Unique Detroit attributes for 2024 Olympic Games

Detroit has a lot of differentiating attributes that make it a unique and attractive candidate city for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

A - HOSTING RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES

Stadiums: Detroit and its suburbs already have several world-class sports arenas, including Michigan Stadium, the largest stadium in North America, as well as newer or renowned facilities like Ford Field, Tiger Stadium, and the Palace

Logistics: Detroit has arguably one of the best airports in the world, with minimal delays and great global access; Also, the City has a brand new port terminal which could welcome cruise ships for temporary lodging capacity

Experienced Host: Metro Detroit has extensive experience hosting a number of high-profile, well-attended events, from the annual North American International Auto Show, which typically attracts ~ 1 m visitors, to recent sporting events like the Super Bowl, NHL Winter Classic, Final Four, and World Series; while not as large or extensive as the Olympics, each of these events has been deemed a success by organizers and the City, and there is reason to believe a Detroit Olympics would be similarly successful

Corporate Support: Detroit and its renaissance have long enjoyed the strong support of local businesses, especially including two of America's 10 largest companies (and spenders on advertising) – GM and Ford

B - INHERENT POSITIONING

Spirit: Detroiters are proud of their City and its impact on the world, through its innovation, its music, or its heroes and the City is often considered among the top cities for Sports in the US; the level of civic interest and engagement in Detroit has never been higher, so a Detroit Olympics would have the full support of all Detroiters and Michiganians, and given the value of hard work and effort in this City, participation and contributions will come from all sides to ensure a successful event

Awareness: Detroit's global name recognition and cultural influence is on par with almost any leading city in America or the world – Good or bad, people have heard of us, they know our problems, and they know what we do

Legacy: The Olympic legacy in Detroit is one that is unlikely to be matched by just about any other city in the running; in the grand scheme of things, the Olympics represent a notch on the belt on places like Tokyo or London or Los Angeles or Toronto – in Detroit, the Olympics would represent the crowning achievement of a renaissance decades in the making

C - BRIDGE BUILDING

Global Nature:
Detroit is one of the world's largest border cities, and Detroit-Windsor is possibly the most important border crossing in the world; a Detroit-Windsor Olympics would have the unique opportunity to engage the citizens of two nations, and indeed, perhaps it is the only conceivable Olympic host where an event could start in one country and end in another

Diversity: Detroit has a very diverse population, with a large and influential immigrant population from many countries in different parts of the world; if the City is able to work with these Immigrants to build ties with those countries by celebrating this diversity, it could help sway some IOC votes toward Detroit

New City Lighting Plan?

The lighting issue has gotten quite a bit of attention from local Detroit media in recent weeks, mostly because the City announced a new plan/strategy for lighting.

Highlights so far include:

• Four-phase, $160 m strategy to improve Detroit lighting system in neighborhoods, around schools, and along major roads by 2015
• Immediate repair of 3300 lights on major thoroughfares for $614 k (or $186/light; I guess the to fix a streetlight, it costs 3x as much than it would for ACCESS to install a porchlight)
• A new call center for reporting outages is dependent on the passage of three bills in Michigan legislature (1-to create public authority; 2-utility user tax for funding; 3-delayed city income tax reduction for funding)

From the Free Press article, an overview of the four phases:

 

Phase One: Stable neighborhoods, such as Sherwood Forrest, Green Acres, east and west Outer Drive and Grand Boulevard would see lighting improvements. The city would convert about 1,525 antiquated lights and remove the nearly 14,000 nonfunctioning alley fixtures that dot the city. This would occur between November and April 2013.

Phase Two: The city would focus on converting 10,000 obsolete series light fixtures to modern LED lights on major thoroughfares, such as Gratiot, Grand River, Woodward, Livernois, Downtown, Midtown, and Michigan and Jefferson avenues. The city also would remove outdated fixtures from certain neighborhoods. This would occur from April 2013 to April 2014.

Phase Three: The city would continue to convert lights, including 10,000 in selected neighborhoods and what the officials describe as semi major thoroughfares such as Junction and Pembroke. Antiquated light fixtures would continue to be removed from neighborhoods. This would occur from April 2014 to April 2015.

