Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
The Index: Michigan and Ohio
Here’s another installment of my periodic postings with archive summaries on various topics. Today, looking at posts about Michigan and Ohio.
Detroit
I’ve done quite a few piece on Detroit that have proven extremely popular for whatever reason. I’d love to claim it’s because they’re brilliant, but there’s just something about Detroit that resonates with people.
- The Other Side of Detroit – So much of what is written about Detroit focuses only on the bad – and there’s plenty of that there. But there’s another side to the story, and I tell it here.
- Urban Laboratory and New American Frontier – The most read Urbanophile post ever.
- Solitary Man – A post not by me, but by Detroitblogger John who runs Detroitblog, which is magnificent. This will give you an example of why.
- Embracing the Ruins – Taking another view of Detroit’s decaying relics.
- A Plan for Detroit – A look at my take on what the structure of a serious plan for Detroit would look like.
- Do the Collapse – My take on Detroit from before the auto-industry bailout, in which I predict General Motors bankruptcy and discuss other matters
- Not the Future of the American City – Taking on the claim by some that Detroit is the canary in the coalmine for America
Cincinnati
Cincinnati is a very under-appreciated place. It’s got its quirks, faults, and challenges to be sure – which for some people add to its charm – but also the greatest collection of assets of any city its size in America in my opinion.
- A Midwest Conundrum – I talk about all those great assets, and ask why they haven’t powered the region to better performance.
- The Neighborhoods of Cincinnati – A photo tour showing off some of the fantastic neighborhoods and architecture in the city. It can really shock people who aren’t ready for it.
- Dramatic Riverfront Revitalization Nearly Complete – Randy Simes looks Cincinnati’s riverfront transformation.
- Agenda 360 – My look at Cincinnati’s regional strategic plan.
Cleveland
It’s a struggling city, and one I’ll admit I don’t know enough about and haven’t cracked the code on yet.
- What’s Wrong? – I ask what happened to make Cleveland suffer so, when unlike Detroit there is no easy narrative such as the auto industry collapse and extreme racial segregation.
- Reactions to What’s Wrong – The post above spawned more comments than any in Urbanophile history. I summarize some of the best of them here.
- Will a Dying City Finally Turn to Immigrants? – Richard Herman’s plea for Cleveland to embrace immigration.
- “James Drain” Hit Cleveland – What LeBron’s departure means for the city.
Columbus
This capital city is one of the Midwest’s standouts in terms of demographic and economic performance. It’s a city to watch in the future. I’m putting it at the bottom since you probably saw most of these recently.
- The New Midwestern Star – My overview post on this little known but strong performing metro.
- Rebranding Columbus – A look at the city’s recent re-branding initiative.
- Downtown Mall to Be Demolished – My take on plans to replace the failed City Center Mall with a park.
Enjoy!

