During the holiday break my wife and I decided to finally visit the newly-remodeled Detroit Institute of Arts on January 2. We are members of the Founders' Society, so we have free entry, but it turned out to be a poor choice of dates. Midtown was packed! There was absolutely no place to park-- anywhere. Even the parking structure at Wayne State two blocks away was full, since classes had apparently started again, and there wasn't an on-street spot anywhere. The Science Center was jammed with the Bodies exhibit (held over for the last eight months, at least). It was a nice problem to find, I guess, but frustrating, none the less. We ended up driving to Dearborn and visiting the Arab American Museum, which we had never visited before, so the day wasn't a loss. Actually, the Arab American Museum is actually a little gem of a place on Michigan Avenue in east Dearborn, right across from Dearborn City Hall. They have a really interesting collection of silver jewelry from around the Arab world, and a multimedia display that chronicles the history of Arab immigration to the United States. That part of the museum just reinforced in my mind the senselessness of the anti-immigration sentiment we see so often these days. The pattern is the same one the US has witnessed for centuries: hard-working people immigrate to our country, and their children work hard, study, are successful, and become significant contributors to our society. Why would we want to keep them out? Everyone is enriched by their contributions and by the energy they inject into our communities.
We ended up trying the DIA again on Saturday. It was, again, extremely busy in that part of town, but we decided to use the valet parking so finding a spot wasn't an issue. The museum was great. The art is presented in a totally different way, thematically rather than chronologically or by artist (with some exceptions). So, for instance, modern art isn't divided by decade, but abstract expressionism is together, installations are together, and themes are developed as you walk through. Decorative art and furniture are included with the artwork to give a sense of how these themes played out in other art forms. Landscapes are presented together, and a flow of how they changed over decades is pointed out. The new, larger gallery space allowed them to put out lots of works that weren't displayed before. There was much more African and Native American art, which was really interesting, and plenty more. I saw a Stuart portrait of George Washington that I don't recall seeing before, and there were several American Impressionist paintings that seemed new to me. I highly recommend a visit, or two. We just did a quick run-through, which is not how I like to visit, so I'm sure we'll be going back soon for another look.
As we left, and we waited for the overworked valet to literally run to get our car, we noticed that a line of at least 200 people were lined up outside of the Science Center to see the Bodies exhibit. Knowing what the inside of the building is like, I'd guess at least that many more were in line. All of the surface lots and street parking appeared to be full again.
I felt really guilty about giving up on finding a parking spot on our first try. I hate to think of myself as someone who is so dependent on my car that if I can't find a parking spot, I bail out. But, face it, that is not that far from the truth. I don't have a problem walking for a few blocks to park, but the problem is that everyone else who came to the area that day did the same thing. By the time we gave up looking for a space to park, the museum only had a couple of hours left on their schedule for the day. We wasted an hour on our quest for parking. And, there was no option. There's no rail we could take downtown with a transfer to a Woodward line to get to the DIA. Instead, we had to join a hundred thousand other people who all wanted to spend a day in midtown, all looking for someplace to park their car. Our bus system is a joke, so that was out. All of that needs to change. Then I wouldn't have to feel so guilty when I want to visit a museum for the afternoon.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Saturday, November 10, 2007
12 Angry Men
S. and I saw the stage play, "Twelve Angry Men," at the Fisher Theatre last Sunday. The play is well-known, originally written for television in the "golden age," and made into a stage play and film versions (twice on film).
It is a short play, just over an hour-and-a-half, with no intermission. One set, which was excellent. It is an ensemble piece, with a couple of star performers, including the headliner, Richard Thomas-- of "Johnboy" fame. He played juror eight, the role made famous by Henry Fonda in the original film version. Also in the cast was Kevin Dobson, who became famous in "Kojak" years ago, playing juror six, a loud, biggoted man who drives a lot of the drama in the show. I've called it an ensemble piece, and it is-- no single actor took extra bows or curtain calls, and all of the cast entered for the curtain call at the same time. That was nice to see.
I've always been amazed at how a group of characters locked in a single room can keep the viewer's attention. The program flew by. The acting was excellent, as was the production in general. An excellent production. It is at the Fisher until November 18.
It is a short play, just over an hour-and-a-half, with no intermission. One set, which was excellent. It is an ensemble piece, with a couple of star performers, including the headliner, Richard Thomas-- of "Johnboy" fame. He played juror eight, the role made famous by Henry Fonda in the original film version. Also in the cast was Kevin Dobson, who became famous in "Kojak" years ago, playing juror six, a loud, biggoted man who drives a lot of the drama in the show. I've called it an ensemble piece, and it is-- no single actor took extra bows or curtain calls, and all of the cast entered for the curtain call at the same time. That was nice to see.