Phase 4: In the final phase, the city would complete the removal of obsolete lighting fixtures and the authority would assess the population in distressed areas of the city to determine lighting needs. This would occur from April 2015 to April 2016. 

 

Also, on August 14, Mayor Bing wrote an op-ed in the Free Press to encourage State support for his plan. It is great that the City has recognized and prioritized the problem (this Detroit4Detroit project would not exist if lighting had been on the City's radar in recent years.
 

This all seems pretty good, and it is really great that the City is making lighting and safety a priority like this. However, there are some limitations and concerns. Of course, it is still quite dependent on the Republican legislature to come to anything. Also, many people will remain in the dark until 2015, and if I read the Mayor's comments correctly, thousands of fixtures will be removed, but he didn't mention anything about replacing them. Another point to consider, as Stephen Henderson notes, this lighting plan may come at the cost of a reduction in other essential services, like the police force.

Rationale for Detroit 2024 Olympics

We still have a lot of work to do to fix Detroit in the coming decade, but there are many reasons the City, the US, and the IOC should consider having the 2024 Olympics in Detroit.

Why the Olympics?

• Acceleration of necessary investments
• Alignment of local and regional stakeholders
• Fundamental re-branding and re-positioning of City in global perception (i.e., from failure to success once again)

Why 2024?

• Likely return of Olympics to US
• ~10-yr goal providing the impetus and timeline for Detroit to make necessary improvements local finances, governance, infrastructure, etc.
• Sufficient lead time for Detroit's nascent recovery to take root and would mark a significant milestone or crowning achievement in the recovery

Why Detroit as US Olympic candidate city?

• Most compelling potential legacy story
• Very high global name recognition
• Least disruption/ displacement
• Highest potential infrastructure legacy (i.e., public transit)
• Cost/investment sharing and other collaborative opportunities with Canada

Why Detroit as Olympics host city? 

• Triumphant return to the US with great story and potential legacy after decades long absence
• Strong local Olympic tradition, pool of Olympians and support base for participants
• Corporate sponsorship by some of the largest US companies and spenders on advertising
• Potential for sport to literally bring people of different nations together through joint events with Windsor

State funds to demolish abandoned Detroit homes

Earlier this month, I read in the Free Press about Governor Snyder's plans to tap a settlement fund to pay to pull down some abandoned homes around the City (in SW Detroit, Morningside, and Bagley). I hope the program goes well, although judging from my experiences trying to tap a program to pull down blighted buildings in a neighboring City, it isn't necessarily a straightforward process and could take a while.

More details about the Governor's plans are in this piece:
http://www.freep.com/article/20120714/NEWS01/207140400/Gov-Rick-Snyder-to-send-in-wrecking-ball-to-raze-eyesores-in-Detroit-neighborhoods

The Mayor of course had an initiative when he started up and has pulled down several thousand homes. Several governors in the past have also initiated similar programs. A Morningside resident makes a good point though - "What are we going to do with the vacant lots? How does demolishing houses make the neighborhood safer if the city's not going to clean up the land?" I'm planning on turning my vacant lot into a park, but large stretches of wilderness aren't great for the City either (albeit, better than havens for gangsters and drug dealers).

A local currency for Detroit?

A couple of days ago, I came across an interesting piece in the Atlantic that discussed some different "micro currencies" that have been launched in different places around the world (here is the link: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/05/the-next-money-as-the-big-economies-falter-micro-currencies-rise/257216/)

Now, I'm sure everyone has their own reason for promoting a local currency, but I thought the example of the Brixton Pound in London, put forward to encourage local spending (>200 local businesses participate), was instructive. I did a bit of research, and it seems like Detroit actually already has such a local micro currency (Detroit Community Scrip, or Detroit Cheers). I hadn't heard about it, and I'm not sure if it is still operational, but I think it is the right idea.

Model D wrote about Detroit Cheers back in 2009 (http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/detroitcheers18809.aspx) and I can't find a website for the currency, so I'm not sure if the bills are still in use. If so, I think more shops should sign up and more people need to hear about it. If the currency has fallen by the wayside...well, with the move to the City of new retailers like Meijer's and Whole Foods, more money will be spent in the City, and if giants like those sign up too...that might encourage them to spend more locally as well, which would be great.

