http://www.nationalgeographic.com/taking-back-detroit/see-detroit.html
This was one of the first articles that I came across in my search of interesting articles on Detroit. I was immediately wary of the title, “Tough, Cheap, and Real…. Detroit is cool again.” Upon clicking the link, I became prepared to read a banal article on how Detroit is making a recovery and how much money is being poured into it, and that there are no problems anymore. With critiques already in mind, I started to read the article and was instead, pleasantly surprised. Instead of talking to Mike Duggan or Dan Gilbert, Susan Ager (the author) interviewed people who integrated within the community of Detroit itself and are working from the ground up to improve their local environment.
Overall, I think it was a well-written article with some inspiring comeback stories, however, in my opinion, the author could have included more native Detroiters as a part of this narrative. Granted, she did touch on those who have braved the worst that the city has given them, and still remained resilient. Yet right alongside these stories are ones from investors abroad who buy up tons of property to plant trees in the hopes of investing in Detroit’s future. It is hard not to look at stories like these and wonder how the resident of that area felt about these kinds of programs being installed within their communities without being consulted. Though I understand that the investors are a vital part of the Detroit comeback story, I can’t help but feel a tad cynical about their role within Detroit and their affect (intended or unintended) upon its residents.
There was one particular quote from the article which I felt portrayed this sentiments quite well: “We want to celebrate not just the start-ups but the been-ups,” and “you can’t save Detroit, you gotta be Detroit.”
