Making the D More Hip & Happening

Here is a blast from the past that was submitted to the Detroit News in response to two pieces that they published one a feature piece entitled "Will Detroit Cool Pay Off?" and the other an editorial piece on the need to capitalize on elements of the Arts & Entertainment scene.

I still strongly believe that a focused effort could dramatically raise the profile of the various Creative Offerings in the city and bring in more tourists as well as getting the people in the region with money to buy art in the city.

Shoot for a Hip & Happening Detroit and 

World Class Status will follow

 2003

Kudos to the Detroit News Editorial and Features Departments for drawing attention last month to the golden opportunity Detroit has not only benefit economically, but I might add, improving its image as well, by further promoting & marketing the arts & entertainment scene.

I fully agree with the closing editorial statement that; the efforts of Detroit and Michigan to cash in on entertainment has been minimal and that developing pop culture deserves attention due to the huge returns on the investment.

Many people not yet aware of how crucial a thriving A&E scene is to a city and metro region.  Last year the book “Rise of the Creative Class and how it’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life” created a national buzz by revealing the merits of artists and other creative types.  The book by Richard Florida, Professor of Regional Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University, evolved from studying the factors that have resulted in success for cities from small, mid-sized and large.  

His research led to the conclusion that cities that were leading the pack with high-tech industries, had two primary factors, they offered ethnic & lifestyle diversity and they had an abundance of arts & entertainment offerings particularly in the “alternative” category.  Cities heavily populated by creative persons in turn attracted the sought after high-tech talent there by attracting new businesses as well as spin-off development from thriving urban cores.

In a February 20 interview with the News on the budget, Governor Granholm (to paraphrase her statement) had this to say on asking people where the first dollar should go, people generally agreed on K-12 education; for the second dollar a lot of people said economic development as a long-term strategy for growth.  

Therefore, I would pose this to the public and the Governor, if we are to become more competitive and not suffer another decade loss of population; we need bold and innovative initiatives to stimulate economic growth.  If Detroit is to become fully revitalized and there by strengthening the Southeastern Michigan region, we need to realize A&E development can play a major role in turning the city around.

Some time after presenting the slashed budget and later hopefully the “Bureaucracy Busters” team will have found waste to further cut and creative ways of stretching the budget, the question will be, how will we foster economic growth?  The Governor should seriously consider proposing a minor new tax for the sole purpose of promoting economic development with a focus on A&E development and promoting Detroit and the State as tourist destinations.

It may come as a shock, but Detroit gets as many visitors as Toronto.  This is a fact according to the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) but the figures are somewhat padded since it includes visitors coming for conventions, of which many are auto industry related.  Still while convention attendees are not strictly here as pleasure tourists, they do add to the economic impact on the local economy.  Annually, Metro Detroit has 17.6 million visitors who spend $5 billion during their stay.

In recent years, numerous reports and other sources have touted the positive economic impact of the arts.  The level of impact the arts have on the economy justifies the call for more support for the arts from the government on all levels.  

Politicians are waking up to the fact that the arts can serve as a catalyst for urban renewal and rural rebirth in the form of tourist dollars.  Many cities across the country have successfully reinvented themselves when faced with economic doom when industries and factories shut down and they turned to the arts to create a tourist industry.

In Michigan, tourism is actually the number two industry and business and government leaders in the metro region want to see Detroit get a bigger slice of the pie of tourism spending.  Last year a ten-year plan was launched to turn the tri-county area into a tourist destination to compete with other desirable tourist cities.  

Heading the effort cited as a “Tourism Vision” are notable leaders from the metro areas who serve on the Tourism Economic Development Council.  Among the first priorities are highway beautification, new tourist attractions and new conference facilities.  It is through these and other efforts that the council in conjunction with the DMCVB, hopes to increase tourist spending by another $3 - $5 billion.

It makes logical sense for the city and the Economic Tourism Development Council to find innovative ways to spur further development as a means to not only to enhance the city’s image but also increase tourism and create stronger communities.  Adopting a strategy to make Detroit hip & happening will pave the way to the long-term goal of world-class status.  

Detroit has the potential to become the arts & entertainment mecca of the Midwest.  We can continue at low gear or kick it up a few notches and invest in the future prosperity of not only the city but the metro region as well.

Detroit has suffered from an inferiority complex for far too long.  Too much attention has been paid to the negative aspects of the city when we should focus on the wealth of cultural and entertainment offerings large and small.  

In recent years, the momentum of the city arts & entertainment scene has been picking up at an astonishing pace.  We truly have the potential to be on par with the leading metropolitan tourist destinations, we just have a few humps to get over.

So stop complaining about how we aren’t like Chicago or Toronto, get out and attend an art opening, go see a local band, attend an independent play, take in some poetry or check out some freaky multi-media show, we have quite an array of talent and venues deserving wider appreciation.  

In addition, when you are visiting other cities don’t be afraid or embarrassed to say you’re from Detroit and tell them we really have a happening scene with a growing number of venues and all kinds of festivals.  We are fortunate to have as many arts and entertainment options as we presently have and with added nurturing, it will further flourish.