The people over at Changing Gears decided to poke a little fun at some of the cliches that have become synonymous with documentaries about Detroit. We’ve all seen, or have at least heard of, the slew of recent Detroit docs that have been released in the past couple of years, some much worse than others.

Lucky for you though, if you happen to be an aspiring doc filmmaker because most of the legwork has already been done for you. Check out Changing Gears’ DIY Guide to making your own film about Motown and who knows, maybe you too could be holding your premiere at Sundance one day?

After you visually establish that Detroit is a rotting mess of industrial decay, you’ll need to remind your audience of the glory days. Be sure to refer to Detroit as the Motor City as much as possible.

You should also use phrases like “put the world on wheels,” “gave rise to the middle class” and “Paris of the Midwest.” You can even get archival footage of Detroit on YouTube.

Read the entire guide here.

Well, it only took me about a month to get around to posting this. Blame college, finals and life. Last month I met with Channel 7’s Stephen Clark to job shadow him for the night. Afterwards I had to write about my experience for one of my journalism classes. Here’s how my visit went.

For better or for worse, the plan to bring light rail to the city is history…at least for now, anyways.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting the plans were scrapped in favor of a new system of high-speed city and suburban busses.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Detroit Mayor Dave Bing that doubts Detroit could pay operating costs over the long term for the Woodward Light Rail line because of it and the state’s financial problems swayed him against the plan. 

It was a plan that had been four years in the making, and while it’s tough to see it fall through, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely surprised and not all that disappointed. 

The idea to bring light rail and more public transportation to the city is an idea I have loved and supported since all this talk first began. BUT, the reality is that a line that runs solely up and down Woodward and doesn’t cross north of 8 Mile, just isn’t the best use of scarce funds and resources right now.

There’s been much debate about just exactly who this rail line would be benefitting, and many times it was compared to Detroit’s other infamous rail system the People Mover. I’ve personally talked with many people about the plan over the course of the past couple years, and more often than not, they were less than enthused by the idea. Truth be told, the more I thought about it, the more I started to feel the same.

Detroit doesn’t have the money, or the people, or the right amount of business yet. It comes down to the chicken or the egg debate: do you build the rail to bring the people and the businesses? Or do you wait for the people and the businesses and then build the rail?

I think the latter option is going to be the best option going forward. It will be interesting to see how this decision is received around the city and region.

Read the full story here.

Freep

Didya hear? The Huffington Post is launching a new website called HuffPost Detroit that will be completely dedicated to countering the narrative of national media that “parachute in to cover the declining metropolis.”

Pretty cool, right?

And also, I couldn’t not blog about the column in today’s Huffington Post by Toby Barlow where he discusses something that I always seem to be talking about with people I know. 

“Why do people who aren’t from Detroit (i.e. the suburbs) say they’re from Detroit?!?” is the usual whining question I receive from certain co-workers, friends and even some family.

My response, much like Barlow’s, usually goes something like this: if you’re from Southeast Michigan, which for all intents and purposes is Metro Detroit, you are in fact from Detroit.

But Barlow, goes a step further to explain just how important that tie is between the suburbs and the city itself, and why the sooner we all realize that Detroit and it’s surrounding suburbs are inseparable, the better off we will all be, and the better off the region as a whole will be in the end. 

The fact is the suburbs have been trying to run away from Detroit for half a century and all it has brought is ruin and depression for all. It’s time to stop running. It’s time to embrace this place. Luckily for you, right now, it’s a wonderful town to embrace.

The fact is that too many of the suburbanites cling to a past Detroit that was and never will be again, and in the process they fail to recognize the positive changes that are taking place there today, right now.

People will say, “Oh it’s not like it was,” they’ll say they can’t bear what happened to Detroit, but they’re simply blind to the possibilities of the present. Nostalgia for an old bygone Detroit is fine, but it’s not relevant to what is happening on Michigan Avenue, on Woodward Avenue, and in Eastern Market right now. 

I do have to make a point to say though that I don’t necessarily agree with Barlow’s blanket statement that “nothing good ever came out of suburbia.” While yes, I would love to see more people ditch the suburbs to move back into the city center, I acknowledge the realities of the situation. City living isn’t for everyone, that’s the honest truth, and quite frankly I had a pretty damn good upbringing in the suburbs so I understand the appeal to some people.

However, while I’m not asking for a mass exodus from the suburbs to downtown Detroit any time soon, I am asking that people at least give Detroit a chance, because like Barlow said: “Luckily for you, right now, it’s a wonderful town to embrace.”

Read the full column here.

The Detroit News put together a nice photo gallery documenting the best of Detroit’s historic downtown art deco architecture. 

From the Penobscot Building to the Book Cadillac Hotel, many of Detroit’s oldest buildings have withstood the test of time while others have received thorough restorations.

Check out the gallery here.

Jim Schaefer and John Gallagher write in today’s Free Press about the increasing amount of positive press being given to the city of Detroit by national media outlets. Could the tide be permanently turning finally?

