Motor City Revisited - Ned Staebler tells us all about Detroit

We open up 2021 by talking to Ned Staebler about the Motor City. Detroit is one of the most fascinating instances of urbanity in North America. Home to the auto industry and the birthplace of much of the industrial might of the first half of the 20th century, the city’s story has been more mixed in the last 50 years. Huge population losses followed World War II, mirroring the decline of the upper Midwest as the heartland of industry in the America. Detroit nevertheless is finding its footing in the 21st century economy, and trying to address some of the huge racial imbalances that have plagued many American cities over the last century. Ned Staebler is the vice president of Economic Development at Wayne State University and his work has been focused on nothing but these issues for the past decade. He also had the proverbial 15 Minutes of Fame when he publicly urged the Michigan Board of Canvassers to certify that state’s election results for Detroit as it was prepared to do for the rest of the state.