"I spend a lot of time thinking about why Detroit is important. I fundamentally believe that the Detroit of today will incubate the type of energy and ideas that will move the world forward. It tells the story of the fate of the Western world.

"If we can figure out what went wrong in Detroit and how to move Detroit in the right direction, we could signal to the rest of the world what ought to be accomplished in order to solve broader problems regarding economic prosperity and opportunity gaps."

Read more about Barnhill here.