, Business Leaders for Michigan, has continued to facilitate development into the 21st century. Projects have included new commercial facilities, revitalization of neighborhoods, hospitality infrastructure, and improvements to recreational and public facilities, such as the QLine light rail project.
History
In 1970, Henry Ford II conceived of the Renaissance Center as a way to help the city retain residents who were moving to the suburbs. The group announced the first phase of construction in 1971. Detroit Mayor Roman Gribbs touted the project as part of "a complete rebuilding from bridge to bridge," referring to the area between the Ambassador Bridge that connected Detroit to Windsor, Ontario and the MacArthur Bridge, which connects the city with Belle Isle Park. He presented architectural renderings of "linked riverfront parks" from Renaissance Center to MacArthur Bridge, like a necklace, for public access.
The first Renaissance Center tower opened on July 1, 1976.Detroit News Staff (September 29, 2001). How the Renaissance Center changed the landscape of Detroit Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. Architects' initial design for the Renaissance Center focused on creating secure interior spaces, while its design later expanded to connect with the exterior spaces and waterfront through a reconfigured interior, open glass entryways, and a Wintergarden.
Late in 1973, Detroit elected its first African-American mayor, Coleman Young. During his administration, major developments completed included a combination of residential, retail, business, and retail projects: Renaissance Center, the Joe Louis Arena, the Detroit People Mover, the General Motors Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant, Detroit Receiving Hospital, the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant, the Riverfront Condominiums, the Millender Center Apartments, Harbortown, 150 West Jefferson, One Detroit Center and restoration of the Fox Theatre.
Dennis Archer, a former Michigan Supreme Court Justice and mayor in the mid-to-late 1990s, supported a plan to add casinos as a catalyst for development in Detroit. Initially, his plan was for a casino cluster along the east riverfront.McWhirter, Cameron and Darren A. Nichols (December 13, 2002). "Hurdles will test riverfront vision", Detroit News. Ultimately, three large hotels with attached casinos were constructed in or near Detroit's downtown area: the Greektown Casino Hotel, the MGM Grand Detroit, and the Motor City Casino. In 2007, USA Today reported that the State of Michigan received more than $8.3 million yearly from Detroit's three casinos, and that in 2006 Detroit ranked fifth in U.S. casino markets with $1.3 billion in annual revenue.Williams, Corey (9-13-2007).Detroit casinos deal city urban renewal. Retrieved on December 31, 2008. Archer also championed the construction of two new sports stadiums, Ford Field for the Detroit Lions and Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers.
In June 2007, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) organization, celebrated the first significant opening of new public space on the Detroit International Riverfront since its inception in early 2003. It has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and manage Detroit's riverfront. The International Riverfront area ranges from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle in downtown Detroit, encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail shops, skyscrapers, and high-rise residential areas along the Detroit River.
In 2009, Detroit Renaissance expanded its mission to address the need for regional economic development;History Business Leaders For Michigan the successor organization, Business Leaders for Michigan, is a group that gives thousands of dollars to Republican political campaigns. It is devoted to the creation of the Newt Gingrich-supported Michigan Turnaround Plan.Michigan Turnaround Plan Other participants in area revitalization efforts include the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy,Detroit Renaissance accomplishments. Retrieved on July 24, 2007. the Detroit Economic Club, the Detroit Club, Cityscape Detroit, universities in the Detroit region, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which has offices in the Cadillac Place state office complex in the city's New Center area.
In recognition of the city's architecture and historic significance, many of the city's buildings and districts have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are eligible for federal historic tax credits for development.CIRE Magazine :: Federal Historic Tax Credit Aids Adaptive Reuse DevelopersNational Historic Preservation Act of 1966 , Public Law 102-575, National Register of Historic Places, Official site. Retrieved May 12, 2010. State tax historic tax credits are also available for qualified historic preservation.Bailey, Ruby L (August 22, 2007). "The D is a draw: Most suburbanites are repeat visitors", Detroit Free Press. New Detroit Free Press-Local 4 poll conducted by Selzer and Co., finds, "nearly two-thirds of residents of suburban Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties say they at least occasionally dine, attend cultural events or take in professional games in Detroit." Retrieved on August 22, 2007.
Initiatives
Some of Detroit's successful revitalizations include the New Center, Lafayette Park, East Ferry Avenue Historic District, Campus Martius, Grand Circus Park Historic District, and Washington Boulevard Historic District. In 2002, a major renovation of the historic Cadillac Place consolidated state offices from around the area into the city's New Center area. In 2003, General Motors completed a $500 million redevelopment of the Renaissance Center as its world headquarters.Mercer, Tenisha (October 19, 2005)GM's RenCen renovation attracts new business back. Detroit News. Retrieved on July 24, 2007.
