????另一個更加不現實的計劃是Detroit Works Project正在推行的、經過“幾百次會議，163,000次人員聯絡以及30,000次談話”形成的計劃。這份富麗堂皇的《底特律未來城》(Detroit Future City)報告預計，未來底特律將在建設景觀基礎設施方面領先于全球，將高速公路變成“線性碳森林”，推動居民種植可食用作物來再利用空地。這份報告對2030年底特律的展望就像盧梭的風景畫一樣，到處都是“寬敞整潔的林蔭大道，開闊的綠地，城市林地、池塘和溪流。”報告大膽直面底特律的人口萎縮，但給出的建議似乎與現有人口的技能和傾向不匹配。

????一個能對底特律的未來產生正面影響、但被忽視的因素是地域。沒有什么天然疆界將底特律與總體更富裕的郊區劃分開來，8里公路以北或格羅斯角以東，高速公路體系也讓長途通勤變得輕而易舉。交通四通八達，人們大量涌出底特律，同時也帶走了個人資產和收入。

????底特律需要有這些人和他們的財富，才能生存下來。解決方案或許是將底特律與郊縣韋恩、奧克蘭以及馬克姆合并，也就是大家都已經知道的大底特律地區，從而形成一個城市郊縣政府。這樣就能分攤治安、消防、教育和其他市政服務成本，早一步返回城市的人們也無需做出太多犧牲。底特律是進入大湖地區和加拿大的門戶，在醫療和信息技術產品有很強實力。如果底特律整個地區能被視為一個經濟實體，它將能更好地利用自身競爭優勢，不必掙扎于如何有效地提供概念模糊的服務。

????不幸的是，底特律和周邊郊縣的關系并不融洽，就像美國歷史上兩個勢不兩立的家族海菲茨和麥考伊斯。它們的分歧不只是政治和財務，同時也包括種族。它們為此爭吵了多年。因此，在底特律經濟持續滑坡幾十年以后，郊縣攜手拯救底特律的概率微乎其微。

????如今，底特律人必須面對至少18個月的破產地獄。如果最后能看到償付固然很好，但眼下實在想象不出怎么才能做到這一點。底特律市就好像已經被榨干了，正在慢慢被拋棄。底特律–汽車城的概念將會繼續存在，但可能只剩一個空殼。（財富中文網）

????譯者：早稻米

????Another, more fanciful scheme was hatched by a group called Detroit Works Project after "hundreds of meetings, connection with people over 163,000 times, and over 30,000 conversations." Its glossy "Detroit Future City" report envisions the city leading the world in developing landscape infrastructure that turns freeways into "linear carbon forests" and in getting residents to reuse vacant land by growing their own food. Its Rousseau-like vision of Detroit in 2030 sees "stately boulevards, open green space, urban woodlands, ponds and streams." The report represents a brave attempt to face up to Detroit's shrinking population but its recommendations seem like a poor match with the skills and proclivities of the current population.

????One overlooked factor that could favorably influence Detroit's future is its geography. There are few natural boundaries to separate the dying city from the generally more prosperous suburbs north of Eight Mile Road or east to Grosse Pointe, and the highway system makes long-distance commuting simple. The lack of barriers has facilitated the outflow of people beyond the city limits who take their assets and incomes and assets with them.

????Detroit needs to connect with those people and that wealth to survive. The solution would be to merge the city with the surrounding counties of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb, an area already known as Metro Detroit, into a consolidated city-county government. Doing so would spread the costs of police, fire, schools, and other municipal services, allowing those brave urban pioneers who want to relocate in the city to do so with less sacrifice. If the entire region was treated as one economic entity, then Detroit could make better use of its competitive advantages – access to the Great Lakes and Canada, a strong presence in medical and information technology – without having to struggle with the efficient delivery of services that has proved so elusive.

????Unfortunately, Detroit and its surrounding counties get along like the Hatfields and the McCoys, the gap between them not only political and financial, but also racial. They have been fighting for years. The chance of them coming together to rescue Detroit after decades of decline is remote.

????Detroiters must now face the prospect of at least 18 months of bankruptcy hell. It would be reassuring to see a payoff at the end, but it is hard to visualize what it might be. It is as if the city has come to the end of its usefulness and is now slowly being discarded. The idea of Detroit – Motown – will remain, but the physical reality will be little more than a husk.