John Perry

How Cities Making the Same Choices Will Reap the Same Results: Choosing a Different Path for the Future John Perry

For fifty years 'Detroit' has been shorthand for all that's wrong with urban America: crime, corruption, decay, racial tension, struggling businesses, failing schools, a declining tax base, and more. Between 2000 and 2017, its population fell 28 percent, a steeper drop than any other major American city. A third of its land now lies vacant or dotted with empty, derelict houses.

The good news is there are unmistakable signs of renewal in Detroit. Given a fresh start, Detroit has slowed its rate of population decline, stabilized its finances, and set out to prove to the world that it's once again open for business.