Detroit almost out of large parcels (Pontiac, Royal Oak: mover, house, neighborhood)

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https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...n/72177441007/


Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday that attracting and retaining young people for the jobs of the future may require expanding the People Mover elevated train that loops through downtown.Speaking at the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Detroit Policy Conference, Duggan said city officials are going to study modifying routes of the People Mover, the 37-year-old downtown skytrain that has 13 stations in the central business district.


"The People Mover was built when it was envisioned that a subway was going to come from Royal Oak or Pontiac and it was going to distribute people into the downtown office buildings. They built the People Mover and the subway never came," Duggan said. The People Mover's future route may need to be adjusted to account for an influx of new downtown residents and their mobility needs, Duggan said.

"If the People Mover were to be built today, you'd be looking at these high-rises and you'd be connecting them to each other as a neighborhood ... potential reconfiguration of the People Mover to make a downtown neighborhood where you both live, work and play is something we're looking at," Duggan said. Duggan addressed transit issues during a talk at the Detroit chamber's annual policy conference, which was focused on Detroit and Michigan's long-term population challenges.

Detroit's first version of a bus rapid transit route, meaning riders can get off and on the bus quicker, is also being rolled out on Jefferson Avenue this year, Duggan said. That includes rolling out paperless tickets, pulling over easier and being at the same level as the person boarding on the bus, he said. The city also is looking to improve working conditions for bus drivers with a $3 an hour pay raise.

The theme of this year's Detroit Policy Conference at Motor City Casino was growing Michigan's shrinking population. Panelists and experts spoke about the 10 recommendations from the Growing Michigan Together Council, which released its report in December.“Michigan’s house is on fire," Detroit chamber CEO Sandy Baruah said, citing data that the state is getting older, poorer and literacy rates are declining.The policy conference focused on improving education, retaining skilled and educated workers, the looming decline of car ownership and the increased need for alternative transit.
Duggan said the state's largest city is almost out of large parcels for any more manufacturing facilities, so a new economic development focus is in order.