Highland Park, Michigan - Its rise and fall

An example of what results with disinvestment in urban areas, sprawl and economic re-structuring. Notice in second video Rev. Bullock talks about "lack of political vision." He also says, "We need leadership. We need folks to come together."

Hmmmm.

Smart growth is sustainable. To be sustainable, you need an economic base.

When I worked in Michigan, one of our clients was the City of Hamtramck - which has fared a little better than its Highland Park neighbor. Hamtramck suffers from many of the same ills, but has one of the newer General Motors plants and is home to a diverse ethnic community with a large eastern European population.