Can Detroit Move Its People in a Sustainable Way?

Detroit People Mover, a photo by mrkumm on Flickr.

         Another part of my earlier conversation about Detroit real estate investing concerned its rail system. I first needed to get over the shock of its arson problem before I could adequately address it. It led me to wonder: can a big city thrive without a good transit system? Being from NYC, I'm biased and would answer with a resounding "no", but felt the topic needed more investigation.

         Detroit has The People Mover, a small, driverless monorail encompassing the downtown area.  Most of its passengers are tourists, with Saturdays being its heavy day. Considered by some to be "cost inefficient", there are plans to expand its reach. Given all the city's issues, when would be the best time to introduce the expansion, if at all?

         How does Detroit's system compare with others in the U.S.? I found three slideshows depicting the best transportation systems in the country & the world. I must say my Brooklyn pride is a little dented! NYC is ranked #2 in two of them and #7 in the third. US News places us second to Denver, CO (I need a moment). Environmental Graffiti has us second in the world to Hong Kong. And AskMen has the most recent poll and uses criteria such as wi-fi and mobile phone service, cleanliness and safety. Unsurprisingly, Detroit did not appear on any of these polls.

         According to City Solutions a blog created by National Geographic and C40 Cities,  cities across the globe now contain over 50% of the world's population.  By 2050, they will hold 75%. In a recent article, "Unlocking Sustainable Transport Starts with Cities" , a noted point was how can cities "scale up sustainable transportation", an increasing necessity given the growing shift to urban living. Unfortunately, "[all levels of governance], on a daily basis, make investment decisions that threaten to lock new and existing cities into unsustainable patterns". Is Detroit a harbinger in this respect?

         Three ingredient are crucial for success, according to the Science Direct abstract titled "The Key Factors for Providing Successful Public Transport in Low Density Areas in the Netherlands":

1. the presence of financial means
2. cooperation between stakeholders
3. flexible supply of scheduled and on-demand transports.

         The first two may be Detroit's biggest obstacles to overcome. My look at Detroit has been quite revealing thus far; but before I wrap it up, I want to do one more thing - a Feng Shui consultation. As a certified consultant, I rely on them to provide me with the best foundation from which to make decisions.

Until next week...