Ah, New Year’s Eve. It’s a time symbolic of a fresh start, filled with promise and limitless potential. Along with it comes the
The ball drop in downtown Detroit
tradition of the New Year’s resolution. While I can’t say that I’ve always made a personal resolution, I would be wrong to state that the practice is an unhealthy one. After all, the New Year’s resolution is one of the few times that we are encouraged to look introspectively at our lives and set goals to guide our future. As I considered personal 2014 resolutions, I found myself thinking a lot about Detroit and what the upcoming year could bring for the resurging city. Without further ado..here are my top 3—no, make that 4—New Year’s Resolutions for Detroit:
Work with Kevyn Orr, Welcome Mike Duggan
Kevyn Orr will likely serve as the city’s leader for much of Mike Duggan’s first year as mayor of the city. Thankfully, early signs point to the two cultivating a relationship where they will work together to serve the city until Orr moves on to his next job. The city needs to support both of these leaders and understand that many tough decisions will need to be made to allow Detroit to emerge from bankruptcy. Whether or not we always agree with their decisions, we need to trust that they have the best interests of the city in mind. In exchange, Duggan should set a resolution to maintain the transparency of his vision with the population of the city.
Focus on serving and retaining residents in the neighborhoods
In one of his post-election speeches, Mike Duggan said that he will be grading his time in office on the population of the city—if he does his job right, the population should go up. Seems simple enough. However, this may prove to be a difficult task. While Downtown and Midtown are booming, they are both at capacity and the neighborhoods have not yet enjoyed the same level of prosperity. The city needs to place focus on serving the neighborhood communities to retain these residents. If successful, the city could start to see some population density in these areas that is desperately needed to help safety and property values.
Organize the start-up culture
I am one of the biggest supporters of the entrepreneurial culture that is beginning to engulf the city. I do not think there is a single better way to encourage the organic (re)growth of Detroit. That being said, as the startup community continues to blossom I am very afraid that the initiatives are becoming too uncoordinated. How many small business incubators can one area hold? Just off the top of my head, there is the Green Garage, Grand Circus, Bamboo Detroit and TechTown, not to mention Bizdom and Detroit Venture Partners who provide similar services to their investments. I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m willing to bet that many of
these incubators are starting to see some vacant desk space. Starting a committee to organize the start-up community and direct resources to the areas of greatest need could help small businesses develop even faster.
Encourage the Bicycle Community within the city
With the New Year comes much excitement for the city of Detroit; a new political regime, a clean balance sheet, and a new coach for the Lions. Hang on to your hats everyone, its going to be a wild ride. Cheers to 2014. See you at midnight for the ball drop downtown.
What do you think Detroit should adapt as a New Year’s resolution?