Category Archives: Real Estate & Development

Debating Demolition & Downsizing in Detroit

Michigan Central Station by MikeRyu
On Saturday about 4000 extra people dropped by Michigan in Pictures. The impetus was a New York Times story on Michigan Central Station. Although the Detroit City Council voted to demolish MCS last year, a massive budget hole, a lawsuit, and new council members who aren't quite as bulldozer-happy:
“I don’t want [...]

Michigan seeks to use Land Banks for redevelopment

Abandoned Richardsonian Romanesque House in Detroit
( Former James Scott Mansion )
by Derek Farr
Michigan has 29 land bank authorities - more than any state. The Detroit News reports that Michigan is going to try to use these land banks to spur redevelopment and garner nearly $300 million:
With the federal money expected to come in January, cities [...]

Pontiac Silverdome – Sold!

Abandoned Pontiac Silverdome by Derek Farr
The Detroit News reports that the long-shuttered Pontiac Silverdome has been sold for a mere $583,000 as the home for a soccer league. However, with a cost over $55 million to construct:
"This was a giveaway," said David J. Leitch, a broker with an Auburn Hills based realty firm.
"The property alone, [...]

Assignment Detroit: A year in the Motor City

Is reality the next reality show?
The Nature Bar by SCOTTS WORLD
Time, Inc. bought a house in Detroit:
Why would we ever do such a thing? Because we believe that Detroit right now is a great American story. No city has had more influence on the country's economic and social evolution. Detroit was the birthplace of both [...]

Report from the 2009 Michigan Downtown Conference

Michigan downtowns, courtesy the photographers of the Absolute Michigan pool.

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Today I'm at the Michigan Downtown Conference in Lansing. This morning I'll be posting some updates from the conference as I'm able. This afternoon I'm on a panel with Julielyn Gibbons, Ryan Knott and Bigby Coffee co-founder Bob Fish, talking about [...]

Real Estate Gold Amidst Detroit's Downturn

Slows by farlane
A few weeks ago NPR had an interesting feature titled Despite Tough Times, Some See Opportunity In Detroit that looked at how Detroit's dramatic downturn has created some amazing opportunities for starting businesses.
Phil Cooley says the city is wide open for new ventures and is tolerant of his mistakes and successes. "It's lovely [...]

Flint's Carriage Town makes a comeback

The Mason House c 1872 in Carriage Town by mansardroofsf
The New York Times has taken note of an area in Flint called Carriage Town that is making a comeback due to some industrious and motivated homeowners. In the midst of an otherwise impoverished area and dire economic circumstances these people are taking advantage of [...]

MCS Panorama

Waiting room, Michigan Central
Station by jeanpierrelavoie
Over on Michigan in Pictures today we featured a link to an incredible panoramic walkthrough of Detroit’s Michigan Central Station by Montreal photographer Jean-Pierre Lavoie. The Detroit News had a feature on Lavoie that explains:
In Lavoie's past, he was an electrical engineer with an interest in cameras.
Now he's a former [...]

City as Canvas: Exploring the potential of Detroit

Craftsman Home, McLean Street
Highland Park MI by pinehurst19475
A few weeks ago, the Chicago Reader had a great feature saying there's nowhere in America quite like Detroit right now. You should read the whole thing but here's a taste:
They say when the country catches a cold, Michigan gets the flu. Projects that started before the subprime [...]

the evolution by buckshot.jones

Here's a guest article from buckshot.jones' excellent Detroit Journal.

Here's the process of prairiefying a city:

A city is built on the river, allowing for trade and commerce and irrigation of farms.
The city prospers and more people move in, the city expands. Farms on the edge of town are converted to housing, forest further on [...]