Yes, the narrative seems to be changing.  Those outside of Detroit are finally starting to come around and realize what many of us already knew.

But, here’s where the biggest challenge begins, at least I think so. Because, for so long Detroit has been the underdog, the hopeless city, the forgotten town that always had to prove itself.

Now that we’ve finally gotten the attention we deserve, we can’t simply declare victory because we’re nowhere near the finish line. Truth is, there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done. There’s still unemployment, there’s still a failing public school system, and Detroit’s population is still not where it should be.

But at least now, the rest of the country, and maybe even the world is watching, and maybe now they’re more willing and eager to root us on than tear us down.

And what sparked this latest wave of affection from afar? Growing signs of a rebound. And the same thing that so often draws the national spotlight: our sports teams. With an almost perfect storm of success, the undefeated Lions, the Yankee-killing Tigers and winning seasons for our two big college football teams are once again driving the deconstruction, reconstruction, explanations and excuses of an underdog town.

Check out some of the coverage the D has received recently:

Wall Street Journal - Detroit Sees Signs of Turnaround…

USA Today - Detroit Rising

Read the whole story here.

Eric Milliken/Detroit Free Press

Heading into mid-October with two winning sports teams, Detroit seems to be getting all kinds of attention lately.

But it’s not just the Tigers and Lions that are garnering all the national spotlight and headlines. Many writers and journalists around the country have been drawing deeper (albeit similar and a bit cliche at this point) connections between the city’s sports teams and the city itself.

It’s a familiar theme: our winning sports teams represent the unyielding hope, undying pride and overwhelming optimism the people of Detroit never seem to lose.

Yes, it’s a familiar theme that has been played out before, (I wrote about it many times) but it doesn’t mean it isn’t still very true.

These days, people think about Detroit a little differently.

A new spirit is heard in the euphoria for its professional sports teams: The Tigers are in the American League Championship Series, while the Lions are 4-0 for the first time since 1980 — and playing on Monday Night Football for the first time in a decade.

Read the whole story in today’s edition of USA Today here.

Picture by Jeff Burden

Biking through the city of Detroit?

Sure, some would never dare to venture out into the city on two lowly, human-powered wheels, but then again, many more than you probably would expect are.

It turns out that the Motor City is becoming increasingly more friendly to bicyclists and the 10th annual Tour de Troit is a prime example with more than 4,500 bicyclists taking to the streets this weekend.

Tour de Troit, which began and ended at Roosevelt Park, offered two ride options Saturday morning. A 22-mile slow-paced, police-escorted ride allowed bicyclists to go at their own pace as they explored the city. The Metric Century was a 62-mile ride for 250 of the more experienced riders.

Detroit now has more than 40 miles of bike-friendly lanes with more scheduled to be built and although the amount of bike commuters in the city—about 1,200—pales in comparison to places like New York or L.A., biking in the city is on the upswing.

That community has helped spur construction of a growing network of bike lanes on some of the city’s main streets, including Michigan Avenue. Detroit has about 40 miles of lanes, and more are scheduled.

Despite its reputation as the Motor City, many cycling enthusiasts see Detroit as being built for bikes, with flat, wide roads and a relative lack of motor traffic.

Check out the full story from the Detroit News here and take a look at pictures from this weekend’s 2011 Tour de Troit here in Freep.

Photo credit: Todd McInturf/Detroit News

A few weeks back I finally had the pleasure and opportunity to meet the woman behind one of the most successful Detroit blogs on the web. Becks Davis created Detroit Moxie back in 2008 and since that time it has taken off and gained a huge following.

In any case, shortly after our meeting, Becks had asked if I’d be willing to write a guest piece for Moxie about my experience working as an intern in the D this summer. And of course, I jumped at the chance!

Below is a little exerpt, you can check out the full post here.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a bit over the top when it comes to rooting for my hometown Detroit. And funny thing is, for quite a few years now, I knew I loved and supported the city, but unfortunately had never spent enough time in it to fully understand it and all of it’s complexities and it’s inevitable quirks.

Every year right around this time, Crain’s Detroit Business publishes their annual “Living & Investing in the D” magazine packed with tons of awesome info about all of the cool things going on in the city. From fantastic people and entrepreneurs to new businesses and housing projects, if you weren’t already convinced Detroit was worth investing in before you read, you’ll be hard pressed to not feel that way afterwards.

Being an intern and all over at Crains for the summer, I had the opportunity to produce all of the multimedia content for this year’s series.  It was an absolute blast going all over the city meeting incredible visionaries and essentially getting a front-row seat to what living and working in the D is really like.  

Some highlights from the 2011 issue:

The Changing Face of Detroit

Entrepreneur creates ‘hostel’ environment

Spreading Midtown’s Success

Value of Place

Conduit to College Grads

The Ultimate List

Plus, be sure to check out all the multimedia content as well. Below is one of the videos I worked on exploring the buzz in Midtown.

Production by Josh Sidorowicz/Crain’s Detroit Business