Detroit stands at a critical moment.

Mayor Mike Duggan is preparing to leave the office after 11 years by the end of 2025. The city’s next leader will inherit not only a revitalized downtown but also communities such as Belmont, Petosky-Otsego and Van Steuban, which are struggling to cope with housing instability and decades of negligence and negligence and disaster.

My research on housing insecurity, homelessness and urban governance, and the broader equitable development scholarships suggests that the future of Detroit depends not only on commodity developments such as Michigan Central Station development. It depends on strengthening the community from scratch.

Here are three strategies to help Detroit’s next mayor build a just and resilient city by focusing on transitional communities:

Stabilize housing and prevent displacement

Stable housing is the foundation of a thriving community.

However, housing instability in Detroit is both prevalent and deeply rooted. Before the pandemic, about 13% of Detroit (about 88,000 people) were deported or forced to move within the previous year. Families with children face the highest risk.

Many Detroit has no choice but keep housing worse due to an estimated shortage of 24,000 livable housing units, and the crowd arranges for common living or relocates elsewhere.

While building more housing is essential, preventing displacement requires more than just new construction. It also requires policies to retain affordability and protect tenants. Researchers found that family stability policies, such as legal representation in eviction courts, rent controls and property tax relief, had the most direct impact.

In Detroit, addressing the wave of low-income housing tax credits or LIHTC remains an urgent priority. When the unit ends the compliance period for that federal program (usually 15 years), the owner no longer needs to maintain affordable rents and can raise prices. This “conversion to market speed” often leads to affordable housing loss for low-income residents.

In response to the expected loss of 10,000 vehicles by 2023, Detroit has established a conservation partnership that has secured an affordable commitment of about 4,000 vehicles. However, it is still difficult to determine exactly how many dangerous units were lost in the end, and the result of lagging reporting, inconsistent and overlapping affordability plans.

Despite the city’s efforts, a 2023 analysis found that a huge affordability gap remains, with many families not comfortable affording market interest rate housing without spending more than 30% of their income, a standard set by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for affordability.

The Michigan Housing Development Bureau continues to support affordable housing through tax credit allocations. However, in the areas undergoing reconstruction, an increasing number of LIHTC properties are reaching the end of their affordability period, putting them at risk of turning into market prices. National estimates indicate that nearly 350,000 units may lose their affordability by 2030, and by 2040, there will be no ongoing local and regional conservation efforts.

Stabilizing Detroit's housing market means ensuring that those who stay in the toughest times are not kicked out for reinvestment. To achieve this, the next mayor can expand rental assistance and support tenant organization efforts. This is especially needed in transitional communities where renters come together with unfair evictions, improve housing conditions and promote more stable rents.

Recycle and reimagine vacant land for community benefits

Many view the vacant land in Detroit as a huge track and field, estimated to be withered among hundreds of thousands of parcels. But, if brought together with the right public strategy, they can also be seen as public assets and opportunities for generations.

Land trusts can turn empty lots into valuable neighborhood spaces. Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that holds land for communities and keeps housing affordable for a long time, which is key to preventing displacement.

Research also shows that green strategies can improve community health, cohesion, and equity. Cities such as Philadelphia and Cleveland have launched urban greening programs that transform vacant lots into community gardens, small parks and spaces filled with trees. Research shows that these projects can help stabilize property values ​​and strengthen communities by reducing the outbreak, encouraging investments and creating a safer and more attractive environment.

There is a land bank in Detroit, a public agency that manages vacant and canceled properties. The city has also invested in some green infrastructure. But experts say these efforts require stronger city leadership, cross-departmental teamwork and real opinions from residents. Detroit still has room for growth in these areas.

By working with residents to compete for a land use vision, the next mayor can prioritize community ownership and ecological restoration rather than speculative reconstruction.

Invest in social infrastructure

The power of neighborhoods is not just buildings, but people.

As the Brookings Agency notes, economic opportunities are key to long-term security, and investing in youth is a proven strategy to reduce violence.

The Detroit community has long lacked investment in schools, entertainment centers, and social services. This makes families vulnerable and burns for the cycle of poverty and conviction. Under these conditions, young people, especially black and brown youth, are more likely to be regulated, punished and promoted the criminal justice system.

A 2021 study found that Detroit Public School Community District reported 2% of students homeless, although 16% of families with children reported recent evictions or forced action. This gap reveals the main service and awareness gap. When families fall into these gaps, they suffer the greatest pain.

Resolving these gaps requires investment in mental health services, youth development programs and violence prevention, rather than relying solely on policing or imprisonment. These approaches recognize that true public safety comes from access to stable jobs, quality education and support services that meet people’s health, housing and social needs. Some of the most effective strategies include restoration of justice in schools and advocacy to older people and residents who experience homelessness.

These are not luxury goods. They are an essential infrastructure for neighborhood vitality.

Future work

Detroit is often considered a cautionary tale of urban decline, or, recently, as a comeback driven by downtown revitalization. But in my opinion, its real test lies in what follows: whether the city can turn momentum into fairness in communities that have stayed behind for a long time.

The next mayor has the opportunity to invest in people who make Detroit a city worth fighting for by focusing on housing justice, taking back land for the public good and investing in people who make Detroit a city worth fighting for.

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