????一年前的這個月，底特律申請了破產(chǎn)，它是迄今為止美國最大的破產(chǎn)城市。自那時(shí)起，華爾街的分析師們和媒體界紛紛關(guān)注其他城市是怎樣應(yīng)對自己的養(yǎng)老金和醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)債務(wù)的。有些城市已經(jīng)意識到應(yīng)該把工會當(dāng)成合作伙伴而不是敵對力量，但這次底特律留給其他城市的教訓(xùn)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不止是應(yīng)該如何避免破產(chǎn)。

????對于其他想要開啟或保持復(fù)蘇進(jìn)程的城市來說，底特律的困境揭示了三個真相。

????上周一，為了穩(wěn)定財(cái)政狀況，底特律的退休人員投票接受了一項(xiàng)旨在削減養(yǎng)老金支出的預(yù)案。過程自然十分艱難，但它只不過是個開始。底特律的例子已經(jīng)表明，城市必須設(shè)置一個增長的平臺。目前市場風(fēng)向站在城市這一邊：2011年，美國東北部都市圈的大城市的經(jīng)濟(jì)增長速度首次超過了郊區(qū)，這還是近100年來的頭一回。2012年和2013年也持續(xù)了這種反轉(zhuǎn)的趨勢，或許說明美國的城鄉(xiāng)發(fā)展的確出現(xiàn)了倒轉(zhuǎn)。

????但是，城市政府仍然需要解決一些基本問題，以向企業(yè)和居民發(fā)出信號，說明留在城市或搬回城市進(jìn)行投資的時(shí)候已經(jīng)到了。而對于底特律來說，要解決這些基本問題并非易事：該市的給排水部門最近終止了對數(shù)千戶居民和商業(yè)用戶的服務(wù)，原因是他們沒有繳納費(fèi)用，但是該部門事先并沒有提出充分的警告，也沒有投入充分的資源幫助低收入家庭處理他們的債務(wù)。不過周一底特律市又宣布對這些人暫時(shí)恢復(fù)供水兩周，以便居民了解如何獲得幫助，已經(jīng)有一些積極的進(jìn)展。

????比如底特律市政府放棄了對該市貝爾島城市公園的控制權(quán)，讓它由州政府托管30年。另外底特律公共照明局（Detroit Public Lighting Authority）雖然身負(fù)1.85億美元的巨債，但還是勇敢地開始著手應(yīng)對該市最棘手的麻煩之一——將55,000多個破損的路燈換成最先進(jìn)的LED燈泡。另外為了不讓市內(nèi)仍然人丁興旺的社區(qū)也陷入荒蕪，市長麥克?杜甘想了一些新法子，比如要求房主修繕空房子，并且建立了一個新的拍賣網(wǎng)站，為那些空著的或是存在一些稅務(wù)問題但仍然有吸引力的房子尋找新買主。

????其次，底特律的復(fù)蘇體現(xiàn)出城市是網(wǎng)絡(luò)體，而不是靠政府撐起來的。底特律政府一直深陷財(cái)政危機(jī)（而且早在底特律申請破產(chǎn)之前就已經(jīng)是這樣了），但是市民、企業(yè)和慈善機(jī)構(gòu)還是為底特律城區(qū)投入了數(shù)十億美元的資金，并且投資支持了對該市基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè)和經(jīng)濟(jì)前景至關(guān)重要的“智能計(jì)劃”。M1軌道交通項(xiàng)目將于本月末開始動工，它正是底特律的基礎(chǔ)建設(shè)與經(jīng)濟(jì)轉(zhuǎn)型的象征，它的大部分資金并非來自聯(lián)邦政府、州政府或地方政府，而是來自很多企業(yè)、慈善家和其它機(jī)構(gòu)的捐贈。

????另外，底特律市長杜甘已經(jīng)專門召集了一個領(lǐng)導(dǎo)小組，研究怎樣開發(fā)底特律的創(chuàng)新“特區(qū)”，這個小組將由亨利福特健康系統(tǒng)公司（Henry Ford Health System）的CEO南茜?施列丁領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。它將聚合私人和公共部門的人才與資源為“特區(qū)”服務(wù)。一個城市的政府可以（并且必須）解決基本問題，但是不可能只靠政府自身帶來經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。塑造城市的未來需要一大群有志之士。

????One year ago this month, Detroit filed for bankruptcy—the largest U.S. city to take such a step. Since then, Wall Street analysts and the media have focused on how other cities have responded—or failed to respond—to their own pension and health care liabilities. Some have recognized the need to engage unions as partners rather than adversaries, but the broader lesson from Detroit goes far beyond how to avoid bankruptcy.

????Detroit’s predicament has revealed three truths for how other cities can start and sustain a recovery.

????On Monday, Detroit retirees voted to accept pension cuts as the city continued to get its financial house in order. As hard as this process may be is, it’s only the beginning. Detroit has demonstrated that cities have to set a platform for growth. Market trends are in cities’ favor: In 2011, big cities in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas grew faster than their suburbs for the first time in nearly a century. This reversal continued in 2012 and 2013, possibly signaling a true shift in preferences.

????Still, city governments need to fix the basics to signal to both businesses and residents that it’s time to stay (or come back) and invest. For Detroit, fixing the basics hasn’t been easy: The city’s water and sewerage department recently cut off thousands of residential and commercial customers for non-payment with neither sufficient warning nor resources fully in place to help low-income households handle their debts. A two-week moratorium on shut-offs was announced Monday so that residents could learn more about how to get help, and there have also been many positive steps forward.

????The city government, for example, gave up control of the neglected (but promising) urban park, Belle Isle, turning it over to state management under a 30-year lease. Through a $185 million bond package, the Detroit Public Lighting Authority is tackling one of the most iconic symbols of the city’s troubles, replacing 55,000 broken streetlights with state-of-the-art LED bulbs. Mayor Mike Duggan has a new effort to stop blight before it starts in Detroit’s healthy neighborhoods by forcing owners to fix up vacant homes and has created a new auction site to find buyers for homes that are vacant or tax delinquent, but still attractive.

????Second, Detroit’s recovery shows that cities are networks, not just governments. As Detroit’s government was struggling with fiscal challenges (and the struggles started long before the bankruptcy filing), civic, business and philanthropic actors were committing billions of dollars into downtown and midtown and supporting a smart plan for the city’s physical and economic future. The M1 rail line, which is expected to begin construction later this month, is emblematic of Detroit’s physical and economic transformation. The bulk of the funding is coming not from the federal, state or local governments, but rather a consortium of companies, philanthropies and other anchor institutions.

????Similarly, the task force on Detroit’s new innovation district was convened by Mayor Duggan, and will be led by Nancy Schlichting, CEO of the Henry Ford Health System. It will draw on the talents and resources of private, public and civic actors and institutions. A city government can—and must—fix the basics, but it cannot generate economic growth all by itself. It takes a larger group of committed actors to shape a city’s future.