Shots of Detroit at night always look good
Midwest cities including Detroit are not among the places that college graduates in their twenty-somethings would first choose to live. Larger cities with more booming economies and a nationally recognized music and culture scene seem much more appealing upon first glance. Last Sunday, a group of young individuals dressed business casual walked down an empty street to the Michigan State University Detroit Center. Their main goal was to devise policies to draw a younger crowd to the city of Detroit.
This was an event put together by the Roosevelt Institute called Midwest Version 2.0. Twenty-somethings want communities that are green, a good source for recreation, and a nightlife. Midwest cities such as Detroit simply do not have that in spades, but there is some potential. Most students from around the Michigan area are familiar with Detroit and its underground music scene and boarded up windows, but many find something they hadn’t noticed every time they visit.
Although the goal is not to become urban pioneers, the program hopes to stimulate the Detroit economy and bring individuals who want to spend money on a city that offers entertainment and the potential to be a great place for young college graduates to call home. Many of individuals who are helping undertake this project view it as more of a long term investment rather than a temporary solution.
Detroit has a long way to go before it is considered one of the top places that college graduates flock to, but the goal is not an unreasonable one. Public infrastructure and education will need to be improved, and ways must be found in order to keep young and talented individuals from leaving. Much of this process involves encouraging students and graduates to be a part of the revitalization of Detroit so that maybe the jobs that twenty-somethings are looking for may be available.
One thing is for sure, it’s going to be a long and bumpy road.
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