Taubman College Margaret Dewar, professor of urban and regional planning, gave perspective on the recession’s effects on Detroit suburbs on National Public Radio on September 7, 2009.
As the city of Detroit struggles, its once prosperous suburbs are suffering from home foreclosures, business failures, and an economic slowdown. Historically, Detroit and its suburbs have been divided along lines of race and class. But as NPR reports, these days, equal opportunity hard times are prompting renewed talk of regional cooperation.
However, the desire to support Detroit’s sports teams, museums and restaurants hasn’t translated into region-wide cooperation with and investment in Detroit, according to Margaret DeWar.
Dewar explained that “what I want to see is a regional vote on, say, tax-based sharing; something like what the Twin Cities have, that shows there’s cooperation between city and suburb. So I think, even if people say they care, I think it’s time to show it in more concrete ways.”
Listen to the full interview here.
