Who thinks Detroit will turn around within the next 5 years?

[Account Closed]

I've been on BP for a little under a week now, I love this site it's so informative. My question to you guys though is "Do you believe Detroit is making a turn around for the better & Will the change be noticed within the next 5 years???" I've seen too many people bagging on my city it's ridiculous. It bothers me that our city is in this particular situation because we've got sooo many great people who wanna see/make a change here & i'm one of them.

[Tom A.]

I have to reject the premise of the question because it asks if "Detroit" will turn around in 5 years. What is "Detroit"?

If you know the city then you know it's the size of Boston, San Francisco and Manhattan combined. It's not one monolithic neighborhood and it never has been.

Some areas clearly have momentum. There are areas where rentals are hard to find, waiting lists abound and landlords with desired properties have increased rents from $1100/mo. to $1500/mo. in one year.

There are other areas that are bad and getting worse. And then there is the urban prarie, the land that was occupied by many of the 2 million people who lived in the city in the 50's, that's now vacant and fallow.

There's not just one story of Detroit, or one future trajectory. Like many cities, Detroit real estate is neighborhood by neighborhood.

We can discuss the city's overall finances, or mass transit, or the local economy and refer to "Detroit" as one entity, but when looking at a "potential turnaround" you better specify the neighborhood or even the cross streets.