Detroit

What do northwest Washington, D.C., South Beach Miami and upper Manhattan have in common? Less than 50 years ago, the now vibrant communities didn't look much different from most of Detroit, says emergency manager Kevyn Orr—whom Gov. Rick Snyder tapped in March to revive the broken Motor City. This is what gives him hope that Detroit can stage a comeback.

"D.C. in '91 was still burned out from the 1968 riots," recalls the youthful 55-year-old attorney who worked for 22 years in D.C., at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Resolution Trust Corporation, Justice Department and Jones Day law firm. "You couldn't go up 7th Street corridor because it was burned out. But now it's thriving. You have $10 million condos on Shaw, U Street, Cardozo." Detroit "has that feel" of a rebound.

"I've now seen this many times in places that I personally have lived," he says, including in his hometown of Miami, where he cut his chops after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1983. People wouldn't set foot in South Beach in the 1980s "because it was both dangerous and boring." Last year, Miami Heat president Pat Riley bought a penthouse in SoBe for $11.75 million. "I probably should have bought a couple of lots down there," Mr. Orr quips.

His downtown office overlooks Detroit's restored waterfront and the redeveloped General Motors Renaissance Center. From this vantage point the city appears almost lustrous, and Mr. Orr exudes a contagious energy and optimism about the future. He plans to navigate the city out of bankruptcy by next fall, when his 18-month term expires, notwithstanding opposition from creditors who want to gut public services and soak taxpayers to get their money back.