View - Data Driven Detroit

Racial and Ethnic Trends in 

Southeast Michigan 

presentation to 

Wayne State University 

Law School 

Kurt Metzger 

Director 

Data Driven Detroit (D3) 

March 24, 2011

What is Data Driven Detroit (D3)? 

• D3 is a non-profit, founded in 2009, principally funded by 

The Kresge Foundation and The Skillman Foundation. 

• D3 supports foundation, public, non-profit, and community 

partners with research, analysis, and mapping/data 

visualization. 

• D3 is a member of the National Neighborhood Indicators 

Program (NNIP), founded by the Urban Institute.

Mission 

• Data Driven Detroit (D3) provides 

accessible high-quality information and 

analysis to drive informed decision-making 

that will strengthen communities in 

Southeast Michigan. 

3/10/2011 www.DataDrivenDetroit.org

Primary Functions of NNIP Partners 

• Build and operate community information systems 

• Facilitate the direct and practical use of indicators by 

stakeholders in community-building and policy-making 

• Prioritize building capacity in distressed communities 

• Democratize information and demystify data

Data Driven Detroit’s Roles 

Work with Data 

• Collect and Evaluate 

• Enhance 

• Analyze/Synthesize 

• Visualize 

• Democratize 

Support Partners 

• Share Augmented Data 

• Illustrate Macro Trends 

• Provide Neighborhood Analyses 

• Inform Strategy and Prioritization (Targeting) 

• Provide Project Technical Assistance 

• Promote Synergy and Convergence

(Some) Neighborhood Indicators 

• Population Characteristics and Trends 

• Health, Education, Employment 

• Housing Occupancy and Quality 

• Mortgage Lending and Housing Market Activity 

• Crime and Public Safety Information 

• Community Capacity and Institutions 

• Vacant Land Inventory and Land Use 

• Environmental Assessments 

• Economic Activity and Trends

Regional & State Indicators 

Projects 

• One D Scorecard 

• The Center for Michigan 2010 

Scorecard 

• Hard To Count 

• Michigan 2010 Census Planning 

• New Economy Initiative Grantee 

Evaluation

Community & Neighborhood 

Indicators Projects 

• CDAD Neighborhood Revitalization 

Strategic Framework 

• Michigan NSP2 Consortium 

• Starfish Family Services Needs 

Assessment 

• East Jefferson Neighborhood Profile 

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation 

• The Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit 

• City Council Elections by District 


Community & Neighborhood 


• M1 Rail Project Neighborhood 

Indicators Benchmarks 

• Wayne State University Institute of 

Environmental Health Sciences 

• Senior Mobility Outreach Project 

• Better Buildings for Michigan 

• Supporting The Skillman Foundation’s 

Good Neighborhoods and Excellent 

Schools 


Child Welfare 


• Detroit Kids Data 

• Supporting Wayne and 

Macomb Counties’ Great Start 

Collaboratives 

• Right Start in Detroit 

• The State of Detroit’s Child

Developing New Data 

• Detroit Residential Parcel Survey 

• Social Compact DrillDown 

• Consumer Expenditure Survey 

• Housing Market Transaction Data 

• Lower Eastside Action Plan 

• Detroit Industrial Parcel Survey 

• Environmental Indicators

Projected 50 Years Population Growth 

Race 

250 

200 

213 

188 

150 

100 

71 

50 

0 

7 

Whites Blacks Asians Hispanics

US: Population by Race: 2000 and 2050 

100.0% 

90.0% 

80.0% 

70.0% 

60.0% 

50.0% 

40.0% 

30.0% 

20.0% 

10.0% 

0.0% 

69.4% 

12.7% 

50.1% 

14.6% 

8.0% 

3.8% 

24.4% 

12.6% 

1.5% 2.9% 

2000 2050 

White 

Black 

Asian 

Hispanic 

Other

United States: Population by Race/Ethnicity: 

Population by Race/Ethnicity: 2010 – 2050 

(Constant Immigration) 

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

15.8% 18.8% 

1.5% 

1.9% 

4.5% 

0.8% 

12.3% 

5.0% 

0.8% 

12.4% 

21.8% 

2.3% 

5.4% 

0.8% 

12.4% 

24.8% 27.8% 

2.7% 

5.8% 

3.2% 

0.8% 

6.1% 

0.8% 

12.3% 

12.2% 

Hispanic / Latino 

Other / Multi-Race 

Asian/Pacific 

Islander 

Native American 

40% 

30% 

20% 

65.2% 

61.2% 57.4% 

53.5% 

49.9% 

Black /African 

American 

White 

10% 

0% 

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 

Source: Census Bureau

United States: Population by Race/Ethnicity: 

Population by Race/Ethnicity: 2010 – 2050 

(High Immigration) 