I've always been amazed at how a group of characters locked in a single room can keep the viewer's attention. The program flew by. The acting was excellent, as was the production in general. An excellent production. It is at the Fisher until November 18.
Friday, September 7, 2007
A report released yesterday showed that Michigan's University Research Corridor, comprised of Detroit's Wayne State University, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Michigan State University in East Lansing, accounted for over 68,000 new high-tech jobs in the state last year. That's in the first year of its existence. The three member schools are the major research-level universities in the state. The Detroit Free Press wrote about it here. The URC says on the website for an upcoming conference:
A knowledge-based economy may be the best hope for long-term economic recovery by states like Michigan that were built upon manufacturing as the core industry. To realize this hope, the conference organizers believe that universities can and should play an important role in building such a knowledge-based economy.
Check another article in the Seattle Press-Intelligencer site about jobs added by Microsoft in Seattle:
Microsoft's move bodes well for the city, said Bill McSherry, economic development director of the Puget Sound Regional Council.
"If anything, it reinforces the notion that our economy is going to grow as fast as we can supply well-educated and well-trained people," McSherry said. "If there's one thing we need to continue to work on, it's more and better education" to help companies fill these kinds of jobs.
These two examples underscore the basic truth that more support for education is the best way to build a base for improved economies. The big difference between the two regions is that leaders in the Puget Sound area actually believe it. In Michigan we have the state legislature making power plays and practicing their political posturing for power at the expense of growth.
All we have to do is look at the numbers: we've lost manufacturing jobs by the truckload in Michigan, but thousands of desirable high-tech jobs have begun to replace them, diversifying the economy and building for the future. We educate outstanding scholars here in Michigan, but the status quo continues wallow in an outmoded view of the world... and that is what forces our young people to take their top-notch education to other states, where they are snapped up to build new economies. The legislature needs to support all education, including the institutions that provide basic research, and those that educate people who will work in the new economy. We know what needs to be done; now the Michigan legislature needs to follow through and fund our schools and colleges.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Michigan's Creative Class
I loaned a former student the book, Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida. He's been reading it this summer, and sent me an email about a note I wrote in the margin regarding the need to balance social capital and economic growth. Here's part of my reply:
As for Richard Florida-- you have to remember that his ideas reflect trends, not absolutes. When he shows the percentages of workers in each type of career from one era to another, those are drawn in pretty broad strokes. Keep in mind that during the agricultural age, there were still some people working in manufacturing and in creative-class fields-- it was just that the balance among the types of work varied. There will always be manufacturing jobs, it is just that the creative class jobs are expected to have a greater influence in the overall economy than was the case, say, 20 years ago. The creative class will provide what might be called the "value-added" parts to the manufactured goods, like adding sophisticated software to a car to improve performance or add a desired function. (I just talked about that this evening with a neighbor who is an engineer for one of the car companies. He's working on software to adjust the way a prototype car "feels.") And a company like GM or Ford will still have both manufacturing and creative functions, as well as financial and sales-- even if they outsource some of the work. So, even within one company, you'll see technology and creative jobs and human service functions. I think you can have economic growth and growth in social capital from all kinds of jobs. It is just very disruptive when the changes in the current structure come all at once-- like in Michigan right now, where manufacturing is declining and changing very quickly. But, even with all of the manufacturing plants closing down around here, Chrysler and Lear are building new factories in Michigan, plants more suited to new methods. Ford just closed the Wixom plant, which was ranked the highest quality auto plant in the world last year-- perhaps they had to close it because it didn't meet the demands of modern manufacturing. I see Michigan changing to a creative-based economy at a very rapid pace right now, but that change is almost invisible amid the chaos caused by the massive decline in manufacturing jobs. Las Vegas is also having a terrible time right now as a region, but their losses are coming in the service sector instead of manufacturing. Both regions had lopsided economies. Michigan is making solid adjustments, but I'm not so sure about Nevada. I'm confident that Michigan will use the excellent institutions we built up over the last 100 years and the huge pool of creative talent we have (50,000 engineers in southeast Michigan alone) to make the switch. We need to keep the best of our manufacturing, take advantage of and nurture our creative class (engineering AND art!), develop a stronger service industry, and redevelop and diversify our agriculture to have a balanced economy and excellent quality of life.
