Could The Arts Pull Detroit Back To Respectability?

Detroit has been losing population for years, and the city’s image in the national consciousness is hardly a positive one. Everyone wants to see a turnaround, but where to begin? Other cities have harnessed to power of the “creative class” to make their urban core more attractive, more exciting, and therefore more attractive to homebuyers. Paul Horton writes that Detroit has plenty of artists, so why not see what a little unity can do? “A hip and happening atmosphere is a crucial element in a city that ‘works’ and is a key to prosperity… If the elements needed to draw new residents are not in place, Detroit and other urban cities will continue to lag behind.”