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

16.3% 20.0% 

1.5% 

1.9% 

4.8% 

0.8% 

5.8% 

12.2% 

0.8% 

12.2% 

23.7% 

2.2% 

6.7% 

0.8% 

12.1% 

27.6% 

2.6% 

7.6% 

0.8% 

11.9% 

31.3% 

3.0% 

8.3% 

0.7% 

11.6% 



Asian/Pacific 

Islander 


40% 


American 

30% 

20% 

64.4% 

59.5% 

54.5% 

49.6% 

45.0% 

White 

10% 

0% 

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 


Migration Patterns Resulted in Growth Over the Decade 

for All States But Michigan 

1,000,000 

849,133 

889,589 

800,000 

675,016 

600,000 

567,135 

400,000 

200,000 

281,998 

403,978 

214,573 

310,572 

120,452 65,869 

376,441 

0 

-200,000 

-400,000 

-600,000 

Georgia Illinois North Carolina Ohio South Carolina 

-228,888 

-247,751 

-368,203 

-632,866 

Domestic 

Immigration 

Net Migration 

-800,000 


Migration Patterns Resulted in Growth Over the Decade 

for All States But Michigan 

2,500,000 

2,000,000 

1,816,633 

2,034,234 

1,781,785 

1,500,000 

1,000,000 

714,354 

986,764 

1,182,974 

851,260 

848,702 

933,083 

500,000 

272,410 

306,925 

168,668 

0 

-500,000 

Arizona California Florida Michigan Texas 

-540,750 

-372,082 

-1,000,000 

-1,500,000 

-1,509,708 

Domestic 

Immigration 

Net Migration 

-2,000,000 


MICHIGAN: Population by Race/Ethnicity: 1990 - 2010 

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

2.2% 0.1% 3.3% 

1.8% 4.1% 4.2% 

1.4% 

0.6% 

1.6% 4.4% 1.9% 

1.1% 0.5% 1.8% 0.5% 2.4% 0.6% 2.5% 2.4% 

0.6% 

13.8% 

14.1% 14.0% 13.9% 14.0% 



Asian/Pacific 

Islander 


40% 

82.3% 

78.6% 77.5% 77.2% 76.6% 


American 

30% 

White 

20% 

10% 

0% 

1990 2000 2008 2009 2010 

Source: Census Bureau 

1

TOTAL POPULATION, 2000 

STATE OF MICHIGAN 

Percent of Total Population 

Male 

85+ 

80-84 

75-79 

70-74 

65-69 

60-64 

55-59 

50-54 

45-49 

40-44 

35-39 

30-34 

25-29 

20-24 

15-19 

10-14 

5-9 

0-4 

Female 

5.5 

5.0 

4.5 

4.0 

3.5 

3.0 

2.5 

2.0 

1.5 

1.0 

0.5 

0.0 

0.0 

0.5 

1.0 

1.5 

2.0 

2.5 

3.0 

3.5 

4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

5.5 

Percent

WHITE, NONHISPANIC POPULATION, 2000 



Male 

85+ 

80-84 

75-79 

70-74 

65-69 

60-64 

55-59 

50-54 

45-49 

40-44 

35-39 

30-34 

25-29 

20-24 

15-19 

10-14 

5-9 

0-4 

Female 

5.5 

5.0 

4.5 

4.0 

3.5 

3.0 

2.5 

2.0 

1.5 

1.0 

0.5 

0.0 

0.0 

0.5 

1.0 

1.5 

2.0 

2.5 

3.0 

3.5 

4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

5.5 

Percent

AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION, 2000 



Male 

85+ 

80-84 

75-79 

70-74 

65-69 

60-64 

55-59 

50-54 

45-49 

40-44 

35-39 

30-34 

25-29 

20-24 

15-19 

10-14 

5-9 

0-4 

Female 

5.5 

5.0 

4.5 

4.0 

3.5 

3.0 

2.5 

2.0 

1.5 

1.0 

0.5 

0.0 

0.0 

0.5 

1.0 

1.5 

2.0 

2.5 

3.0 

3.5 

4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

5.5 

Percent

ASIAN POPULATION, 2000 



Male 

85+ 

80-84 

75-79 

70-74 

65-69 

60-64 

55-59 

50-54 

45-49 

40-44 

35-39 

30-34 

25-29 

20-24 

15-19 

10-14 

5-9 

0-4 

Female 

6.5 

6.0 

5.5 

5.0 

4.5 

4.0 

3.5 

3.0 

2.5 

2.0 

1.5 

1.0 

0.5 

0.0 

0.0 

0.5 

1.0 

1.5 

2.0 

2.5 

3.0 

3.5 

4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

5.5 

6.0 

6.5 

Percent

HISPANIC POPULATION, 2000 



Male 

85+ 

80-84 

75-79 

70-74 

65-69 

60-64 

55-59 

50-54 

45-49 

40-44 

35-39 

30-34 

25-29 

20-24 

15-19 

10-14 

5-9 

0-4 

Female 

6.5 

6.0 

5.5 

5.0 

4.5 

4.0 

3.5 

3.0 

2.5 

2.0 

1.5 

1.0 

0.5 

0.0 

0.0 

0.5 

1.0 

1.5 

2.0 

2.5 

3.0 

3.5 

4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

5.5 

6.0 

6.5 

Percent

The Transformation of Detroit 

• “No one social program or policy, 

no single force, whether housing 

segregation, social welfare 

programs or deindustrialization, 

could have driven Detroit and other 

cities like it from their position of 

economic and political dominance; 

there is no simple explanation for 

the inequality and marginality that 

beset the urban poor. It is only 

through the complex and 

interwoven histories of race, 

residence and work in the postwar 

era that the state of today’s cities 

and their impoverished residents 

can be fully understood and 

confronted.” 

– Thomas J. Sugrue, The Origins 

of the Urban Crisis: Race and 

Inequality in Postwar Detroit. 

Page 5 

A number of historical and 

contemporary policies and 

structural factors created 

today’s conditions in Detroit

Detroit’s Population History 

2,000,000 

1,800,000 

1,600,000 

1,568,662 

1,849,568 

1,670,144 

1,623,452 

1,511,482 

1,400,000 

1,200,000 

1,203,339 

1,000,000 

993,078 

1,027,974 

951,270 

800,000 

713,777 

600,000 

465,766 

400,000 

200,000 

116,340 

205,876 

285,704 

0 

1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 


M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 

Persons Per Square Mile 

40,000 - 80,150 

30,000 - 39,999 

20,000 - 29,999 

10,000 - 19,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

8 - 4,999 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 

Sources: Data Driven Detroit, Wayne State University, 

Claritas, Demographics Now, US Census Bureau 7/30/2010 

Population Density, by Census Tract 

1950 

Detroit, Michigan

M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 


40,000 - 56,275 

30,000 - 39,999 

20,000 - 29,999 

10,000 - 19,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

1,410 - 4,999 

No Population 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 




1960 


M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 


30,000 - 39,582 

20,000 - 29,999 

10,000 - 19,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

405 - 4,999 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 




1970 


M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 


30,000 - 32,710 

20,000 - 29,999 

10,000 - 19,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

29 - 4,999 

No Population 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 




1980 


M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 


10,000 - 16,901 

5,000 - 9,999 

115 - 4,999 

No Population 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 




1990 


M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 


10,000 - 17,090 

5,000 - 9,999 

8 - 4,999 

No Population 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 




2000 


M-39 

M-10 

I-75 

I-94 

M-8 

M-10 

I-94 

I-96 

M-39 

I-96 

M-10 

I-75 

I-96 

I-94 

I-75 

M-39 

I-94 

M-10 

I-375 

I-75 


6 - 4,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

10,000 - 16,051 

No Population 

I-75 

0 0.45 0.9 1.8 

Miles 




2010 


AMONG LEADERS 

Detroit Free Press 02/20/2010 

ROUND OPENER. 

SPORTS, 1B 

Page : A01 http://www.freep.com/article/20100220/BUSINESS04/2200371/1318/Survey-finds-third-of-Detroit-lots-vacant 

RICK NEASE/Detroit Free Press 

CATCHING ZZZs 

Sleepless in 

Michigan? 

Try these 

7 tips for 

better rest 

NEWS TO USE, 10A 

MOVIE MEET-UP 

Riddle must 

wear tether 

again after 

contact with ex 

METRO, 3A 

KATIE VIGER 

Young woman 

made honorary 

nurse dies 

LIFE, 13A 

HAITI’S 

AFTERMATH 

Mitch Albom 

visits orphanage 

that escaped 

quake damage 

ONLY IN YOUR 

SUNDAY FREE PRESS! 

36 24 

High Low 

Family photo 

Sunny-ish 

Partly cloudy weekend. 

FORECAST, 2A 

Index 

Bridge .......11B Life ...........10A 

Business .....6A Lottery........2A 

Classified ....9B Metro ..........3A 

Comics ......14A Movies ......13A 

Deaths ......11A Names ......12A 

Editorials ....5A Puzzles......11B 

Horoscope .12A Sports.........1B 

Vol. 179, Number 292 

© 2010 

Detroit Free Press Inc. 

Printed in the U.S. 

$1.00 

Housing in Detroit 

THE GOOD, THE BAD 

Copyright © 2010 Detroit Free Press Inc. 