Perhaps places like Hamtramck or Dearborn could take up a similar initiative (or even the same currency), to further re-inforce the positive retail trends that are taking place (e.g., in East Dearborn, or on Conant)...Detroit Dinar, anyone?

White Mayor?

Intriguing headline from the Detroit News today about Mike Duggan potentially running for mayor: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120429/OPINION03/204290307/0

I hope the City is ready for a qualified leader of any color to be mayor, though I am not sure it is quite there yet. Duggan may not be the best person for the job after Bing leaves, but if he is, race shouldn't be a reason not to elect him. The US has a black president...it would be interesting, and until now, a bit unfathomable, for Detroit to have a white mayor.

Excellent Schools Detroit Recap

Yesterday, I was able to attend the Excellent Schools Detroit Conclusion/Celebration event. It was interesting and encouraging to see that many participants had a more favorable than expected experience. I certainly was favorably impressed - there are some bright spots, where I wasn't really expecting any. Of course, there are many issues, but there is something to build on, too.

The new report card templates looked okay, but it only captures some of what we observed. I hope they are able to put together a document of best practices or solutions to the challenges all schools are facing in Detroit, based on the insights we gained from our visits. We collected a lot of information and saw some good things - that is pretty powerful, and if all schools adopted some of the best practices others are already implementing, then change can happen even faster.

Check out a clip from a news story covering our school visits at www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org

Detroit4Detroit Project

I think I had mentioned this opportunity a while back, and I followed my own advice and joined Detroit4Detroit as a Citizen Philanthropist. The project I am supporting is one with ACCESS to install lighting in a SW Detroit neighborhood (Chadsey-Condon) and improve safety. It has been a bit of a slow start, but I am optimistic about reaching the $3,300 target within the three month period. Check out my project page here: http://www.citizeneffect.org/projects/detroit-access-lights-4-safety-shamsuddin
I have started to post some blogs on that site as well. You can see one I posted today showing the crime map of the Chadsey-Condon area - hundreds of crimes reported just since the beginning of the year. Help make the D safer and support this project!
In other news, to promote this initiative, I have signed up for Twitter as @CitizenSyed, so you might see some activity and ideas over there now as well.

Reflection on Detroit school visits

I had the opportunity over the past couple of weeks to volunteer and visit and evaluate some of Detroit's schools as part of an initiative (School Quality Review) by Excellent Schools Detroit (http://excellentschoolsdetroit.org/). Despite several attempts to volunteer with Detroit schools before, this was probably my first opportunity to observe firsthand the reality of Detroit public schools. I'm glad I did it – the experience was quite an eye-opener. I feel like I must have seen the best and worst of Detroit schools, as well as what the typical experience looks like, at least at the high school level.

Some observations:

• At its best, a Detroit high school can be pretty great – key elements like motivated students, engaged teachers, great facilities, strong administrators, safe and secure premises, robust curricula, varied enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities make for an excellent school when brought together


• At its worst, a Detroit high school can be pretty depressing – with absenteeism, gang tension, student murders, deteriorating facilities, dangerous neighborhoods, minimal creative or extracurricular outlets, and a jail-like security atmosphere, it is a wonder any kids can thrive in such schools (and some do thrive)


• Even in the better schools, the security presence is there and you can feel it; I guess it would make me feel safer, but it also feels less like a school; the realities of being in the D, I guess; in some places, it is a bit stifling, with walkie-talkies going off loudly


• The effects of budget deficits and cutbacks are clear – schools seem to lack much in the way of electives; now, a school doesn't need a lot of electives to be great, but with some kids, it is a music teacher or an art teacher or something that can really help set them on the right path and that class motivates them – if it isn't there…well, some kids won't show up


• Some schools had a lot of extracurricular activities going on, while others had hardly any, which is strange (see below for my thoughts on why)


• Every student had free breakfast and lunch (and sometimes dinner) available to them, which I thought was brilliant, given the hunger situation in the City; some students chose not to partake in free lunch and didn't eat at all (or just bought junk food), which I thought was unfortunate and a bit hard to understand


