I do think the only solution is to make these properties into green spaces, but if anyone is thinking about paying $40 for a house in Detroit you'd better do yourself a favor and understand how the taxes are going to be written of (because they can amount to over $10,000 if a couple of years are owing)

There is no QUICK FIX for Detroit but it COULD be considered one of the great US cities again if a few things happen. Utilizing current tax incentives and govt programs is a must here but you cannot completely rely on the city/govt to pay for this. A few of my own ideas include the following:

1. I think demo’ing large areas that are to be restructured into green space IS what needs to happen. I like the idea of growing vegetables here or there but its not a solution to anything…just a good idea. Parks are the best idea (but they need to be controlled – keep the meth heads out). This is further supported by the point that crime rates tend to be slightly lower when these are present…

2. Volunteers will definitely be needed and hopefully they can be rallied to help by strong leadership (this has been missing for years). If it is still in place; the volunteers can take advantage of the govt incentive that allows volunteers to get education credits.

3. Coming off the back of the last point, we will need to further develop our current higher education programs as well as add some vocational schools if possible. (I think that if the city can make some moves in the right direction, such as leading a green movement, and improve their education system than we can bring in some new companies that want in on the change and the state incentives).

4. Again off of the last point, getting new industry into Detroit will be a huge part of fixing things.

5. As for the previous argument made about losing potential homes in a highly populated city…I think we should just do what some asian developers have be doing for years…keep your green space to promote community wellfare and build UP on small footprints. There is no reason that we can work with developers to create multi=story affordable housing developments that would allow us to keep the parks AND keep affordable housing that is even easier to maintain because of its location. Again, the govt incentives would apply here as well. This is long overdue in many cities across the country and is being done in more progressive cities.

These are the main points of ideas that I’ve had brewing for a while now…

Something else that some people might think IS NOT a good idea but makes sense to me is to get a stronger military recruiting effort in urban areas like Detroit. If you think about it, there would be many people (if they qualify) that could support our country while also getting an education paid for and getting PAID. After serving their term they would come back and not only be better suited to contribute with an education but they would also have some money that they can live with and put back into the economy. If I was without a job (which means I’m not paying any taxes) not able to afford healthcare (by the way I’m not in favor of making it free) and getting to the point where I’m doing less than honorable activities to get by than the military would be looking pretty good to me (if someone presented it in the right way).

I kind of wish I would have done more research and posted supporting links and documents to my points but I did this at my lunch. I’d love to hear from anyone who has further ideas on the subject…

-Josh

2. Form a volunteer workforce of the unemployed?

4. Repay the volunteers with food/(whatever produced) from the properties worked on, in relation to the labor given?

You work for the Govt.?

What your suggesting is slave labour in return for food from the very people who have lost their jobs and homes. Adding insult to injury, let's beat them into submission.

The majority of the people don't want handouts either, they want jobs and a decent life for themselves and their families.

Back on topic : Let's say a home is cleared for,ahem,farming / gardening. It wouldn't produce enough for one family for a year. But it would get labeled organic which means overpriced, in which case the average person would not buy it anyways because they know they couldn't afford to keep feeding their families if they did. So who really benefits from this waste of time and taxpayer money. And it would come up, some kind of govt/state money help maintain the park/garden.

Stuff & Nonsense………………………….

Here's what I would do if I lived in the area:

1. Rally support, put out cheap publications to draw some attention.

2. Form a volunteer workforce of the unemployed.

3. Demolish, renovate, build, and make property self-sustaining.

4. Repay the volunteers with food/(whatever produced) from the properties worked on, in relation to the labor given.

5. Turn a portion of the returns into a means to renovate more properties.

Someone want to take the idea and run?

Second to ''Real estate complaints '' While there are many hard working citizens scrambling to make ends meet, the people like ''John'' in your link, in part caused some of the problems we're facing today. Money flowing like wine. Profit through the roof. He signed a contract to purchase a condo with the only intention to make a quick buck. Oh well, I can't say I have any sympathy for him or any other who played this game and lost. I do however feel for those who got conned into buying beyond their means, as this should never had been allowed and those involved should be held responsible.