Duggan's final State of the City looks toward an optimistic future for Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered his final State of the City address, focusing on the city's improvements during his time in office, and the possible future he believes will be bright.

Big picture view:

Duggan wrapped up his final State of the City Address, striking a tone of optimism for the city’s future, while praising the many collaborations that he says have led to historic drops in crime, big boosts in manufacturing jobs, and more investment in the neighborhoods.

"This has been about a lot more than me. There was a whole partnership that has done this," he said. "The University of Michigan just found that homeowners in Detroit have gained $4.6 billion in wealth in the last ten years. If you stuck and stayed, you got the most benefit."

All of this was delivered in the first major event held at the new Hudson’s Detroit building, set to house General Motors later in 2025, after it left the Renaissance Center. 

Dig deeper:

Duggan doubled down on a plan to save some of that historic complex while knocking down two buildings, telling listeners it’s unrealistic to fill all of that empty office space.

"We could save three of the towers," he said. "The main tower would be the hotel and, now, the hotel is going to have a view of the water instead of the other office towers. We’ll make an office tower on the right, we’ll make an office tower on the left - we’ll build 20 percent affordable housing."

What they're saying:

The group Preservation Detroit, which has fought to save the Renaissance Center as is, responded to Duggan's speech.

"We’re really excited to see what form it takes in the future," they said. "I think as an organization we still stand by our previous comments that this is a building of citywide if not nationwide significance."

Meanwhile, Duggan went back to the beginning of his tenure, overseeing a city climbing out of bankruptcy and putting people back to work.

"And so we demolished the 40-year-abandoned Hudson Motor Plant and landed a new 700-employee Lear Plant on that site," he said. "And then we took the abandoned Kettering High School site and landed a 600-employee Dakotta Dashboard Plant for the Jeeps."

Outside the speech, demonstrators called for more investment in public transportation.

"We still don’t have enough bus service in the city," said one demonstrator. "People aren’t able to get where they need to go."

The Mayor addressed the issue as well.

"Also proposing a $20 million funding increase for DDOT, adding 45 buses, 63 new drivers, 24 new mechanics, increasing the daily buses from 178 to 220, the most in years," he said.

What's next:

As he focuses on an independent run for Michigan governor, Duggan says he’s confident Detroit’s best days are ahead.

"I don’t think a day goes by when someone says, what happens when you leave? Are things going to get worse? And I want to show you today why Detroit is going to get much better for five years," he said. 

Featured

article

Detroit State of the City: How to watch Mike Duggan's final address

The outgoing mayor will speak from the new Hudson's Detroit building, where he will give his last annual speech about the city and its future plans.