• Given the drastic school closures over the past couple of years, space utilization is almost tragic – in some cases, multiple schools are often crammed into one building, and then in other cases, some schools have whole wings that don't seem to be used much


• Computers and other technology seem to be present in the schools, but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of emphasis on books (some schools didn't have a library)


• The teachers and administrators seem to be doing what they can (and in some cases are exceedingly supportive) - if a student wants to learn and is in a position to learn (given his/her home environment and other influences or circumstances), they should be able to succeed...however, it is that home life and outside pressures that I think might be at the root of the problem


• Another big variable was school spirit - some schools had uniforms but no school spirit or positive culture, while others had a more lax interpretation of dress code, but a lot more school pride

Some thoughts:

• I wonder if a deficit in student leadership at the non-magnet schools is contributing to the poor performance and atmosphere at those schools; a lot of learning is peer learning, and if students at the typical Detroit high school don't have any academic role models or student leaders because their stars are all at one of the magnet schools…well, they are left with no peers to help them in study groups and no organizers that take the initiative to form student groups and clubs; it is great for the top students who can leave poor performing schools for a better environment, but there may be some unintended consequences, I think…


• Given the decimation of student leadership at the non-magnet schools, it might make sense for student groups led out of the magnet schools to operate in partnership with some of those other schools; high school clubs are really driven by students, and if the "go-getters" are all at a couple of schools, that is where all the student organizations will be formed


• Even in the rougher schools, the building and teachers are there, as are basic resources; some could be better, but I can't imagine those are the real issue with performance; I think part of the issue may be student attitude, but the greater part is probably what they have to deal with at home and outside of school

Volunteer opportunities in the New Year

MLK's day of service have passed, but since then, I've come across a couple of very interesting opportunities to help Detroit that I thought I would share.
For the first opportunity, The United Way for Southeast Michigan is looking for about thirty volunteers to help evaluate different schools in Detroit (part of the Excellent Schools Detroit project). There is a 16-hour commitment over 4-days, but the volunteers get a lot out of this as well. It is a great learning experience, to figure out what to look for in evaluating schools. Also, unlike most volunteer project, there is a modest monetary stipend involved in this opportunity! Here is a link to register: https://volunteer.truist.com/uwsem/user/events/one.tcl?event_id=10504549070&utime=1326340932163498
The second opportunity, Detroit 4 Detroit, has received a bit more fanfare (I read about it in the Free Press: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120126/NEWS01/120126062/New-Detroit-initiative-offers-fundraising-help-budding-philanthropists). It just seems to be a mass effort at grassroots, citizen fundraising, which while not a new concept, could have a sizeable effect given the coordination and targeted nature of this effort. They are looking for 150 philanthropists to raise ~$2000-3000 each for a handful of high impact projects. I like it - check it out at http://www.detroit4detroit.org/
Unfortunately, I will be out of town for much of the next few months, but I hope I will still be able to participate in at least one of these great initiatives, so I've signed up for both. If something happens, I will certainly share my experiences.

Building momentum

2011 was a relatively good year for Michigan and Detroit. After a decade of losing jobs, it seems like the state will finally have a net positive in job creation this year (http://www.freep.com/article/20111226/BUSINESS06/112260356/In-Michigan-decade-of-job-loss-is-finally-coming-to-end). While 64 k new jobs may not seem like much, especially compared to the ~1 million jobs in the 2000s, it is definitely a step in the right direction. Unemployment is down, the auto companies making billions and vehicle sales continue to recover. The real estate market is picking up, properties are moving, and transaction prices are rising. Anecdotally, there seems to be more and more interest in young people moving to the City (I have a new co-worker who has moved downtown and it seems properties, including rentals, are moving fast there). There have been a few hiccups (e.g., Detroit's continuing meltdown - I'm starting to feel a bit disappointed in the Mayor's work - an amergency manager may be needed; Governor's failure to get the bridge; decision to scrap light rail plan for high speed buses), but compared to the rest of the country, things are looking and feeling pretty good here in Detroit. 2011 has been a good year for us to build momentum. I have a feeling 2012 could be a breakthrough year, as long as the rest of the country and world doesn't collapse around us and the financial terrorists at the banks don't torpedo our economy again.

Ideas for Train Depot?

