I think this is a fantastic concept. I just watched Jim Hackett's (CEO of Steelcase) video, and I think revitalization of city space is one of Detroit's biggest challenges (and indeed, a challenge that applies to most declining urban areas). One particular initiative that I'd like to point out is Glenwood Park in Atlanta.

The separation between urban and suburban communities at least partly accounts for dramatic shifts in urban population. For instance, Hackett explains that Detroit, a city of 2.5 million in its heyday, is home only now to about 300,000 people. I think that it's easier to pick up and leave a city that you have nothing invested in. The white collar employees of Detroit did not live in Detroit; they lived in the suburbs, their kids went to schools in the suburbs, and the parks they went to, the stores they shopped at, and the neighbors and friends they made were all in the suburbs. The Glenwood Park initiative attempts to bring the suburbs into the cities, to rethink conventional development and to begin to address and alleviate the tragedy of the commons. With more than half of the world's 7 billion people living in cities, the concept of suburbs needs to be re-invented, as such a model is not feasible in the long run as urban areas continue to expand. (Without carpool, it takes my mom an hour to get home from work. Everyday. That's ridiculous.)

I know this isn't implementable immediately, but I think it's something worth considering, both for Detroit and for other cities. By bringing a more socioeconomically diverse population to live in urban areas, you change the definition of a city from a place where business and commerce happens to a place where people live. So when industries undergo paradigm shifts and economies change, people are less willing to drop everything and move and more likely to stay on board and revitalize the city that they call home.

This concept really resonates for me. I think there is a lot of potential in finding clever ways to turn the run-down spaces into assets that can spur growth (both cultural and economic). It is like handing residents "equity shares" in the success of the city, and making those same residents the managers of the city's future. Turns a problem into an asset and puts individuals back in control. Love it.