As for Richard Florida-- you have to remember that his ideas reflect trends, not absolutes. When he shows the percentages of workers in each type of career from one era to another, those are drawn in pretty broad strokes. Keep in mind that during the agricultural age, there were still some people working in manufacturing and in creative-class fields-- it was just that the balance among the types of work varied. There will always be manufacturing jobs, it is just that the creative class jobs are expected to have a greater influence in the overall economy than was the case, say, 20 years ago. The creative class will provide what might be called the "value-added" parts to the manufactured goods, like adding sophisticated software to a car to improve performance or add a desired function. (I just talked about that this evening with a neighbor who is an engineer for one of the car companies. He's working on software to adjust the way a prototype car "feels.") And a company like GM or Ford will still have both manufacturing and creative functions, as well as financial and sales-- even if they outsource some of the work. So, even within one company, you'll see technology and creative jobs and human service functions. I think you can have economic growth and growth in social capital from all kinds of jobs. It is just very disruptive when the changes in the current structure come all at once-- like in Michigan right now, where manufacturing is declining and changing very quickly. But, even with all of the manufacturing plants closing down around here, Chrysler and Lear are building new factories in Michigan, plants more suited to new methods. Ford just closed the Wixom plant, which was ranked the highest quality auto plant in the world last year-- perhaps they had to close it because it didn't meet the demands of modern manufacturing. I see Michigan changing to a creative-based economy at a very rapid pace right now, but that change is almost invisible amid the chaos caused by the massive decline in manufacturing jobs. Las Vegas is also having a terrible time right now as a region, but their losses are coming in the service sector instead of manufacturing. Both regions had lopsided economies. Michigan is making solid adjustments, but I'm not so sure about Nevada. I'm confident that Michigan will use the excellent institutions we built up over the last 100 years and the huge pool of creative talent we have (50,000 engineers in southeast Michigan alone) to make the switch. We need to keep the best of our manufacturing, take advantage of and nurture our creative class (engineering AND art!), develop a stronger service industry, and redevelop and diversify our agriculture to have a balanced economy and excellent quality of life.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
A Modest Proposal for bike routes
Wayne County has a really nice system of parks, with the "crown jewel" being Edward Hines Park, a linear park that runs for a good 20 miles along the Middle Rouge River. The park angles across much of the county from Dearborn on the southeast to Northville in the northwest part of the county. Each Saturday during nice weather months, the parkway is closed off to motorized traffic, and bicyclists and skaters take over. You are able to bike the entire length of the parkway with very little interference from cars.
In Dearborn Heights, Hines Park crosses Outer Drive, a wide boulevard that encircles Detroit along the outer neighborhoods. It runs from the river on the east back around to the river in the suburban city of Ecorse. It is only broken near the State Fair Grounds at Woodward. The road is a divided parkway for most of its length, with wide lanes and a generous parking lane that easily accommodates bicycles.
My proposal-- designate a lane in each direction on Outer Drive for bicycles starting at Livernois Avenue in the north, all the way to the Detroit River in the south. Where Outer Drive intersects Hines Park, the bike lanes would join the paths along Hines Drive. Cyclists would then have an unbroken route from Northville to the north side of Detroit, just a mile from the State Fair Grounds, Palmer Park, and Ferndale in Oakland County. The southern part of Outer Drive would give the same access to the areas between Dearborn and Ecorse, starting near the Detroit River.
The yellow highlights on the map show just how much of the county would then be joined by a safe and enjoyable bike path. The bike route exists already in Hines Park-- and a several-mile length of the Outer Drive route would pass through city-owned Rouge Park. Costs would be minimal-- I don't know if any upgrades would be needed along Outer Drive, and I realize that bikes would have to share the road with traffic along that route. But it seems to be an opportunity to link a huge part of the region by a recreational facility.
Note the green highlight. This marks the Lower Rouge park system, also part of Wayne County parks. I don't believe that this chain of parks is entirely contiguous, but there may be development opportunities for another bike route that would add bike paths from Dearborn at Outer Drive all the way to Canton. And, if a similar route could be established on East Outer Drive, the system could reach from the Grosse Pointes and cover virtually the entire northern two-thirds of the county!
In Dearborn Heights, Hines Park crosses Outer Drive, a wide boulevard that encircles Detroit along the outer neighborhoods. It runs from the river on the east back around to the river in the suburban city of Ecorse. It is only broken near the State Fair Grounds at Woodward. The road is a divided parkway for most of its length, with wide lanes and a generous parking lane that easily accommodates bicycles.