Use of this site indicates your agreement to the 

Terms By KATHLEEN of Service GRAY and Privacy Policy Wayne , updated County 9/21/05. 

AND THE VACANT 

2 CHARLESTON 

3 DELAWARE 

100% 

between 7 Mile 

at East 

Occupancy 

and Penrose 

Occupancy 

1 FERRY 

at Brush 

40% 

Nobody’s home in 

1 out of 3 city lots, 

but most houses 

OK, survey finds 

24 

39 

By JOHN GALLAGHER 

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER 

A landmark survey has found 

that a third of Detroit’s residential 

parcels are either vacant lots or 

abandoned homes, but that more 

than 90% of the city’s occupied 

houses remain in decent condition. 

Released to the Free Press exclusively 

by the Detroit Data Collaborative, 

the results portray a city 

of contrasts: deep in distress in 

many areas, but surprisingly 

strong in others. The survey, 

which did not include business 

sites or apartment buildings, 

found more than 30,000 vacant 

residential structures, with more 

than 10,000 of them open to trespass 

and in dangerous condition. 

Organizers of the survey accented 

the positive. 

“It is significant that there are 

more than 200,000 single-family 

homes here that form a foundation 

for stable neighborhoods and 

growth,” said Diane McCloskey, 

director of community initiatives 

for Detroit’s Office of Foreclosure 

Prevention and Response. 

“What this survey really tells us 

is that we can’t paint Detroit with 

broad brush strokes,” said Kurt 

Metzger, a demographer and director 

of the nonprofit agency Data 

Driven Detroit, which helped 

conduct the survey. 

One key statistic: The survey 

found 91,488 vacant residential 

lots in the city. But surprisingly, 

26% of those vacant lots were improved 

in some way — fenced, 

mowed, planted with a community 

garden, or in some other way reclaimed 

from abandonment. 

❚ GOING BEYOND THE SURVEY DATA. 9A 

Wayne Co. to pay for 

once-a-week layoffs 

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER 

Saturday 2.20.2010 www.freep.com ◆ On guard for 178 years 

96 

10 

94 

2 

10 

DELAWARE 3 

100% 

Occupancy 

4 

50% 

Occupancy 

5 HUBBARD 

6 WALTHAM 

at Minden 46% 

between Porter 

and Bagley 

CHARLESTON 

75 

1 

HUBBARD 

5 

The three most and least 

occupied areas of the city 

Note: Areas include block groups with 

100 or more residential parcels 

Sources: Detroit Residential Parcel Survey, Google Street View 

75 

10 

75 

75 

12 

94 

1 FERRY 

53 

JOANN 

4 

6 

WALTHAM 

Inside: Take a closer look 

See results of the Detroit Data Collaborative’s 

survey. Two pages of graphics 

examine vacancy rates, structural conditions 

and housing stock. PAGES 8-9A 

3 

JOANN 

between Park Grove 

and Greiner 

100% 

Occupancy 

94 

Occupancy 

MOSES HARRIS, ERIC MILLIKIN, 

KOFI MYLER and KRISTI TANNER 

/Detroit Free Press 

TIGER WOODS APOLOGIZES FOR 

INFIDELITY, SAYS HE WAS ‘SELFISH’ 

ED WHITACRE: 

Current General 

Motors chairman and 

CEO to get $9 million. 

FRITZ HENDERSON: 

Former General 

Motors CEO will come 

back as a consultant. 

Big Ed gets 

big payday 

as ex-CEO 

gets GM job 

Former GM boss Henderson 

to be automaker consultant 

By TIM HIGGINS 


While General Motors announced a $9- 

million pay package for Chairman and CEO 

Ed Whitacre on Friday, the surprising 

news was that the automaker was hiring 

former GM CEO Fritz Henderson as a consultant. 

Whitacre added the CEO duties to his 

plate in December after Henderson resigned 

from the company under pressure 

from the board, which was unhappy with 

the pace of the company’s restructuring. 

Henderson will consult on international 

issues where his experience in Asia will be 

valuable, said Chris Preuss, a GM spokesman. 

We’ve got “big, big, big operations in 

Asia Pacific with the international groups, 

where he has a depth of talent and capability.” 

Henderson, who did not receive severance 

when he left GM in December, will be 

paid $59,090 per month plus expenses for 

20 hours of consulting work each month. 

Whitacre’s pay package includes a $1.7- 

million base salary, which is more generous 

than Henderson’s compensation was as 

CEO, and GM says it has been approved in 

principle by the U.S. government’s pay 

czar. 

❚ WHITACRE’S COMPENSATION SEEMS ABOUT 

RIGHT, EXPERTS SAY. 6A 

Jail possible 

as Kilpatrick 

fails to pay up 

By JOE SWICKARD and BEN SCHMITT 

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS 

A probation-violation warrant could be 

issued for ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick 

as soon as Monday after Friday’s 

deadline passed without him making the 

full payment of $79,011 toward his $1-million 

restitution. 

Instead, he sent $14,048 — and he paid it 

February 20, 2010 11:02 with pm money / Powered orders. by TECNAVIA 

MARANA, Ariz. — Speaking with 

emotions both sad and angry, Tiger 

Woods said Friday that he is sorry for 

A request would come from the Michigan 

Department of Corrections. Wayne 

County Circuit Court Judge David Groner, 

who ordered Kilpatrick to make the pay-


x 

F08A_20_1D_X#color#broad#single 

Copy Reduced to 46% from original to fit letter page 

x 

Page : A08 

8A WWW.FREEP.COM SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 2010 ◆ 

COVER STORY◆HOUSING IN DETROIT 

A city block in the State Fair neighborhood shows vacancy typical of many areas. 

Google Street View 

WIDE OPEN SPACES 

It’s hard to move a city forward without a precise understanding of its housing stock. Thanks to a landmark new survey, Detroit 

now possesses its most precise mapping of its residential parcels — its strongest neighborhoods and its abandoned districts alike 

— for use in planning new efforts toward recovery. 

VACANCY RATES 

For the first time, Detroit now has an accurate picture of 

residential vacancy, thanks to the new survey by the 

Detroit Data Collaborative. Vacancy is widespread, with 

approximately 91,000 vacant residential lots and about 

31,000 empty residential structures. We highlighted the 

three highest- and lowest-vacancy areas in the city to 

demonstrate the variety of neighborhood conditions. The 

darkest areas on this map show the concentration of 

highest vacancies. The lighter blue areas show the areas 

of least vacancy — the more solid neighborhoods that 

will anchor the city’s redevelopment efforts. 

NOTE: Some vacant houses remain in good or fair condition. Improved vacant lots 

have been fenced, mowed, planted with a community garden, or in some other way 

reclaimed from abandonment. 

