Leaving the era of ‘ruin porn’ behind

Detroit is home to two globally known symbols of urban decay. Both of them are on their way to losing that designation, though through di erent paths.

Detroit became a destination city for “urban explorers” and ruin-porn photographers, drawn by beautiful and massive buildings like the Michigan Central Station and Packard plant that had fallen into decay. at’s not the kind of tourist destination Detroit wanted to be. And it’s changing.

As outlined by reporter Arielle Kass in this month’s Crain’s Forum section, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has declared war on Detroit’s most pressing examples of urban blight — creating a hit list of properties that’s grown to more than 150 examples that the city will ght to clean up, demolish or otherwise eliminate.

Duggan’s focus on commercial blight comes after years of a relentless e ort on residential blight — demolishing unsalvageable homes in a city whose population fell over decades by two-thirds, and renovating and putting into productive use those houses that can be saved.

Duggan’s hit-list approach reads like his standard playbook: methodical, data-driven and designed to enforce accountability. You can’t eliminate the worst examples of blight unless you know what they are.

And using the city’s one-time money from federal COVID relief grants for a big push on commercial blight is wise, an investment that can pay dividends for years to come. ose success stories now have Detroit showing up on lists of great places to visit rather than places to be avoided, and it’s no longer even surprising when that happens. e renovations of the train station and the in-progress demolition of the Packard plant show that improvement is possible, with coordinated and methodical work, private investment and public support. ey can be new kinds of symbols that can help inspire further change — and leave the “ruin porn” tourists at home.

A key to success will ultimately involve luring more private investment dollars outside of the downtown/Midtown core that has symbolized Detroit’s renaissance but also its broader challenges.

But Detroit is a large city. Anyone driving the length of Gratiot or Grand River will be humbled and perhaps discouraged by the scale of the problem of commercial blight.

One of the most prominent entries on the M100 list is Lee Plaza, which is slated for renovation and redevelopment. But rising costs have kept that redevelopment from getting o the ground. Developer David Di Rita hopes to overcome a $10 million nancing gap in time to start work on the empty building by the end of next year.

It’s an illustration of the di culties that remain, and a project that we hope can succeed.

Also to sort out: Some property owners dispute whether they even belong on the list, another example of how complex an undertaking this is. Making progress on those claims will require resources.

So far in 2023, the nonpro t organizations our community depends upon — and the business community supports — have not yet had a chance to enjoy the “post pandemic world” they looked forward to just a couple of years ago. e “Roaring ’20s” have not materialized and the fear of recession on top of lingering pressures make this a pivotal time for the sector. e National Council of Nonpro ts reports the top two trends for nonpro ts this year are limited resources and increased demands stemming from increased needs in our communities. If you ask around our region, you will hear the same.

I encourage businesspeople to consider what you have done when you have been faced with the “more with less” conundrum, then share that advice with the nonpro ts you support and serve. You don’t just demand “increased sales,” just like nonpro ts can’t snap their ngers and immediately raise more money. Even if it could happen, in both cases, that only solves one part of a compound challenge. You must look deeper for change, and I’m not talking about anything directly involving nancial statements, although those are certainly important.

Best business practices should extend far beyond revenue development. at is why Life Remodeled’s mission includes helping other nonpro ts enhance their abilities to sustainably serve. Recently, we hosted more than 100 nonpro t professionals for a one-day workshop to help them consider and implement business best practices. We emphasized what should be the top organizational priorities for the short-to-long term for all organizations.

First, too many nonpro ts struggle to believe that they can actually attract and retain top talent. But they can and they must, in order to ful ll their missions. Nonpro t careers can and should be attractive to the professionals who feel called to them. Just like businesses in all industries, the nonpro t sector must commit to a workplace and career path that allows professionals to thrive and grow and earn a level of fair compensation. at needs to be understood then prioritized by leadership, governance board members and the donors who will make it possible.

At the same time, nonpro ts need to take a page from business by prioritizing strategic planning. Too many organizations go through a long planning process only to underutilize the result. e strategic plan should guide the organization through whatever it encounters, and all other plans should be designed to support a relatively succinct central strategy, just like in the most successful businesses.

Anytime someone suggests that a charity be run “like a business,” it can create nervousness as it conjures thoughts of ruthless pursuits of money over people. Running a nonpro t on the right business principles is not at odds with compassion. e people of this community served by nonpro t organizations deserve excellence. As nonpro ts face the daunting task of delivering on their missions during this uncertain time, they are best served by adapting business fundamentals to plan for and realize the next level of impact, not just their next scal year.