Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Detroit

The Brilliant, Satirical Campaign for More Parking in Michigan

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 18, 2013 | 9 Comments

They call their mission “The Cause.” And they say it’s critical to solving Michigan’s woes. Fortunately, though, the solution they have in mind is a simple one, and their name should make it obvious: “Michigan Needs More Parking.” This group has taken to the pages of Facebook and the local media to share their vision for a revitalized […]

Does Detroit Need Another $1.8 Billion of Freeway? MDOT Thinks So

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 17, 2013 | 18 Comments

If there’s a city that could serve as a cautionary tale for overbuilding highways, that city is Detroit. So it’s fascinating — and encouraging — to see this city going through an internal tussle over the wisdom of building a highway. Hot off a major victory in reforming its balkanized system of suburban and […]

Shifting Political Winds Begin, at Last, to Favor Transit in Detroit

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 10, 2012 | 4 Comments

On Friday, state legislators in the Michigan House of Representatives made a momentous decision to approve a regional transit system for metro Detroit. That event, preceded by Senate approval, was the culmination of 40 years of struggle to build a unified transit system for Detroit and its suburbs. It sets the stage for the merger […]

Detroiters Serenade Lawmakers to Put Unified Transit System Over the Top

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 28, 2012 | No Comments

This morning, as lawmakers inside the Michigan statehouse heard testimony on the creation of a regional transit system for greater Detroit, supporters held a musical demonstration outside, singing “Ain’t no mountain high enough to keep us from getting a regional transit authority.” The singers, who hailed from the city proper and its suburbs, are hoping […]

The Motor City’s Fresh Take on the Urban Bikeway

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

In central Detroit, on the site of a former railroad, there’s a place just for bikes and pedestrians. In many ways, the Dequindre Cut is a cyclist’s (or a jogger’s) dream: a separated, below-grade bike path that at no point intersects with car traffic. It’s wide enough for a two-way cycle track plus a path […]

Housing Market Collapse Leaves Detroit Exurbs Underwater

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

Late last year, Strong Towns writer Charles Marohn asserted that suburban development “operates like a classic Ponzi scheme, with ever-increasing rates of growth necessary to sustain long-term liabilities.” The folks in the farthest-flung suburbs of Detroit can vouch for that. Following the collapse of the housing market, exurban communities throughout southeast Michigan are struggling under […]

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