The east riverfront promenade development for the Detroit International Riverfront was planned at $559 million, including $135 million from GM and $50 million from the Kresge Foundation.Detroit News Editorial (December 13, 2002). At Last, Sensible Dream for Detroit's Riverfront. Detroit News. The city has completed major redevelopment of Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square Park. The plans have produced new downtown stadiums and a rebuilt freeway system intended to showcase the city for Super Bowl XL. With $1.6 billion in construction projects in 2004, the rapid pace of development in the city prompted construction of a $30 million cement terminal.Concrete Monthly (October 2005)Lafarge's new cement terminal is an important part of Detroit's revitalization . Retrieved on July 24, 2007. In 2007, Bank of America announced that it would commit $25 billion to community development in Michigan following its acquisition of LaSalle Bank in Troy.Crain's Detroit Business (October 4, 2007)Bank of America commits $25 billion for community development in Michigan. Metro Mode Media. Retrieved on September 6, 2008.
For 2010, the domestic automakers reported significant profits, indicating the beginning of rebound.Schroeder, Robert (July 30, 2010).Obama says U.S. auto industry on rebound. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on December 28, 2010.GM posts profit, CEO Whitacre to retire.CNN Money. Retrieved on December 28, 2010.Cwiek, Sarah (November 30, 2010).New study shows strong economic recovery in Metro Detroit . NPR Michigan. Retrieved December 28, 2010. Between 2009 and 2010, Detroit ranked seventh in the nation for economic recovery.Alan Berube and Philipp Rode: "Global MetroMonitor: The Path to Economic Recovery", The Brookings Institution and London School of Economics and Political Science, November 30, 2010. A study conducted in 2006 by the University of Michigan-Dearborn determined that, in addition to the roughly 18,000 employees at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, activity had generated an additional 14,500 jobs in Wayne County and another 70,000 statewide,University of Michigan-Dearborn. "Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport: 2006 Economic Impact Study." 2006. primarily through firms such as hotels, restaurants, and rental car agencies. The study made the assumption that passenger traffic through the airport and economic activity in these service industries would increase on a 1:1 ratio.
The Wayne County Airport Authority saw the potential for growth in the air transportation sector almost a decade ago, and began a capital improvement plan for the airport. The three original terminals from the 1950s were replaced by two new state-of-the-art terminals that opened in 2002 and 2008, respectively. Other major infrastructure improvements have been made to the runways, cargo facilities, and the terminals themselves, with an eye toward increasing the airport's capacity. At the time, the FAA forecasted a 15.2% growth in passenger travel from 2005 to 2010, and another 12.8% increase from 2010 to 2015. It was projected that the construction projects themselves would create 4,470 jobs, with an additional 21,500 jobs statewide due to increased passenger traffic.U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1
One major focus of the capital improvement plan was to enhance Detroit's international gateway. Total travel has grown due to a surge in international travel, and international flights continued to increase before the recession negatively affected such flights at many airports.Federal Aviation Administration. www.apo.data.faa.gov/main/taf.asp
Currently, initiatives have started to go beyond just improving the infrastructure and economy of Detroit. Policymakers are seeking to enhance the environmental well-being of their constituency. The city is allocating much of its budget in the coming years to lowering utility bills, creating more purified indoor air spaces by upgrading and repairing homes and appliances, and increasing access to sustainable and reliable transportation. This is being done with the intention of improving the expected welfare experienced by Detroiters. Green infrastructure is as well an initiative Detroit has included in their 2019 Sustainability Plan. Transitioning to more clean energy and green infrastructure not only helps subdue the negative impacts of climate change on the vulnerable and very polluted city, but it also helps Detroit's community, economy, and overall sustainability.
Detroit's Climate Strategy started in 2007 and has been worked on continuously ever since to build efforts towards sustainability. Multiple efforts combined with monetary incentives for enhancing Detroit’s infrastructure to be more green includes the 2010 $9.5 billion towards energy efficiency and upgrades in 19 different buildings, the 2016 citywide switch to LED streetlights opposed to high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights, the 2018 $3 million on green stormwater infrastructure, and lastly ending with the creation of the 2019 Sustainability Action Agenda Plan that updates every 4 years. The main goals of this action plan are centered on mitigation targeting greenhouse gas emissions and resilience for adapting to climate related issues such as floods, power outages and extreme heat.
Some other economic development initiatives in Detroit include the following: