abandoned houses in that time. That work is ongoing, but it has been largely covered by federal funding and the city still must figure out how to pay for the much more expensive demolition or find developers to repurpose scores of abandoned or aging apartment buildings, factories and other massive eyesores.The problem is hardly unique to Detroit — Baltimore, Milwaukee and Dayton, Ohio, are among the many cities looking to rid themselves of old structures.
“For me, it’s absolutely clear — older industrial sites closed due to white flight,” said Andre Perry, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. “This is emblematic of the industrial challenges we have,” said Antoine Bryant, Detroit's planning and development director. The easiest solution would be to demolish, he said, but"how can we add to the city instead of just taking away?"