Michigan: Motor City revival

When famed Detroit music venue Masonic Temple looked like closing due to its debts, rocker Jack White forked out $142,000 to cover what was owed. Photo / Creative Commons image by Flickr user Michael Patterson

For decades, it was a whipped dog of a city but Kate Roff discovers a different Detroit. This one is grabbing hold of a new lease on life.

Detroit, the Motor City, was undoubtedly one of the hardest hit cities in the US during the recent financial crises. Once a thriving music mecca and bustling industrial hub, Detroit's businesses big and small took a beating in the past decade and in the 1990s. But, in a land famous for seizing opportunity, some Detroit citizens are rising to the challenge.

FOOD

Detroiters are nothing if not loyal, so it's no surprise some stalwarts have survived the hard times. The city's oldest restaurant, Roma Cafe, has seen its fair share since opening in 1890, and tuxedoed waiters are still serving hearty Italian food. However, the true sign of progress is in the success of newcomers; the quirky Vinsetta Garage has an average wait time of an hour for a dinner table, and its burgers will change your palate forever.

MUSIC

I doubt anything will match the swinging vibe of Motown in its heyday, but the city's music scene is far from finished. When the music venue Masonic Temple looked like closing last year an anonymous donor, later discovered to be Detroit-born rocker Jack White, forked out $142,000 to cover the tax debt owed. The Scottish Rite cathedral is now called the Jack White Theater in his honour. The venue attracts popular acts such as Jeff Tweedy, Nick Cave and Bastille.

RECLAIMING

Sadly, some of the city's streets resemble an apocalyptic movie set, with abandoned houses, derelict yards and burned-out buildings. One group that's finding a silver lining is Reclaim Detroit. They focus on dismantling structures to re-use the materials, rather than straight-out demolishing and shoving everything in a landfill. The benefits are big - more jobs, less waste, and the approach is nationally (and globally) becoming a very popular solution. Businesses, like Detroit's Workshop, make awesome furniture from the lumber that's salvaged from abandoned houses.

GOING GREEN

It's not a theme you'd expect in a city known for hosting one of the world's largest auto rallies, but Detroit is slowly embracing a leafier future. Elm disease, urban expansion and an ash beetle infestation have decimated the city's trees, but folks at The Greening of Detroit have grand plans for the abundance of vacant land. Urban gardens, green architecture and environmental education are going in here. Places like GreenWorks Solutions are churning out a new generation of experts in sustainable development, weatherisation and energy conservation, while businesses like Recycle Here! and Green Garage have also taken off.

YOUNG AT HEART

Parts of central Detroit are morphing into funky spaces, and they're attracting a new generation of trendsetters. Young locals like Phil Cooley, who opened creative space Ponyride and hip barbecue diner Slows, are drawn to downtown's potential. Another Detroit darling is designer Veronika Scott, whose coats for homeless people (self-heated, waterproof and transform into sleeping bags at night) was the starting point for what has evolved into an empowering organisation.

Further information: See DiscoverAmerica.com for more on visiting Detroit.