re: #200 Ian G.

NYC is a bad comparison, but Pittsburgh is not, and the former Steeltown’s economy is humming thanks to high tech medical research and education. It appears Buffalo, NY is trying to go the Pittsburgh route, and Cleveland has Case Western, Cleveland State, and the Cleveland Clinic, so the infrastructure to do such a redevelopment is there for the Forest City. Motown, however, I’m not so sure, especially with UMich being in Ann Arbor.

Wayne State actually does a pretty good job of anchoring that part of Detroit, but you’re right - it’s not the same as having Case Western and Pitt (as well as sundry smaller institutions, though Detroit has some of those too).

Like it or not, Pittsburgh has also benefited (to my mind) from a more diverse population. One of Detroit’s big problems is that it’s “the other” to a lot of non-Detroit Michiganders.