Detroit's revitalization should focus on city's character

After moderate protest from her companion, she asked incredulously, "Have you ever been to Detroit?"

The exchange didn't surprise me. It made me laugh, and it saddened me. Detroit was never intended to be a resort town, but it has become almost as unlikely to be a destination for a dinner date as a family vacation.

Many Detroiters and suburban residents have their own theories to explain why the city only bustles during business hours: It's Coleman Young's fault; it's the suburbs' fault; it's the crime; the grime; the blue-collar image; the racial tensions ...

But regardless of who and what is to blame for the status quo (and I think it's safe to say all of the above share a bit of the burden), Detroit as a commercial center needs some help.

Some people think the casinos will be the city's saving grace. I don't.

Some economists think the transfer of hundreds of General Motors Corp. employees to downtown offices will do the trick. Unlikely.

Some politicians think a bit of federal money and a few empowerment zones will turn things around. For the residents of those areas, the money and the attention could do wonders. For the image and commercial value of the city as a whole, they'll barely scratch the surface.

Even my mother thinks she knows the secret to revitalizing Detroit. According to her plan, we've had what we need to transform downtown into a safe, upbeat commercial center all along: frozen water.

Her idea revolves around - literally - a Rockefeller Center-esque ice rink in the middle of downtown. She envisions the rink as the centerpiece of a downtown square that would attract restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops. And her idea is not as crazy as I thought it was the first time I heard it. Actually, it would fill several of the city's gaps and appeal to a range of clientele:

n Singles - There simply is no reason to make the trek to Detroit when you're more likely to run into friends on the street in downtown Royal Oak or even Ann Arbor. Creating an intimate and lively square will make downtown Detroit a more likely meeting spot for groups and individuals.

n Families - The suburban families who spend their Saturdays at soccer games would welcome a safe and affordable venue for weekends.

n The dinner and the theater crowd: Detroit has one of the largest and most successful theater districts in the country, and yet its influence hasn't moved further than the theaters themselves. Couples tend to make only one stop in the city to see their desired show, and then they head straight home when the curtain comes down. It would be natural to stroll about a plaza and sip a latte or a Chardonnay after the show, but there's no where to go.

So we'd be stealing the idea from Manhattan, and it wouldn't be the same without NBC studios in the background, but Mom's on the right track. Maybe it's time for a gimmick.

That doesn't mean we have to haul in tons of frozen water from Lake St. Clair or come up with some great new theme song; perhaps what we're looking for is right under our noses.

Detroit already has an image it is proud of: Motor City, Motown music and a strong tradition of African American leadership. The city needs to use those positive themes that outsiders associate with Detroit to fashion a cultural hub where people want to be.

The Museum of African American History was a step in the right direction, and so was the Motown Museum, but enthusiasm for these individual establishments has not been enough to spark the kind of restaurants and themed attractions that would make a museum a phenomenon.

Fort Worth, Texas, took a risk a few years ago, and now it's being hailed for an amazing urban comeback and a string of museums and performing arts centers that rivals its big sister to the east. For years, Fort Worth was the forgotten stepchild of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, trying desperately to suppress its cowboy drawl in the shadow of Dallas glitz.

But by someone's stroke of genius, Fort Worth decided finally to embrace its Cowtown heritage, and turned its downtown and surrounding areas into a tribute to the Old West. The result is a classy Western look tinged with suede fringe and silver buckles and a cultural district that draws Dallas residents west for the weekend.

Detroit has the opportunity to do the same thing by building on one of the images it already has - use the Motor City and bring the new automotive museum from Dearborn to Detroit, use Motown and build on the existing paraphernalia, use sports and paint everything red and white or blue and orange ... use anything but the big ugly fist in the middle of the city.

- Laurie Mayk can be reached over

e-mail at ljmayk@umich.edu.

Laurie Mayk She Says So

02-26-99