Urban development in Detroit
refers to a series of efforts, over many decades, aimed at revitalizing many aspects of the city's physical structures, institutions, economy and culture, and in response to challenges of different kinds. An early effort, in response to civil disturbance and racial unrest in the late 1960s, was the "New Detroit" committee, a group of business and community leaders assigned to explore solutions to urban problems. In 1970, "Detroit Renaissance" was intended to facilitate urban development in Detroit. Its successor, "Business Leaders for Michigan" is continuing these efforts. Projects have included new business and industrial facilities, rehabilitation of the housing stock, enhanced hospitality and recreation opportunities, and improvement to public facilities.
In the late 1950s, according to The New York Times
Detroit had “more going for it than any other major city in the North.”Fine, Sidney. Violence in the Model City: The Cavanagh Administration, Race Relations, and the Detroit Riot of 1967
. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1989. 29 Racial tensions which intensified and led to nationwide conflicts in the 1960s provoked the Twelfth Street riot on July 23, 1967. In response, Michigan Governor George Romney
Mayor Jerome Cavanagh
, and Joseph L. Hudson, Jr.
formed the "New Detroit" committee, which included community leaders from business and labor such as......