My proposal-- designate a lane in each direction on Outer Drive for bicycles starting at Livernois Avenue in the north, all the way to the Detroit River in the south. Where Outer Drive intersects Hines Park, the bike lanes would join the paths along Hines Drive. Cyclists would then have an unbroken route from Northville to the north side of Detroit, just a mile from the State Fair Grounds, Palmer Park, and Ferndale in Oakland County. The southern part of Outer Drive would give the same access to the areas between Dearborn and Ecorse, starting near the Detroit River.
The yellow highlights on the map show just how much of the county would then be joined by a safe and enjoyable bike path. The bike route exists already in Hines Park-- and a several-mile length of the Outer Drive route would pass through city-owned Rouge Park. Costs would be minimal-- I don't know if any upgrades would be needed along Outer Drive, and I realize that bikes would have to share the road with traffic along that route. But it seems to be an opportunity to link a huge part of the region by a recreational facility.
Note the green highlight. This marks the Lower Rouge park system, also part of Wayne County parks. I don't believe that this chain of parks is entirely contiguous, but there may be development opportunities for another bike route that would add bike paths from Dearborn at Outer Drive all the way to Canton. And, if a similar route could be established on East Outer Drive, the system could reach from the Grosse Pointes and cover virtually the entire northern two-thirds of the county!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Detroit Transit Meeting in Dearborn
[This is an edited and corrected version of some posts I make on the DetroitYES! discussion board last weekend.Here is my take on Saturday's transit study meeting in Dearborn. ]
After the DARTA fiasco, DDOT moved to begin the process of setting up a "new system" under a special federal funding category. This has to be done by an official oversight body (DDOT, in the absence of a true regional oversight body). DDOT's official service area includes Detroit, Dearborn, Highland Park, and Hamtramck. Thus, any plan they come up with will have to stay inside those boundaries.
There are several existing transit plans: Detroit's, SEMCOG's, the state's, and the Regional Transit Coordinating Committee (RTCC). The SEMCOG plan, and to a certain extent the state plan, incorporate Detroit's transit plan almost exactly. According to the project people answering questions today, all of the proposed rapid transit corridors in this project will mesh with the regional plans when the time comes to expand into Oakland, Macomb, and the rest of Wayne Counties.
[NOTE, not entirely from the meeting: RTCC existed before DARTA, and has primarily existed to funnel federal funds to individual transit groups, like DDOT or SMART. Now that DARTA is shot down, RTCC will become the oversight body for regional transit. They have restructured over the last few months, and are now moving toward that goal.] This is the second stage in the design process. The first stage identified several transit corridors for study, and this stage has narrowed it to three from which to select the first line to be built. The three are: Woodward from Downtown to Eight Mile, Michigan Avenue from downtown to West Dearborn plus Woodward up to New Center, and Gratiot Avenue from downtown to Eight Mile plus Woodward up to New Center. So, all three include lower Woodward.
The options for service type: (1) nothing beyond what we have now; (2) an enhanced version of what we have now; (3) Bus Rapid Transit (train-like busses in dedicated lanes or busways, stopping only at stations, priority at intersections); (4) streetcars; (5) light rail. The comment period for this stage of the study ends Aug. 29. A choice for corridor and type of service will come as early as November, then design work will begin. The timeline for construction to begin is 2010.
One of the displays at the meeting compared Detroit to other cities regarding population, density, miles of built transit lines (three miles in D!), miles of expressway, transit ridership, etc. The Detroit region has much higher density, population, and ridership than nearly all of the other cities in the display. It really makes me doubt the density arguments against a transit system for Detroit.
To me, and as much as I'd like to see a line on Grand River, Woodward Avenue should get the first line. Comparing Michigan Avenue and Gratiot Avenue: Michigan Avenue has many more institutions and business areas, including the mostly-undeveloped Clark Street business park, UM-Dearborn/HF Community College, shopping, along with the need to develop the Detroit-Metro-Ann Arbor corridor. Gratiot has Eastern Market area, City Airport, and a community college campus. On that one I'm going by the printed materials. I'm much less familiar with the east side. Frankly, it is too bad that only one can be chosen. We need a full blown system yesterday, and all of the major "spoke" streets should be developed, along with Eight Mile, Telegraph, Southfield, Greenfield, and 12 Mile.
One of the URS representatives said that their presentation graphics should be posted online soon. URS is an international engineering company that has done many streetcar, light rail, and bus rapid transit projects. Here's a link to a list of recent projects, including Boston BRT, Portland streetcar and light rail, London Underground, Minneapolis Hiawatha line. http://www.urscorp.com/URS_Division/projectsListing.php?service=95§ion=0602
The citizens who made comments today were very thoughtful and enthusiastic for the project, and all expressed frustration with the current state of transit in the region.