Graphic by MARTHA THIERRY, MOSES HARRIS, ERIC MILLIKIN, KRISTI TANNER and JOHN GALLAGHER/Detroit Free Press 

60% 

STATE FAIR NEIGHBORHOOD 

Vacant houses 

Houses in good 

or fair condition 

82% 

218 vacant houses 

145 occupied houses 

5 improved vacant lots 

109 unimproved vacant lots 

54% 

48% 

CONNER NEIGHBORHOOD 

Vacant houses 







50% 

65% 

MT. OLIVET NEIGHBORHOOD 

Vacant houses 







City of 

Highland Park 

City of 

Hamtramck 

Percentage of parcels 

with vacant houses 

0% - 7.02% 

7.03% - 12.5% 

12.51% - 19.55% 

19.56% - 60.06% 

Unsurveyed 

NOTE: Includes single, duplex 

and multi-unit houses up to 

four units. 

1 mile 

Vacant houses 

Vacant houses 

0% 

0% 0% 





100% 100% 100% 

VERNOR/JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD MIDDLE WOODWARD NEIGHBORHOOD LOWER WOODWARD NEIGHBORHOOD 



Vacant houses 







Source: Detroit Residential Parcel Survey 




WHERE VACANCY PREVAILS 

Vacant residential lots are not scattered evenly throughout Detroit but concentrated in the city’s weakest 

areas. On this map, the darkest green sections are those where at least 50% of residential parcels are now 

vacant lots — the urban prairie. Identifying these lots precisely, as the survey does, allows Detroit to plan 

to reuse these areas as community farms, greenways and other environmentally helpful uses. 

OPEN AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURES 

Most of Detroit’s residential structures are in good or fair condition. The darker areas on this map locate 

the concentrations of residential buildings found to be vacant, open and dangerous. These could be the 

areas targeted for crime prevention, demolition and other interventions. 

City of 

Highland 

Park 

City of 

Hamtramck 

City of 

Highland 

Park 

City of 

Hamtramck 

Vacant lots as a percentage 

of total residential parcels 

0% - 12.5% 

12.6% - 25% 

25.1% - 50% 

50.1% - 100% 

Unsurveyed 

1 mile 

LAND USE 

Here’s a breakdown of how 

residential parcels are used. 

73% housing 

20% unimproved 

vacant lots 

7% improved 

vacant lots 

Percentage of residential parcels 

that are fire damaged, open to 

trespass or in need of demolition 

0% - 5% 

5.01% - 10% 

10.01% - 15% 

15.01% - 50% 

1 mile 

STRUCTURE RATINGS 

Here’s a breakdown of the condition 

of housing that is vacant, open, 

dangerous or fire damaged. 

37% should be 

demolished 

35% poor 

21% fair 

7% good 

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HOUSING IN DETROIT➧COVER STORY 

◆ SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 2010 WWW.FREEP.COM 9A 

A block in the Middle Woodward neighborhood shows a high-occupancy area of the city. 

Google Street View 

Many are gone, but more remain 

Most occupied houses in 

Detroit still OK but amid 

vacant lots, survey finds 

By JOHN GALLAGHER 


A mammoth new survey delivers 

a sharply focused look at 

Detroit’s housing stock and 

lays the groundwork for a 

sweeping debate about rightsizing 

the city. 

The survey by the Detroit 

Data Collaborative gives an 

unprecedented view of the 

strengths and weaknesses of 

the city’s residential areas. Results 

portray a city of marked 

contrasts. 

A little more than 35% of the 

city’s 343,849 residential parcels 

are either vacant lots or 

abandoned shells of buildings 

— a staggering burden for a city 

trying to reinvent itself. 

But the survey also found 

surprisingly upbeat results in 

Detroit’s most vital districts. 

The survey found that more 

than 90% of the city’s occupied 

residential units are in good or 

fair condition — results that 

could lay the foundation for efforts 

to strengthen individual 

neighborhoods. 

If nothing else, the survey 

promises to plug some giant 

holes in the city’s understanding 

of itself. Detroit planners 

now have an accurate mapping 

of vacancy as well as precise 

data on the condition of individual 

residential parcels. 

Those should prove crucial for 

planning everything from private 

investment to government 

aid. 

“I am absolutely delighted 

that that information has been 

released,” said Robin Boyle, 

chairman of the urban planning 

department at Wayne 

State University. “I think it’s 

going to be a very important 

step in moving the city forward 

in terms of understanding 

what we have in vacancy, 

where the vacant properties 

are, and how we can start to 

move toward consolidation of 

these.” 

Todd Swanstrom, a professor 

of public policy at the University 

of Missouri, agreed. 

“The data is the first step,” 

What could fill 

the vacancy? 

Community leaders and city 

planners are trying to find new 

uses for Detroit’s empty spaces. 

Urban agriculture is getting a 

lot of attention as a possible 

use for the parcels. Residents 

already plant several hundred 

community gardens each year. 

Activists also are mapping a 

network of greenways — nonmotorized 

transportation corridors 

such as the Dequindre Cut 

— throughout the city. 

Some planners would like to 

create windmill farms and 

other alternative energy centers 

in Detroit’s open spaces. 

What’s next? 

The Detroit Data Collaborative 

wants to work with 

community groups and others 

to put its survey results to 

productive use. Software will 

permit users to create precise 

maps of conditions in specific 

neighborhoods. 

In this initial survey, the 

collaborative looked at only 

single-family houses and residential 

buildings with up to 

four units. When money becomes 

available, a future survey 

could look at larger residential 

units — apartment and 

condominium buildings — as 

well as commercial, retail and 

industrial parcels in the city. 

he said. “Nonprofits and private 

investors and others now 

will have much more information 

about where properties 

are available, and to market 

them in some sort of more systematic 

way.” 

To the math-phobic, the 

mountain of new data may 

seem arcane or even boring. 

But to decision-makers, the 

survey promises to mark a leap 

forward in tackling Detroit’s 

problems. In a world where investment 

decisions and government 

aid are driven by hard 

data, the survey offers an unblinking, 

parcel-by-parcel look 

of Detroit’s condition. 

Copyright Use of this © site 2010 indicates Detroit your Free Press agreement Inc. 

Terms of Service and Privacy Policy , updated to the 

9/21/05. 

A CITY OF CONTRASTS 

The condition of Detroit’s housing stock varies widely across the city. Many stronger neighborhoods, like 

some on the northwest or far east sides as seen in the yellow areas of the map, are composed almost 

solidly of homes in good condition. But many districts in the inner core of Detroit contain homes mostly 

in poor condition. 

Ratings of average 

housing conditions 

Strongest 

Moderately strong 

Moderately weak 

Weakest 

Unsurveyed 

NOTE: Includes single, duplex and 

multi-unit houses up to four units. 

1 mile 

City of 

Highland 

Park 

Source: Detroit Residential Parcel Survey 

By the numbers 

City of 

Hamtramck 

26% 

of the city’s residential parcels 

are vacant lots. 

95% 

of Detroit homes are deemed 

suitable for occupancy. 

“We really feel you’ve got to 

be able to show the data,” said 

Kurt Metzger, a demographer 

and director of the nonprofit 

agency Data Driven Detroit, 

which helped manage the survey. 

