United Way for Southeastern Michigan

I didn't have a chance to blog about my perceptions of Detroit on Sunday after our 3 hour tour of the city - why was amazing by the way! Thank you Jeanette from Inside Detroit (www.insidedetroit.org). But I was really challenged in my expectations for the city, so I feel that it's very important for me to share what I learned and experienced, especially to those of you back home.

I participate in these sorts of volunteer immersion experiences on a fairly regular basis. I have traveled to some of our country's most neediest cities to volunteer, usually staying in the most dangerous parts of the city. But for some reason, it was this trip to Detroit that really set all my friends and family on edge. Everyone always tells me to travel safely...but this time around, friends and family were legitimately concerned for my safety, and were not shy in expressing that concern.

I had done my research - I knew the stats about Detroit in terms of poverty, need, unemployment, murder, crime, drugs, etc. I also as an econ major had done a fair amount of studying on the pros and cons of urban growth boundaries - specifically as a case study looking at Detroit as an example of what happens with large population influxes and no urban growth boundary - basically the idea of urban sprawl, urban decay, and the Ring of Fire effect all compacted into one city. What happens when buildings start to age or problems arise in a neighborhood, and there's no limit to how a big a city can grow? So people start moving out, building new buildings, and abandoning the old. Quickly the oldest parts of your town are going to erode and it's just down hill from there without the proper supports in place.

Anyway, I came to Detroit not really sure what to expect. After all my research, I had really begun to associate the entire city of Detroit with poverty, need, and danger. And for some reason in my mind, I viewed the entire city in that manner. But I was SO wrong.

Don't get me wrong....Detroit definitely has needs. There are whole neighborhoods that are literally falling apart. Where one in four houses is boarded up and abandoned. The crime rates are staggering...and as America's capital for auto manufacturing....well I don't even need to finish that thought.

But the opportunities in Detroit are endless. The potential HUGE. And the current offerings of the city are immense. Detroit's downtown area is beautiful and offers everything that other large metro downtowns have to offer, including the country's second largest theater district, one of the largest varieties of restaurants (in fact 125 restaurants and bars in one square mile of downtown Detroit)...and OH did I mention, that you actually travel south from Detroit to enter Canada? You actually see Canada over the body of water that borders downtown Detroit! It's like a 20 or 30 minute drive. Amazing hospitals, gorgeous buildings, and so much history. I found it humorous when we drove by an old church that was celebrating it's 150th birthday...that's what Oregon is celebrating this year!

I guess what I want people to take away from this blog and my thoughts is really that even though Detroit has a lot of needs, it has a lot to offer too. All cities across our country have need....but that doesn't mean that they don't have anything to offer.

Let's identify the need. Let's ask ourselves why the need exists. And then let's ask what we can do to make sure the need doesn't exist in 5 or 10 years. But at the same time, let's look at the positives. And let me tell ya....Detroit has a lot of positives. So if you have a chance to come visit...I HIGHLY recommend it!

Have a Coney Dog while you're here - because they apparently started in Detroit. mmmm Yummy!