As fellows we’re asked to write about our experiences in the city. Most of the posts I’ve written thus far have been positive in nature. This month I’m taking a different spin because I think it’s only fair to highlight some of the not so great things about Detroit that many don’t like to talk about.

Prior to moving to Detroit I lived in Indianapolis, another urban environment.  I knew early on that Indianapolis wasn’t for me; I was there for one reason which was to get my Master’s degree. I had a hard time transitioning to Indy despite it being in my home state. I was never able to kick the negative emotions I felt while living in central Indiana, I never truly felt at home. 2 years was far too long for me to feel unsettled if you ask me. Detroit and Indianapolis are different and similar in many ways. One major difference though is that I was immediately welcomed by Detroit and that continues even today.

During grad school I couldn’t help but see similarities in the two urban environments and surrounding areas. Detroit and Indianapolis have their fair share of blighted streets and affluent blocks surrounded by struggling communities.  Detroit and Indianapolis are located in the state’s poorest counties, Wayne and Marion respectively. Two cities surrounded by cities and counties that have the highest property taxes in the state. The dynamic is unreal but yet no one really wants to talk about it. Gentrification is occurring in Indianapolis much like it’s happening here in Detroit. Public transportation is laughable in both communities; anyone without a car is disadvantaged to the nth degree. Mobility is a huge limiting factor in one’s quality of life and economic mobility.

While in grad school I learned about public finance and different policy and economic tools governments use to stimulate economies. I asked questions that my professors didn’t really know how to answer because they hadn’t experienced a grossly underserved community aside from viewing it from a data driven lens. It was the short answers that drove me to learn more.

The reality in Detroit is that 39.3% of the population lives in poverty (2009-2013 levels), only 77.6% of residents 25+ have graduated from high school, and approximately 142,000 people (1/5 of the population) were at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure this past year. City police officers are overworked and underpaid, and few public servants in the city of Detroit have had a pay raise in years. The Olympia Development and M-1 rail projects have Woodward on lockdown until 2017 and are expected to bring the city millions of dollars. The progress is ongoing and I continue to experience it daily with the rotating orange safety cones changing regularly, the public lights being added one by one, and large formerly vacant lots are being renovated for rent or sale.

In Indianapolis, 20.4% people live in poverty, approximately 84.5% of residents 25+ graduate from high school, one in every 646 homes faced foreclosure in 2014, and the urban core lacks market rate housing. There are plenty of restaurants and walkable streets including the Cultural trail and Georgia Street, two tourist destinations that encourage walkability and connect the cultural districts to one another. Living there it was all disconnected and in many ways segregated.

The main difference between Indianapolis and Detroit is that Indianapolis is 61.8% white and Detroit is 82.8% black, those numbers are likely low given the data is from the 2010 Census.

We have a long way to go, yes. The city’s landscape is in much need of repair. People still need jobs, the homeless need jobs and a safe place to sleep at night, and children need an education that offers them a chance for a successful career. All of these realities are true.

These challenges are present throughout the country and world, they just happen to stare us all in the face and all we do is talk about them. My goal is to take a stab at tackling some of these pressing systemic challenges even after Challenge Detroit ends. I want to participate in the development of a stronger Detroit, not watch the change happen around me.