“You’ve got to be able to 

show that you have the capacity 

to understand what’s there 

and to measure outcomes and 

the return on investment.” 

The survey results will be 

available online at www. 

detroitparcelsurvey.org. As 

a safety precaution, the public 

will be allowed to access data 

only at the block level or larger, 

not the condition of individual 

houses. Gregory Parrish, data 

manager for Data Driven Detroit, 

said that will prevent 

criminals from using the survey 

data to target empty houses. 

Community groups, researchers 

and others will be 

able to work with Data Driven 

Detroit to create detailed maps 

of individual districts for 

study. And, in the future, the 

agency hopes to add advanced 

mapping software and other 

tools to its Web site to make 

the survey results more accessible 

and useful. 

“We’re hoping for a pretty 

wide audience,” Parrish said. 

“It should be useable by anyone 

and everyone.” 

Many of the results confirm 

what other indicators of Detroit’s 

distress have shown. 

For example, two out of the 

three areas with the highest 

vacant housing rates can be 

found in the 48205 ZIP code, an 

east side area the Free Press 

has identified as having the 

highest foreclosure rate 

among metro communities. 

The survey, detailed as it is, 

marks only a first step. It did 

not consider commercial, industrial 

or retail parcels, nor 

HOUSE CONDITIONS 

Here’s a breakdown of the conditions 

of the city’s single-family units. 

86% good 

9% fair 

3% poor 

1% should be 

demolished 

Does not add up to 100% because of rounding. 

MARTHA THIERRY and MOSES HARRIS/Detroit Free Press 

9% 

of homes are generally in need 

of minor repair. 

86% 

of Detroit’s single-family 

homes are in good condition. 

Source: Detroit Data Collaborative 

was it able to consider apartment 

and condominium buildings 

larger than four units. Future 

surveys will need to tackle 

those parcels. 

But Metzger said the parcel 

data eventually could be 

merged with other databases 

— foreclosures, health and educational 

statistics, crime patterns 

— to allow the most precise 

imaging ever of a city and 

its challenges. 

Boyle agreed. 

“I think we’re beginning to 

build a strong picture of what 

this city is like,” Boyle said. 

“We are very special. It’s a 

unique city in terms of the 

amount of vacancy and empty 

How survey was done 

The Detroit Residential Parcel 

Survey was conducted 

during August and September 

using about 50 University of 

Michigan students and Detroit 

residents working in threeperson 

teams. 

Each team consisted of a 

driver and two spotters who 

rated the condition of individual 

residential parcels on each 

Detroit street. The teams had 

maps, lists of parcels and GPS 

units. They were trained to 

assess the condition of each 

parcel, looking for signs of 

occupancy or vacancy as well as 

the overall condition, including 

evidence of fire damage or 

houses that seemed suitable 

for demolition. 

The teams did not leave their 

vehicles but made their assessments 

using visual inspections. 

U-M’s Ginsberg Center, which 

organizes community service 

projects, recruited and managed 

the survey crews. The 

nonprofit agency Data Driven 

Detroit manages the data and 

the Web site www 

.detroitparcelsurvey.org. 

Detroit’s Office of Foreclosure 

Prevention and Response 

administered the overall project. 

The nonprofit Community 

Legal Resources’ Detroit Vacant 

Property Campaign provided 

technical assistance and 

training, and will work with 

community groups that will be 

using the data. 

See the results 

To view more results of the 

parcel survey, go to www 

.detroitparcelsurvey.org. The 

site is expected to be up and 

running this weekend. 

property, and I think we need 

to get a very, very firm handle 

on what that is to move forward.” 

Mayor Dave Bing’s office 

said the survey “can serve as a 

component in the decisionmaking 

and strategic process 

for the city as we look to develop 

a land use plan and demolition 

strategy for the city.” 

❚ CONTACT JOHN GALLAGHER: 313-222-5173 

OR GALLAGHER@FREEPRESS.COM 

We drove every street 

One city, 2,100 streets, 2,700 miles. 

Revisit our snapshot of the city: 

freep.com/DrivingDetroit 

Lawyer: Professor shows signs of mental illness 

February 20, 2010 11:06 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA

Detroit Residential Parcel Survey – 2/2010





Predominant Race, 1950 

Tri-County Area 

OAKLAND 

MACOMB 

Detroit 

WAYNE 

Legend 

COUNTY 

City 

Census Tract 

Predominant Race 

White 

Black 

No Data 

No Population 

Source: Minnesota Population Center. 

HNGIS, 2004 

December 2008/jcb

Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan 

Van Dyke 

39 

10 

75 

94 

Highland 

Park 

Gratiot 

Telegraph 

10 

Hamtramck 

Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand River River River River River River River River River 

96 

96 

75 

94 

Woodward 

39 

Belle Isle 

10 

75 

94 

96 

75 

375 

Detroit River 


by Census Tract 

White 

Black 

Predominant Race by 

Source: US Census Bureau, 1950 

1950 CensusTract 

75 

75 

Detroit, Michigan 

© 2001 Wayne State University 

CULMA/Center for Urban Studies/jcb



OAKLAND 

MACOMB 


WAYNE 

Legend 

COUNTY 

City 

Census Tract 


White 

Black 

No Data 

No Population 

Source: Minnesota Population Center. 

HNGIS, 2004 

December 2008/jcb



OAKLAND 

MACOMB 


WAYNE 

Legend 

COUNTY 

City 

Census Tract 


White 

Black 


December 2008/jcb



OAKLAND 

MACOMB 


WAYNE 

Legend 

COUNTY 

City 

Census Tract 


White 

Black 

Hispanic 

No Population 


December 2008/jcb



OAKLAND 

MACOMB 


WAYNE 

Legend 

COUNTY 

City 

Census Tract 


White 

Black 

Hispanic 

No Population 


December 2008/jcb



OAKLAND 

MACOMB 


WAYNE 

Legend 

COUNTY 

City 

Census Tract 


White 

Black 

Hispanic 

No Population 


December 2008/jcb

Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan 

Van Dyke 

Belle Isle 


375 

39 

10 

Highland 

Park 

Hamtramck 

Telegraph 

Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand Grand River River River River River River River River River 

96 

39 

96 

10 

75 

94 

75 

96 

75 

75 

Woodward 

10 

75 

75 

94 

94 

Gratiot 



Hispanic 

Black 

White 

No Population 

No Predominant Race 

Source: US Census Bureau 2000 

© 2001 Wayne State University 

Predominant Race by 

2000 Census Tract 

Detroit, Michigan 

CULMA/Center for Urban Studies/jcb

Figure 6 

Net Flow of Domestic Migration 

Southeast Michigan, 1995-2000 

5,000 

35,000 

15,000 

St. Clair 

4,000 

2,000 

7,000 

7,000 

Livingston 

6,000 

Oakland 

10,000 

16,000 

Macomb 

5,000 

15,000 

1,000 

4,000 

Washtenaw 

7,000 

Balance 

of Wayne 

18,000 


18,000 

1,500 

100 

Monroe 

3,000 

32,000 

Arrows extending beyond the Southeast Michigan 

boundary represent the net flow of domestic 

migration between the specific county/area and 

U.S. counties outside the region. 

