opinion

Opinion: Three 2018 resolutions for a more prosperous metro Detroit

Last year brought news of upheavals in the world, around the country and in our backyard. News of hurricanes and the California fires made me more grateful than ever to claim southeastern Michigan as home. It also makes me concerned that not everyone in southeast Michigan benefits from our region's riches. Worse, I fear that we are being reckless with our treasures. Thus, I offer this resolution for southeastern Michigan: Let's think like a region in 2018.

Consider this local news: Detroit's downtown is booming with new office space, residences and hotels, sports facilities, and retail, including nearby supermarkets. Corporations such as Ford, Google, Microsoft, and Adient are relocating headquarters or operations to the city. Furthermore, although many neighborhoods continue to reel from water shutoffs and foreclosures, they are receiving attention from planners with concepts like the 20-minute neighborhood.

Meanwhile, suburbs had their own upheavals. In December, the Pontiac Silverdome was demolished, and Bob Seger's September concert was the final event to take place at the Palace of Auburn Hills. With communities such as Livonia, Westland, and Wyandotte losing population and Southfield and Troy losing employers, the region continues to be a checkerboard of winner and loser communities competing for jobs and other opportunities.

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Nationally, the 2017 hurricane season — considered by some experts to be the worst in U.S. history — is estimated to have caused more than 1,200 deaths and $200 billion in property damages. Southern California continues to smolder from the Thomas fire, which so far has burned through nearly 285,000 acres and 1,000 properties and caused 95,000 residents to evacuate.

In world news, images of the perilous journeys of Syrian and Rohingya refugees and of Yemen's starving children streamed unabated across our media. We watched with a helplessness sometimes peppered with relief to be distant from these seemingly intractable problems.

We live in a region relatively free from natural and political disruptions. Placed amidst the world's largest stock of freshwater, a rich agricultural base, and significant social and economic capital, it is all too easy to take the region for granted. To preserve our resources and benefit current and future generations, we need to think like a region. I offer three specific proposals that are important steps toward achieving our long-term economic goals:

Support regional transit: To link current residents who have few transportation options with jobs and other resources, there is no substitute for regional transit. Such transit is also crucial for attracting new employers. Defeated in 2016, the Regional Transportation Authority could have another go at the ballot in 2018 and even win with strong leadership.

Protect our water: Flint's experience taught us that we cannot wait for an emergency to act to protect our water resources. With nearly 23 million gallons of oil flowing daily through the Enbridge-owned Pipeline 5 under the Mackinac Straits to Port Huron, recent news of damage to the protective coating should concern us all. We should demand stricter regulations and greater transparency in safety assessments given the potential risks to the state's (and region's) water.

Honor our diversity: The region is home to the largest Arab-ancestry population outside the Middle East, including most of the 2,000 or so Syrian refugees in Michigan as of January 2017. These and other immigrant groups face new fears due to federal actions such as the ban of immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries, termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), raids and mass deportations. Given our demography, this region is uniquely positioned to offer a sanctuary to immigrants and thereby address many of our population and workforce challenges.

Our region is replete with opportunity and potential. We can do more to make it work for all its residents, safeguard its resources and integrate newcomers. As the region unites, it will be better able to attract new employers, retain current residents and perhaps even become a preferred destination for those looking to start over, whether they are fleeing hardships or innovating new technologies.

Kami Pothukuchi teaches urban planning at Wayne State University.