Another Reflection on the Case of Urban Decline in Detroit

Čamprag City Territ Archit (2018) 5:2 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-018-0078-4 CASE STUDY Open Access Innovative post‑neoliberal policy as a way out of crisis? Another refection on the case of urban decline in Detroit Nebojša Čamprag* Abstract Introduction: Many scholars have discussed urban decline, and one of the emerging discourses has called for redefning the crisis as an opportunity to establish new urban governance models. This paper evaluates the outcomes of such innovative approaches to managing urban decline by identifying its major implementation challenges, efects and outcomes, and pointing out long-term development perspectives. Case description: The focus was on Detroit, the ‘greatest failure’ among the troubled large cities in the US, whose municipal government, policy makers and elites have invested a great deal of efort to stem the city’s rapid decline. Discussion and evaluation: Of particular interest was the period since 2013 when the city government declared bankruptcy. An innovative strategy based on stabilisation, recovery, and irreversible degrowth was then embraced. The research method to investigate the efciency of its implementation is centered on analysis of the secondary literature, strategies and ofcial documents designed by the local government and private foundations in Detroit, as well as of supporting news reports. Conclusions: In conclusion, besides the importance of redefning approaches to urban policy-making in declining cities, the study illustrated the necessity of developing equally innovative alternative ways for their successful implementation. Keywords: Declining cities, Urban governance, Strategic response, Urban renewal, Detroit Background the most visible efects on the example of urban decline Neoliberal ideology, based on the belief that “open, com- among the former industrial giants of the so-called Rust petitive, and unregulated markets, liberated from all Belt in the US. Although a signifcant body of literature forms of state interference, represent the optimal mecha- has discussed the phenomenon of urban decline, an nism for economic development” (Brenner and Teo- emerging discourse has called for redefning the crisis as dore 2002, p 349), infuenced urban governance models an opportunity to refne neoliberal local policy solutions in the cities of the Global North for decades. However, that feature innovation, dynamism, and collaboration blinded by the aim of achieving capitalist growth, insti- (Katz and Bradley 2013; Oosterlynck and González 2013; tutional path dependency failed at providing a coherent Tabb 2015). Te emerging ‘post-neoliberal’ alternatives and sustainable basis for urban development in the post- thus advocated for the approaches towards “more just, industrial society (Bontje 2004; Häußermann and Siebel democratic, ecological city-regions (…) to be taken more 1988; Liebmann and Kuder 2012). Te consequences of seriously” (Oosterlynck and González 2013, p 1076). Tis reliance on one-dimensional development model showed fnally implied the focus on growth objectives turning towards alternative solutions, in which adopting some aspects of degrowth in the short-term could lead to pros- *Correspondence: [email protected]‑darmstadt.de Faculty of Architecture (Mundus Urbano), Technical University perity in the long run (Schindler 2016). of Darmstadt, El‑Lissitzky‑Straße 1, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany © The Author(s) 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Čamprag City Territ Archit (2018) 5:2 Page 2 of 11 As best-known declining city in the world, Detroit attention until 2000 because the dominant paradigm began to deteriorate after the crisis in its main industry: among planners and policy makers was oriented exclu- the car-manufacturing sector. Detroit’s policy makers sively to growth (Logan and Molotch 1987; Oswalt and struggled to fnd new approaches to deal with troubled Rieniets 2006). However, with population decrease and heritage of its industrial past and respond to new condi- urban decline being placed on the agenda of many cities, tions. On the one hand, strategic approaches needed to planners and policy makers fnally turned their attention take control over further decline, but on the other hand away from growth. to propose innovative solutions for giving rise to progres- In Germany, the debate on shrinking cities (schrump- sive long-term urban politics. Te focus of this study is fende Städte) began in 1990. Shortly thereafter it was thus on the challenges and opportunities in responding described in the US in terms such as urban decline, urban to urban decline, theorised in terms of innovative stra- decay or simply depopulation (Pallapst et al. 2011). Urban tegic frameworks to oppose decline that propelled inter- researchers had to fnd comprehensive explanations for action between the state, private sector and civil society. the variety of manifestations and conditions of decline, in More specifcally, the study builds upon the dependency addition to investigating its trajectories, conficting inter- of urban development policies on industrial and com- ests, and hardly predictable trends (Martinez-Fernandez mercial paths of development that created “the context et al. 2012; Steinführer et al. 2010). Tere was a general for a relatively slow reaction to the economic and social lack of “(…) systematic empirical analysis of the crisis as conditions of decline” (Liebmann and Kuder 2012, pp a ‘laboratory’ for urban governance models” (Oosterlynck 1169–1170), and upon the argument to use the crisis and González 2013, p 1076). Te 2008 fnancial crisis to test new urban governance models (Oosterlynck and highlighted constant restructuring of urban neoliber- González 2013). Te major research aims are to identify alisation, making implications for urban governance and the main challenges to the implementation of innova- planning practice towards fnding alternatives in ‘smart tive responses to urban decline, evaluate their efects decline’ and recognising potential in decline. As neolib- and outcomes, and discuss their long-term development eral urban restructuring processes, crises could be used perspectives. Tis was done based on a review of the sec- to “efectively produce new, post-neoliberal urban gov- ondary literature to refect and connect with previous ernance rationalities” (ibid: 1076) to create more just, research. Analysis of the selected strategies and ofcial democratic and ecological cities. Tus, a better knowl- documents designed by the local government and private edge of urban politics in crisis could reveal the hidden foundations in Detroit provided a deeper insight into potential of urban decline and to use it to restore pros- development directives of interest. Finally, analysis of the perity to declining cities. news reports for the period since 2000 ofered a valuable Considering the very close links between the western overview of outcomes and public reactions to strategies industrial model and urban development, the transfor- and initiatives relevant for the research objectives. mation and decline of industrial modes of production Te frst section of the paper introduces the theoretical had far-reaching consequences for the former industrial background on the shift from growth paradigm to rede- cities of the US (Short 1996). Although the rapidly rising fning urban shrinkage as a source for new urban govern- loss of jobs and residents that commenced in the decades ance models, and summarises characteristics of decline after the World War II signifcantly slowed down during in the context of post-industrial cities of the Rust Belt. the 1980s and the 1990s, former industrial centres like Te second section presents the case study and provides Youngstown, Erie, Flint, Detroit, Bridgeport, Camden an overview of decline and strategic responses. Te third and Rochester continued to shrink (Beauregard 2007). section refects on the insights gained through the case While it is still largely a matter of debate why these cit- study analysis regarding strategic approaches to oppose ies didn’t manage to break of from the long period of crisis through innovative urban governance models. Te decline, planning practice in the US remained focused on paper concludes with an assessment of the case study in the management of urban growth. Te rare cases of tack- the light of efective strategic responses to urban shrink- ling redevelopment were usually performed at the local age in urban development politics. level and in a rather fragmented way, often without any strategic support coming from the higher levels of gov- Urban decline and the context of post-industrial ernment (Pallagst 2009). US cities Contrary to the less adaptable planning practice, the Urban decline has been acknowledged as a global and research on urban shrinkage in the US ofers a broader multidimensional phenomenon, and as a long-term, understanding of its many accompanying phenomena, structural component of urban development (Martinez- such as sub-urbanisation, growth and concentration Fernandez et al. 2012). It did not attract international of urban poverty, racial segregation, and immigration Čamprag City Territ Archit (2018) 5:2 Page 3 of 11

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