In net terms, 32,000 more persons moved from the 

Balance of Wayne County to U.S. counties outside 

the region, from 1995–2000. 

500 

Note: Numbers shown represent the net flow of persons age five and older. Net flows between non-adjacent counties areas in 

Southeast Michigan are less than 2,000. For purposes of map clarity, these net flows are not shown. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 

?? - Migration and its Impact on Southeast Michigan, 1990-2003

The Movement of Persons of Color to the Suburbs Marked 

the Decade of the 1990s 

White 

Black 

Asian 

Hispanic 

Multi/Othr 

Macomb 34,402 10,838 8,005 4,457 12,841 

Oakland 13,452 42,907 24,827 9,369 19,692 

Washtenaw 12,095 7,992 8,779 3,108 7,414 

Out-Wayne 

-44,235 

21,866 12,970 8,007 26,672 

Detroit -112,357 

-2,563 

1,219 18,694 18,664 


Whites have moved throughout the region since 1970, while African Americans 

have moved primarily to concentrated areas adjacent to the City of Detroit. 

Prepared by: 

Kirwan Institute 

Date: 

September 30, 2005 

Projection: 

State Plane 83 Michigan South 

Source: 

Neighborhood Change Database; 

Geography Network; 

U.S. Census Bureau 

Notes: 

White Population Change 

1970 to 2000 

Detroit and 

Surrounding Counties 

Prepared by: 

Kirwan Institute 

Date: 

September 30, 2005 

Projection: 

State Plane 83 Michigan South 

Source: 

Neighborhood Change Database; 

Geography Network; 

U.S. Census Bureau 

Notes: 

African American Population Change 

1970 to 2000 

Detroit and 

Surrounding Counties 

Lapeer 

Lapeer 

St. Clair 

St. Clair 

Oakland 

Macomb 

Oakland 

Macomb 

Wayne 

Wayne 

Monroe 

County Boundaries 

Water Bodies 

Census Tracts 

Population Loss 

0 - 500 

500 - 1000 

1000 - 5000 

Above 5000 Persons 

Monroe 

County Boundaries 

Water Bodies 

Census Tracts 

Population Loss 

0 - 500 

500 - 1000 

1000 - 5000 

Above 5000 Persons

South 

Black Population by 2000 Census Tract 

Metropolitan Detroit Area 

Memphis 

Holly Twp 

Groveland Twp 

Brandon Twp 

Oxford Twp 

Addison Twp 

Bruce Twp 

Armada Twp 

Richmond Twp 

Richmond 

Washington Twp 

Ray Twp 

Rose Twp 

Springfield Twp 

Independence Twp 

Clarkston 

Orion Twp 

Oakland Twp 

Lenox Twp 

Highland Twp 

White Lake Twp 

Oakland 

Waterford Twp 

Keego 

Harbor 

Lake 

Angelus 

Sylvan 

Lake 

Pontiac 

Auburn Hills 

Rochester 

Rochester Hills 

Shelby Twp 

Macomb Twp 

Macomb 

Utica 

Mount 

Clemens 

Chesterfield 

Twp 

Harrison 

Twp 

New 

Baltimore 

Milford Twp 

Commerce Twp 

Walled 

Wixom 

Lake 

Orchard 

Lake 

Village 

West 

Bloomfield 

Twp 

Bloomfield 

Twp 

Bloomfield 

Hills 

Birmingham 

Troy 

Clawson 

Sterling Heights 

Clinton Twp 

Fraser 

Lyon 

Lyon Twp 

Novi 

Novi Twp 

Farmington Hills 

Farmington 

Southfield Twp 

Lathrup 

Village 

Southfield 

Royal Oak 

Twp 

Madison 

Royal Oak 

Heights 

Berkley 

Pleasant 

Ridge 

Huntington 

Woods 

Oak Park 

Hazel 

Park 

Ferndale 

Warren 

Center 

Line 

Roseville 

Eastpointe 

St. Clair 

Shores 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Shores 

Northville 

Northville Twp 

Plymouth 

Twp 

Plymouth 

Livonia 

Wayne 

Redford 

Twp 


Highland 

Park 

Hamtramck 

Harper 

Woods 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Park 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Woods 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Farms 

Lake 

St. Clair 

Westland 

Garden 

City 

Dearborn 

Heights 


Canton Twp. 

Inkster 

Dearborn 

Van Buren Twp 

Wayne 

Romulus 

Taylor 

Melvindale 

River 

Rouge 

Allen Park 

Ecorse 

Lincoln Park 

Wyandotte 

Canada 

Percent Black, 

Non-Hispanic 

C a n a d a 

Belleville 

Sumpter Twp 

Huron Twp 

Southgate 

Riverview 

Woodhaven Trenton 

Flat Rock 

Gibraltar 

Grosse Ile 

Twp 

No Population 

80% to 100% 

60% to 79.9% 

40% to 59.9% 

20% to 39.9% 

0% to 19.9% 

Brownstown Twp 

Rockwood 

Source: US Census Bureau 

Wayne State Univesity/Center for Urban Studies 

Lake 

Erie

New Immigrants Had a Large Impact on 

Southeast Michigan in the 1990s 

Arrived in 

1980s 

Arrived in 

1990s 

% of Total 

Foreign Born 

Livingston 

333 

1,535 

33 

Macomb 

7,119 

23,760 

34 

Monroe 

329 

940 

34 

Oakland 

20,364 

53,009 

45 

St. Clair 

411 

1,245 

28 

Washtenaw 

10,101 

18,914 

57 

Wayne 

27,177 

66,105 

48

Top Countries of Origin for Immigrants Coming to 

Metropolitan Detroit, 2003 - 2008 

12,000 

10,000 

8,000 

6,000 

10,485 

4,000 

7,531 

2,000 

4,902 

4,172 

4,064 

3,447 

3,259 

2,839 

2,779 

2,375 

2,090 

1,741 

0 

Source: US Dept. Of Homeland Security / Immigration

South 

Asian Population by 2000 Census Tract 


Memphis 

Holly Twp 

Groveland Twp 

Brandon Twp 

Oxford Twp 

Addison Twp 

Bruce Twp 

Armada Twp 

Richmond Twp 

Richmond 


Ray Twp 

Rose Twp 



Clarkston 

Orion Twp 

Oakland Twp 

Lenox Twp 

Highland Twp 


Oakland 

Waterford Twp 

Keego 

Harbor 

Lake 

Angelus 

Sylvan 

Lake 

Pontiac 

Auburn Hills 

Rochester 


Shelby Twp 

Macomb Twp 

Macomb 

Utica 

Mount 

Clemens 

Chesterfield 

Twp 

Harrison 

Twp 

New 

Baltimore 

Milford Twp 

Commerce Twp 

Walled 

Wixom 

Lake 

Orchard 

Lake 

Village 

West 

Bloomfield 

Twp 

Bloomfield 

Twp 

Bloomfield 

Hills 

Birmingham 

Troy 

Clawson 


Clinton Twp 

Fraser 

Lyon 

Lyon Twp 

Novi 

Novi Twp 


Farmington 


Lathrup 

Village 

Southfield 

Royal Oak 

Twp 

Madison 

Royal Oak 

Heights 

Berkley 

Pleasant 

Ridge 

Huntington 

Woods 

Oak Park 

Hazel 

Park 

Ferndale 

Warren 

Center 

Line 

Roseville 

Eastpointe 

St. Clair 

Shores 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Shores 

Northville 


Plymouth 

Twp 

Plymouth 

Livonia 

Wayne 

Redford 

Twp 


Highland 

Park 

Hamtramck 

Harper 

Woods 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Park 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Woods 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Farms 

Lake 

St. Clair 

Westland 

Garden 

City 

Dearborn 

Heights 


Canton Twp. 

