An Urban Age in Detroit: The Case for State Reform and Community Renewal

Introduction

Thank you for the invitation to speak at this gathering. This is my first visit to Sacred Heart; what a magnificent facility and asset to the community.

For the past year or so, I have been working with a team of international urban thinkers, practitioners and policymakers on a global city initiative. The premise of our work is quite simple:

1. “The late 20th Century was the age of economic globalization. The first part of the 21st Century will be the age of the city, the ‘Urban Age’. The design of the built environment, the distribution of urban density, and their impacts on social inclusion and the quality of life, are at the forefront of political discussion in towns and cities across the globe.”