A column by Rochelle Riley in today's Free Press highlights some of the ideas bouncing around about what to do with the Train Station: http://www.freep.com/article/20111127/COL10/111270482/Rochelle-Riley-A-new-idea-for-an-old-eyesore?odyssey=modnewswelltextFRONTPAGEp

While I had read earlier that the Moroun's were open to suggestions, I didn't realize that they had setup a website for people to submit their ideas: http://talktothestation.com/

If you have any thoughts on what they could turn Michigan Central Station into, please share them with Matty Moroun!

Some ideas I have:

• Turn it into a Union Station type food plaza with cuisines from all over the world


• Turn it into a nexus for all consular offices in Metro Detroit (e.g., honorary consulates, official consulates) and a free trade zone


• Turn it into a dedicated museum to show a portion of Nasser David Khalili's extensive art collection from the Middle East and Arab lands on permanent display

Second fastest recovery in Michigan?

I'm not sure if this news is bittersweet or ironic or what: Michigan is recovering from the recession faster than any state other than North Dakota (which never really fell into the recession): http://detnews.com/article/20111103/BIZ/111030343/Michigan-recovery-second-fastest. The index tracking this performance is basing the ranking on growth since 2008, so the high ranking for our state is mostly because of how bad it was in 2008, not how good it is now. Things are better now, but still not too great. As Patrick Anderson notes, "I sense a very cautious optimism in my home state."
Some even better news around the City: Matty Moroun is pumping some money into the Depot and looking at options for redevelopment (http://detnews.com/article/20111103/BIZ/111030345/1001/Moroun-spending-money-on-Central-Depot) and the Birmingham-based Collaborative Group is building momentum with its Challenge Detroit to help bring young folks back to the City (http://detnews.com/article/20111103/OPINION03/111030328/1008/Project-sells-youth-on-a-city-in-need). These stories go to show that a little imagination and initiative can go a long way in this City. I had similar ideas about possible uses the train Depot, but this guy from NYC, Griffin, just wrote to the Morouns and basically that is how its renaissance started - kudos to him (of course, he had some relevant background, but still, a cold call of ideas can work, despite some of my experiences to the contrary). It might take a few years, but it looks like the Depot has a future! As for Challenge Detroit, I had heard about it about six months back, so I'm glad it is finally moving forward. Detroit really is the most interesting place in America right now, in terms of the ability of young folks to change the future. Occupy Wall Street has its place, but it is not necessarily productive per se. That much energy could have a tremendous impact in a place like Detroit.

Annual Wayne County Tax Auction

Wayne County is having its annual tax auction again. I believe the auction will run through Thursday. You can check out the properties being sold at www.bid4assets.com, but it is too late to register this year. The interesting twist this year may be the participation of a nonprofit group (the same folks behind Loveland) to buy properties with the public good in mind (kind of like a Land Bank), using a "social" funding mechanism: http://detnews.com/article/20111020/OPINION03/110200401/1409/Non-profit-to-be-foreclosure-auction-stand-ins-in-Wayne
It is great to see the Loveland platform being used like this: http://whydontweownthis.com/
Great work by that team - I look forward to reading about the impact there. I am also trying to bid on some properties this year for the first time, but so far, no luck.

Water and Michigan: Great Lakes Week

This week, there are some important meetings happening in Michigan to discuss one of the most precious things on Earth: Water. Thankfully, we have been blessed with plenty of fresh water in Michigan. However, that does not mean we should take it easy in terms of water conservation and water technology leadership. Saudi Arabia and Texas lead the world in oil and gas technologies, because that is where the oil is (albeit, without much of a conservation mindset). We should lead the world in water technologies, for our own self-interest if nothing else - The Free Press makes the point that if other places can extend their water resources, they won't be so inclined to steal ours: http://www.freep.com/article/20111009/COL32/110090546/?odyssey=obinsite.
If you want to follow the Great Lakes week live, Detroit Public Television is offering live streaming: http://www.freep.com/article/20111012/OPINION05/111011059/Live-coverage-Great-Lakes-Week?odyssey=modnewswelltextFRONTPAGEs

Detroit Gondola?