Inkster 

Dearborn 

Van Buren Twp 

Belleville 

Sumpter Twp 

Wayne 

Romulus 

Huron Twp 

Taylor 

Melvindale 

River 

Rouge 

Allen Park 

Ecorse 

Lincoln Park 

Wyandotte 

Southgate 

Riverview 

Woodhaven Trenton Grosse Ile 

Twp 

Flat Rock 

Gibraltar 

Canada 

Percent Asian, 

Non-Hispanic 

C a n a d a 

No Population 

24% to 31% 

18% to 23.9% 

12% to 17.9% 

6% to 11.9% 

0% to 5.9% 


Rockwood 


Lake 

Erie 

Wayne State Univesity/Center for Urban Studies

South 

Hispanic Population by 2000 Census Tract 


Memphis 

Holly Twp 

Groveland Twp 

Brandon Twp 

Oxford Twp 

Addison Twp 

Bruce Twp 

Armada Twp 

Richmond Twp 

Richmond 


Ray Twp 

Rose Twp 



Clarkston 

Orion Twp 

Oakland Twp 

Lenox Twp 

Highland Twp 


Oakland 

Waterford Twp 

Keego 

Harbor 

Lake 

Angelus 

Sylvan 

Lake 

Pontiac 

Auburn Hills 

Rochester 


Shelby Twp 

Macomb Twp 

Macomb 

Utica 

Mount 

Clemens 

Chesterfield 

Twp 

Harrison 

Twp 

New 

Baltimore 

Milford Twp 

Commerce Twp 

Walled 

Wixom 

Lake 

Orchard 

Lake 

Village 

West 

Bloomfield 

Twp 

Bloomfield 

Twp 

Bloomfield 

Hills 

Birmingham 

Troy 

Clawson 


Clinton Twp 

Fraser 

Lyon 

Lyon Twp 

Novi 

Novi Twp 


Farmington 


Lathrup 

Village 

Southfield 

Royal Oak 

Twp 

Madison 

Royal Oak 

Heights 

Berkley 

Pleasant 

Ridge 

Huntington 

Woods 

Oak Park 

Hazel 

Park 

Ferndale 

Warren 

Center 

Line 

Roseville 

Eastpointe 

St. Clair 

Shores 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Shores 

Northville 


Plymouth 

Twp 

Plymouth 

Livonia 

Wayne 

Redford 

Twp 


Highland 

Park 

Hamtramck 

Harper 

Woods 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Park 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Woods 

Grosse 

Pointe 

Farms 

Lake 

St. Clair 

Westland 

Garden 

City 

Dearborn 

Heights 


Canton Twp. 

Inkster 

Dearborn 

Van Buren Twp 

Belleville 

Sumpter Twp 

Wayne 

Romulus 

Huron Twp 

Taylor 

Melvindale 

River 

Rouge 

Allen Park 

Ecorse 

Lincoln Park 

Wyandotte 

Southgate 

Riverview 

Woodhaven Trenton Grosse Ile 

Twp 

Canada 

Percent Hispanic 

C a n a d a 

No Population 

9% to 77% 

6% to 8.9% 

3% to 5.9% 

0% to 2.9% 

Flat Rock 

Gibraltar 


Rockwood 


Wayne State Univesity/Center for Urban Studies 

Lake 

Erie

Persons of Arab Ancestry 

Tri-County Detroit Area 

Oakland 

Macomb 

Wayne 

Total Persons 

2,500 to 4,905 

500 to 2,499 

100 to 499 

50 to 99 

1 to 49 

0 



Persons of Assyrian, Chaldean or 

Syriac Ancestry 

Tri-County Detroit Area 

Oakland 

Macomb 

Wayne 

Total Persons 

500 to 934 

250 to 499 

100 to 249 

50 to 99 

1 to 49 

0 



2004 Jewish Federation Membership 



ssee 

Genesee 

Lapeer 

Oakland 

St. Clair 

Macomb 

ingston 

ashtenaw 

Wayne 

Members per Tract 

1,050 

500 to 750 

10 to 499 

1 to 9 

No Members 

Source: Jewish Federation 

© WSU/CUS/Michigan Metropolitan Information Center/ djt November 2004

The Growth and Movement of Persons of Color Has 

Increased Across the Region Since 2000 

200% 

150% 

194.8% 

Macomb 

Oakland 

Wayne 

100% 

50% 

0% 

46.1% 

39.3% 40.0% 

31.6% 

30.5% 

23.9% 

27.6% 

28.6% 

13.5% 

13.2% 

4.4% 

-8.9% 

-1.7%-10.9% 

African American Native American Asian Multi-Race Hispanic 

-50% 

Source: Census Bureau – Population Estimates Program - 

2008

Public School Enrollment in Oakland County Schools Has Become 

Increasingly Populated by Children of Color 

1991-92 2006-07 2008-09 

Total Students 168,110 201,421 198,944 

White 142,573 84.8% 139,190 69.1% 133,835 67.3% 

African American 17,216 10.2% 41,951 20.8% 43,910 22.1% 

Asian / PI 4,659 2.8% 11,734 5.8% 12,746 6.4% 

Hispanic/Latino 2,494 1.5% 5,762 2.9% 6,410 3.2% 

Native American 1,168 0.7% 1,166 0.6% 735 0.4% 

Mixed Race n.a. n.a. 1,618 0.8% 1,308 0.7% 

Source: Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI)

School Districts in the Southern End of the County Have 

Experienced Rapid Racial/Ethnic Change This Decade 

Source: MI CEPI

The Economic Downturn Has Led to Large Increases 

in Persons Receiving Food Assistance 

450,000 

Macomb Oakland Wayne 

412,418 

400,000 

370,803 368,400 

389,667 

350,000 

State of Michigan 

2001 – 676,590 

2008 – 1,450,554 

300,000 

250,000 

238,460 

200,000 

150,000 

100,000 

50,000 

23,916 

33,730 

66,887 

62,348 

59,380 64,675 

71,553 

72,750 

85,972 

87,077 

0 

Sept. 2001 Sept. 2006 Sept. 2007 Sept. 2008 Apr-09 

Source: MI Dept. of Human Services

Income* 

2000, 2009 

2000* 2009 Change %Change 

Median Household Income 

City of Detroit 38,089 26,098 -11,991 -31.3% 

Southeast Michigan 63,303 48,535 -14,768 -23.3% 

Macomb County 67,070 50,553 -16,517 -24.6% 

Oakland County 79,692 62,308 -17,384 -21.8% 

Wayne County 52,491 38,192 -14,299 -27.2% 

Michigan 57,499 45,255 -12,244 -21.3% 

United States 54,058 50,221 -3,837 -7.1% 

* Note: All 2000 monetary values are adjusted to 2009 dollars using U.S. Consumer Price 

Research Series Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U-RS) from 1999 to 2009. 

