Abstract
Reinventing Detroit: The Politics of Possibility explores the dynamics of Detroit, Michigan’s significant economic decline and the implications of the case for research on urban inequality. Ambitiously, Michael Peter Smith and L. Owen Kirkpatrick bring together policy-makers, journalists, and academics. Each chapter examines a dimension of Detroit’s decline—from factors that contributed to the city’s collapse to the impact of its 2013 municipal bankruptcy filing. Reinventing Detroit offers a unique look at the challenges facing Detroit and other major cities in the United States, setting an important agenda for future research.
Reinventing Detroit is divided into four parts. In Part One, various authors engage in theoretical discussions of the dynamics and implications of Detroit’s decline. In the first chapter of the section the editors, Michael Peter Smith and L. Owen Kirkpatrick, present a Polanyian analysis of Detroit’s decline. They argue that this approach is a useful tool for developing a more nuanced understanding of how urban and regional embeddedness—or lack of embeddedness—shape the circumstances of Detroit and other cities facing similar obstacles. Mathieu Hikaru Desan and George Steinmetz discuss the importance of situating Detroit in a broader conversation about racial residential segregation, economic disinvestment, and state and federal policy. Margaret Dewar, Matthew Weber, Eric Seymour, Meagan Elliott, and Patrick Cooper-McCann argue that a better framework is needed to understand the circumstances of shrinking cities and the ways in which people respond to cases of extreme urban decline.
In Part Two, authors explore factors that have contributed to decline in Detroit and other major cities. William Tabb argues that a movement away from more liberal, New Deal, and postwar-era urban policies has contributed to the shrinking of the public sector across the country, creating economic challenges for many cities. He argues for more progressive policies to alleviate the financial obstacles many cities are facing. Jason Hackworth assesses how neoliberal policies contributed to Detroit’s decline, creating significant obstacles for its residents.
Part Three further explores the current circumstances of Detroit and other cities, focusing specifically on economic challenges, municipal bankruptcy, and the role of local, state, and federal policy in shaping outcomes. Reynolds Farley explores Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy filing, including the controversial appointment of an emergency financial manager and the implications of the bankruptcy for the city’s future. John Gallagher examines what he describes as the “de-democratizaton” of Detroit’s political system. He argues that measures that were employed to deal with fiscal crisis, such as the appointment of an emergency financial manager, have taken power away from elected officials. Similarly, Kirkpatrick argues that the democratic process has been disrupted in Detroit and other Michigan cities, focusing specifically on the impact of the state’s emergency financial manager law. Finally, Jamie Peck argues that many analyses of the causes of Detroit’s decline place too much blame on its residents as opposed to fully exploring the broader structural issues that contributed to its economic challenges.
Part Four explores the future of Detroit and other cities. Peter Eisinger explores Detroit’s ongoing financial challenges, including the privatization of city services and the increased reliance on private business to provide support for the city and its residents. Gar Alperowitz and Steve Dubb emphasize the importance of community wealth-building for improving Detroit’s economic future. They specifically focus on the importance of community-owned businesses in order to provide more sustainable economic options for city residents. David Fasenfest argues that developing cooperatives should play an important role in ensuring a better economic future for Detroit. Finally, Peter Marcuse closes the volume by arguing for a more inclusive Detroit as the city seeks to reinvent itself. He emphasizes the importance of social justice, social abundance, and democracy.
There are several aspects of Reinventing Detroit that are particularly strong. First, each contribution demonstrates that Detroit’s challenges are multidimensional, as are the solutions needed to move the city forward. Second, the book highlights the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue. It is rare to find a collective volume that is able to bring together practitioners and academics in such a coherent way. Third, the authors work to situate Detroit in a broader context. Detroit’s decline has received considerable attention, particularly from media outlets. Between photos of the city’s crumbling buildings and extensive coverage of its unprecedented bankruptcy filing, it has indeed come to symbolize urban decline. Yet, as the authors are careful to point out throughout the volume, cities across the country face similar challenges. Dewar et al. in particular emphasize the importance of thinking about Detroit as a case that represents a broader trend. This is essential for developing a better understanding of the factors that contribute to severe urban decline, the impact it can have on city residents, and possible policy solutions.
This book also highlights the need for more systematic research on Detroit and other cities that have experienced or are experiencing severe decline. The contributions are primarily theoretical analyses of Detroit’s circumstances, demographic trends, or legal challenges. However, there is less focus on the daily experiences of residents. While this focus is not necessarily a goal of the book, it does reveal a significant gap in existing research. In addition, more research is needed that directly compares the experiences of Detroiters to residents of other cities facing similar obstacles. While authors successfully make the case that Detroit is not alone in facing significant economic decline and the contraction of the public sector in particular, more nuanced comparisons are needed to shed light on the impact these issues may have on city residents. Finally, more systematic research is needed on solutions for this type of urban decline. The final section of the book provides a number of proposed strategies for improving the circumstances of city residents. More work on cities that have rebounded from economic crisis would help to shed light on the viability of these solutions.
Reinventing Detroit is an important read for anyone interested in urban inequality, public policy, or the future of American cities. It is certain to motivate future research and policy initiatives.