[Michi]

Flint is so well situated to be such a great canvas as an economic generator for the State of Michigan. It has a lot of staying power despite so much leaving. If we could just focus a lot on recreating the urbanity that use to be at its core, I think you will start to see a snowball effect of people wanting to be there. It will never be what it was (kind of like all MI cities) but I think its authenticity, despite its image can really be a selling mechanism for people who call the metro area home. Flint isn't a bad place by any stretch of the imagination, at least given the low standards that its reputation insists...these are two different things...reputation and the undercover reality. Uncover that undercover reality, and suddenly Flint's perceptions starts to change.

You can see that happening, even if just the slightest in many of the photo documents of Flint. It doesn't take much when the change occurs, but what does take a lot of committment and heroism is getting to the point of activating the change. It takes courage, time, patience, money, and especially faith that new urban policies can work even in economically distressed systems like Flint.

Saginaw on the other hand? That city has similar potential, but should be more reliant on a prayer.