Detroit’s post-bankruptcy redevelopment has been marred by a fragmented approach focused on short-term gains.

In 2013, after years of failed policies aimed at redeveloping the Motor City, Detroit declared bankruptcy. Gareth Williams takes an in-depth look at these policies, which included the allocation of millions in municipal funding which has done little for job creation and retention, and instead has funnelled money to corporate boardrooms. He writes that the city’s redevelopment efforts have prioritised unsustainable, short-term advantages at great and increasingly apparent public cost.