I thought I had an original idea a couple of years ago, to have a Gondola (or zipline!) across the Detroit River to Windsor. I think something like that would facilitate new traffic (pedestrian) across the border and spur business on both sides. Windsor has a nice downtown, and I'm sure people living in downtown Detroit would appreciate being able to access more activities.

Turns out, it wasn't so original. Some guy named Niels Jorgensen had the idea years ago, and the DEGC put the kibosh on it (http://www.freep.com/article/20110925/BUSINESS06/109250420/DEGC-s-Jackson-development-man) . Now, I don't imagine it would have gotten to 3 m riders per year (at least not at first), but that doesn't mean it wouldn't have been great for the City. Jackson's goal is to make Detroit the coolest city in the Midwest...I think the gondola would have helped.

Michigan vs. Texas

Over the past couple weeks, I've come across two very different takes on how fate has taken Texas and Michigan in different directions:
Michael Barone's piece in the WSJ -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903392904576509992605316426.html
and
Brian Dickerson's piece in the Free Press -
http://www.freep.com/article/20110828/COL04/108280450/Texas-stomps-Michigan-Osama-MVP-
Of course, I can't really argue that Big Auto and Big Labor did not ultimately work out for Michigan and pretty much self-imploded...I don't think the Texas model is built on geographic benefits (i.e., proximity to oil) as much as on anything else. We'll see how much credit Rick Perry gets for an economic miracle that really isn't...

Good news - Somerset in the City!

As usual, there has been a lot of exciting news in the City in recent weeks, from the Federal government's support of Mayor Bing's neighborhood initiatives, to new incentives by employers to encourage workers to live in Detroit. What I find possibly most encouraging and exciting is the opening of a mini-Somerset mall at 1441 Woodward: http://www.freep.com/article/20110729/NEWS01/107290417/With-video-CityLoft-shops-hit-opening-day
People come visit Somerset from other states and countries (Canada, but still), so having a mini-Somerset in the City will certainly provide a great option to residents, and it may even pull some people to shop downtown (which is how most cities with normally functioning downtowns seem to operate)
When combined with the likely investments by Meijer, Whole Foods, and others, this will be a major help to solve a major problem the City has had in terms of quality of life - shopping.
Now, all we need is some other anchor type stores without a major presence in Michigan to setup shop nearby, and Detroit could have a great retail pull, just like that. Maybe Zara, the Cheesecake Factory, a Lego Store, or similar names could be offered free rent for a decade to help be that draw. Certainly, the City has some empty properties to hand out temporarily...

Learning from Pontiac - App hub

I was glad to read in the News about an app development hub coming to the area (http://detnews.com/article/20110618/BIZ04/106180321/1001/Firm-opens-shared-workspace-for-app-developers-in-Pontiac). It seems like demand for apps is only increasing, and that work can happen anywhere, so why not here? The MEDC even calculates mobile-app jobs have a 3.9x multiplier in job creation.

Since observing the rise of billion-dollar Web 2.0 (or is it 3.0 now?) firms like GroupOn out of nothing from outside of Silicon Valley, I've felt we should nurture similar start-ups here. Pontiac is doing it, offering a workspace to incubate mobile technology developers...Detroit should follow suit. We have local talent that currently goes out West to work for such developers, but if we have the facilities here, given the low cost of living, perhaps some of them will catch the entrepreneurial bug and start some innovative ventures.

Drive around and locked doors

I was driving around Detroit last week, showing a visiting scholar some of the highs and lows (on a side note, he is interested in re-locating here from California to help catalyze some grassroots progress in our City). He was particularly interested in visiting with the community of the slain Imam Luqman to see how they are doing. I had never been to that particular mosque, Masjid al-Haqq, or that part of town, so it was a very new experience for me. The community was forced out of its previous building over some administrative issues, and had moved into a house in the neighborhood. The entire experience was interesting, but there is one observation I wanted to share...Imam Luqman's son noted that Masjid al-Haqq was never locked, that it was open 24 hours all year round. This, in ostensibly the most dangerous city in America (though this neighborhood actually felt quite safe). In comparison, mosques in the "safer" suburbs are often locked and certainly close for the night. This dynamic says quite a bit about how differently the suburbs and City communities think about issues like safety and houses of worship.