The situation in places like Las Vegas is bad enough, but Detroit’s problems run much deeper. Though its vacancy rates are marginally better than Sin City’s, Motown has been on the empty side for decades. An industrial boomtown during the first half of the 20th century, Detroit’s population swelled from 285,000 in 1900 to 990,000 in 1920, reaching a peak of 1.8 million in 1950.
But starting in the 1960s, Detroit began a precipitous decline. Detroit’s population is now 900,000–half what it was in the middle of the century–and many of its neighborhoods languish in varying states of decay. Most scholars blame rapid suburbanization, outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, and federal programs they say exacerbated the situation by creating a culture of joblessness and dependency.
Yet after more than half a century, countless scholars, politicians, community organizers developers and nonprofit workers have been unable to come up with a solution to fix Detroit.
Let me throw my hat into the ring. My suggestion is to make Detroit an arts hub by grabbing film location money and creating micro-artist colonies in the city. Say “whaaaaa?” Say: parts of it are being done successfully elsewhere… Check it:
First, there’s what’s being called the “Ugly Betty Tax Credit.” California lost production of the hit show “Ugly Betty” to New York City because New York offers a 35% tax credit to people shooting on location. Now Cali, which has seen its share of the media pie fall to cities from Baltimore (”The Wire”) to Toronto (Oliver Stone’s movie on 9/11… what? Shame), wants back more of the action. It’s debating giving a 25% tax credit to location shooters.
Detroit has great architecture, including a waterfront view of Canada; great Motown-era theatres; and a variety of housing. How about making it a big movie set? Offer a ridiculous tax credit–say 75%. Offer a fire sale like the depreciation of value. Create mixed-use backlots: movie sets that can be used by productions from different studios for rental fees.
Create selective tax-credit-ready residential neighborhoods that can take in the people who live off of a film industry… the makeup artists, the folks who do puzzling jobs in the credits, like “gaffer” and “best boy.”, etc. Put those residential tax cuts in geographically restricted areas so they can build a critical mass of people who once again make them thriving neighborhoods.
Yet another upshot is that if you live in an area where people in the film industry cluster, you’ll be more able to exchange information about jobs and work–or to plan your own productions. And that’s where things get fabulous: the synergy of entrepreneurs coming together.
Take this radical-tax-cut model and the similarly targeted residential cuts and replicate in multiple industries. Put phase-out timetables on the tax cuts and hope that once people put down roots, they will build companies and institutions that can stay operational.
In the meantime, neighborhoods that would be vacant will be occupied, which will cut down on crime. Consider turning a number of abandoned buildings into neighborhood gardens or pocket gardens a la New York City. Take a cue from MacArthur “Genius Award” winner (and former NBA player) Will Allen and pioneer ways of doing urban farming.
Urban farming can help re-build a system of healthy and mindful eating as well as local enterprise. And it’s not a bad thing to wake up, cross the street, open a gate, and suck in the sweet smell of ripening strawberries. It’d lower folks’ grocery costs and probably their blood pressure.
Pie in the sky? Maybe. But if you read paper and take a long look ahead, rebuilding a city like Detroit may require radical solutions that mix smart finance with lush green.