After the DARTA fiasco, DDOT moved to begin the process of setting up a "new system" under a special federal funding category. This has to be done by an official oversight body (DDOT, in the absence of a true regional oversight body). DDOT's official service area includes Detroit, Dearborn, Highland Park, and Hamtramck. Thus, any plan they come up with will have to stay inside those boundaries.
There are several existing transit plans: Detroit's, SEMCOG's, the state's, and the Regional Transit Coordinating Committee (RTCC). The SEMCOG plan, and to a certain extent the state plan, incorporate Detroit's transit plan almost exactly. According to the project people answering questions today, all of the proposed rapid transit corridors in this project will mesh with the regional plans when the time comes to expand into Oakland, Macomb, and the rest of Wayne Counties.
[NOTE, not entirely from the meeting: RTCC existed before DARTA, and has primarily existed to funnel federal funds to individual transit groups, like DDOT or SMART. Now that DARTA is shot down, RTCC will become the oversight body for regional transit. They have restructured over the last few months, and are now moving toward that goal.] This is the second stage in the design process. The first stage identified several transit corridors for study, and this stage has narrowed it to three from which to select the first line to be built. The three are: Woodward from Downtown to Eight Mile, Michigan Avenue from downtown to West Dearborn plus Woodward up to New Center, and Gratiot Avenue from downtown to Eight Mile plus Woodward up to New Center. So, all three include lower Woodward.
The options for service type: (1) nothing beyond what we have now; (2) an enhanced version of what we have now; (3) Bus Rapid Transit (train-like busses in dedicated lanes or busways, stopping only at stations, priority at intersections); (4) streetcars; (5) light rail. The comment period for this stage of the study ends Aug. 29. A choice for corridor and type of service will come as early as November, then design work will begin. The timeline for construction to begin is 2010.
One of the displays at the meeting compared Detroit to other cities regarding population, density, miles of built transit lines (three miles in D!), miles of expressway, transit ridership, etc. The Detroit region has much higher density, population, and ridership than nearly all of the other cities in the display. It really makes me doubt the density arguments against a transit system for Detroit.
To me, and as much as I'd like to see a line on Grand River, Woodward Avenue should get the first line. Comparing Michigan Avenue and Gratiot Avenue: Michigan Avenue has many more institutions and business areas, including the mostly-undeveloped Clark Street business park, UM-Dearborn/HF Community College, shopping, along with the need to develop the Detroit-Metro-Ann Arbor corridor. Gratiot has Eastern Market area, City Airport, and a community college campus. On that one I'm going by the printed materials. I'm much less familiar with the east side. Frankly, it is too bad that only one can be chosen. We need a full blown system yesterday, and all of the major "spoke" streets should be developed, along with Eight Mile, Telegraph, Southfield, Greenfield, and 12 Mile.
One of the URS representatives said that their presentation graphics should be posted online soon. URS is an international engineering company that has done many streetcar, light rail, and bus rapid transit projects. Here's a link to a list of recent projects, including Boston BRT, Portland streetcar and light rail, London Underground, Minneapolis Hiawatha line. http://www.urscorp.com/URS_Division/projectsListing.php?service=95§ion=0602
The citizens who made comments today were very thoughtful and enthusiastic for the project, and all expressed frustration with the current state of transit in the region.
How walkable is your neighborhood?
Well, I came across this link in one of the blogs I read regularly (Buschick in the Seattle P-I site). It is a pretty cool site that calculates the walkability of your neighborhood: Walkscore.com
Our urban neighborhood here in Rosedale Park, Detroit, gets a 54 out of 100, which I guess means it is decently walkable. It uses Google to garner info on how far it is from your address to different types of locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, bars, and so on. A list for each category pops up showing distances. That can cause a problem with your score if, for instance, a close location is missing. In our case, the closest coffee shop is listed as a mile and a half away-- a Dunkin' Donuts-- but there is a donut shop only five blocks from our house, easily walkable in just a few minutes. But, the site is still fun, and gives a sense of how walkable your community really is.
Our urban neighborhood here in Rosedale Park, Detroit, gets a 54 out of 100, which I guess means it is decently walkable. It uses Google to garner info on how far it is from your address to different types of locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, bars, and so on. A list for each category pops up showing distances. That can cause a problem with your score if, for instance, a close location is missing. In our case, the closest coffee shop is listed as a mile and a half away-- a Dunkin' Donuts-- but there is a donut shop only five blocks from our house, easily walkable in just a few minutes. But, the site is still fun, and gives a sense of how walkable your community really is.
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