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

What Should Community Leaders Emphasize Over 

Next Three Years? 

100% 

90% 

80% 

10% 8% 

20% 21% 

17% 

24% 

9% 

25% 

30% 

45% 

70% 

29% 

60% 

50% 

26% 

25% 

40% 

32% 

38% 

Poor 

Below Average 

Neutral 

40% 

26% 

35% 

Good 

Excellent 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

35% 37% 

23% 

29% 

22% 

20% 

14% 

8% 

8% 6% 

12% 

10% 

2% 5% 

5% 

2% 1% 

The region as 

a place to raise 

children 

The region as 

a place to live 

The region as 

a place to w ork 

The overall 

image of the 

region 

The overall 

quality of life in 

the region 

How well the 

region is 

planning for 

the future 

How well the 

region works 

together

How serious a problem do you think racial discrimination is 

in each of the following places? 

45% 

Not at all serious 

Not very serious 

40% 

35% 

30% 

38.8% 

30.5% 

32.7% 

36.9% 

Somewhat serious 

Extremely serious 

Very serious 

28.2% 

27.0% 

25% 

20% 

17.8% 

18.8% 

15% 

10% 

13.4% 

12.9% 

8.8% 

11.0% 

14.9% 

5% 

4.4% 3.8% 

0% 

Where you live 

At your place of employment or 

school 

In access to health care 

Source: UWSEM/New Detroit Survey - 2007 11

How serious a problem do you think racial discrimination is 

in each of the following places? 

40% 

Not at all serious 

Somewhat serious 

Not very serious 

Very serious 

35% 

32.1% 

Extremely serious 

32.3% 

33.9% 

30% 

29.1% 

25% 

20% 

26.5% 

22.2% 

20.6% 

19.1% 

25.7% 

15% 

13.2% 

11.9% 

13.0% 

10% 

5% 

6.0% 6.0% 

8.3% 

0% 

In dealings with local police In the criminal justice system In access to quality education 


What do you think are people of color's chances of... 

80% 

70% 

60% 

70.3% 

68.2% 

59.7% 

Not as good a chance as whites 

About the same chance as whites 

A better chance than whites 

62.5% 

58.5% 

50% 

47.8% 

40% 

37.0% 

35.3% 

30% 

27.2% 

24.8% 

26.8% 26.8% 

25.4% 

20% 

14.7% 

10% 

2.5% 

7.0% 

3.3% 

2.2% 

0% 

Attending a good 

public school 

Getting a college 

education 

Getting housing 

they can afford 

Getting quality 

health care 

Being 

inappropriately 

stopped by a 

police officer 

Being 

inappropriately 

imprisoned 


The Cumulative Impacts of Spatial, Racial and 

Opportunity Segregation 

Segregation impacts a number of life-opportunities 

Impacts on Health 

School Segregation 

Impacts on Educational Achievement 

Exposure to crime; arrest 

Transportation limitations and other 

inequitable public services 

Neighborhood 

Segregation 

Job segregation 

Racial stigma, other 

psychological impacts 

Impacts on community power and 

individual assets 

Adapted from figure by Barbara Reskin at: http://faculty.washington.edu/reskin/

The Outcome of Structural Racialization & Segregation 

Is a Highly Uneven Geography of Opportunity… 

…Some people ride the 

“Up” escalator to reach 

opportunity 

…Others have to run up 

the “Down” escalator to 

get there

Contemporary Challenges: 

Sprawl and Fragmentation Magnify Racial Inequity 

Two factors are instrumental in magnifying racial inequity: 

Sprawl 

– Haphazard Greenfield 

development not 

prompted by population 

or job growth 

Fragmentation and Localism 

• Accelerate the flow of resources to 

the urban periphery 

• Communities compete over commercial 

investment and high income population 

(the favored quarter) 

– A “resource magnet” 

pulling opportunity away 

from existing urban 

communities 

• Allow communities to sort what 

people and business they wish to 

attract (increase economic and 

social isolation) 

• Allow communities to hoard 

opportunity

Regional Equity 

Opportunity Mapping 

• High opportunity 

exclusive to suburban 

areas of greater Detroit 

• Limited access to 

opportunity in inner-city 


• 90% of regional African 

Americans live in an area 

of low-opportunityopportunity

Racial Disparity and Opportunity

How Inequities Challenge the Entire Region 

• Wasted creative 

capacity 

• Fragmentation 

• Inequitable educational 

opportunities and 

concentrated poverty 

decrease competitive 

advantage of entire region; 

region’s unskilled labor 

becomes impediment to 

attracting/retaining new 

business 

• Instead of competing with 

other regions to attract 

global investment, 

fragmentation creates interregional 

competition, a 

zero-sum game

How Inequities Challenge the Entire Region 

Paying for Exclusion 

Residential segregation 

artificially increases the cost 

of housing, creating housing 

cost burdens for middle 

class families 

Inefficiencies 

Fragmented regions 

produce redundancies in 

infrastructure and service 

delivery, the cost is born by 

region’s taxpayers. And, 

wasted infrastructure 

capacity from depopulated 

centers.

Principles for Equitable Regionalism 

The success of equitable regionalism for Detroit rests 

on the following principles: 

▫ Create and grow communities of opportunity for the entire 

Detroit region 

▫ Work to reduce the destructive, inefficient competition 

among communities in the region 

▫ Cooperatively manage the region’s sprawling development 

so as not to subsidize dysfunctional growth patterns. 

▫ Improve the educational outlook for all of the region’s 

children

Housing is an opportunity anchor and 

key leverage point 

Health 

Childcare 

Employment 

Effective 

Participation 

Housing 

Transportation 

Education

Opportunity Based Housing as an Equity-Based 

Regional Policy 

Opportunity based housing is more than just a “Fair Share” 

model of Affordable Housing. 

– Affordable housing must be deliberately and intelligently connected 

to high performing schools, sustainable employment, necessary 

transportation infrastructure, childcare, and institutions that 

facilitate civic and political activity. 

– Housing is a component of a larger set of interrelated structures 

that are both affected by housing and have impacts for the 

attainment of safe, stable housing.

Racial and Ethnic Trends in 


presentation to 

Wayne State University 

Law School 

Kurt Metzger 

Director 

Data Driven Detroit (D3) 

March 24, 2011

View - Data Driven Detroit

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