Issues facing the city of Detroit: MSU experts can comment

Detroit has experienced population growth for two straight years. There has been increased economic interest and output. Major projects have been completed or are underway, such as renovating Grand Central Station, updating the Gordie Howe International Bridge, reviving Greek Town, expanding the Music Hall and a new Henry Ford Health campus. Professional sports teams are making the postseason, and the 2024 NLF draft in Detroit was record-setting.

However, as Detroit voters prepare to choose a new mayor this Nov. 4, it’s likely they’ll have some of the city’s serious concerns on their minds — and expect to hear some solutions to address them. From homelessness and environmental issues to economic and urban policy, to public health and crime, experts from Michigan State University can comment on many of the issues Detroit residents care about.

Housing insecurity and homelessness

Deyanira Nevárez Martínez is an assistant professor in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Her expertise focuses on housing insecurity, homelessness and equitable urban development.
Contact: evarez1@msu.edu

“Detroit’s housing future depends on protecting the people who held the city together during its hardest years. That means the next mayor must prioritize tenant protections, rental assistance and community-based solutions that prevent unfair evictions and keep neighborhoods stable.

“Building new housing alone won’t solve Detroit’s displacement crisis. Real progress comes from policies that preserve affordability, strengthen tenant rights and provide legal support for renters in eviction court. These tools deliver immediate and tangible relief for households at risk of losing their homes.

“Public safety and housing stability are deeply connected. When residents have secure housing, access to jobs, and support for health and education, neighborhoods thrive. Detroit’s next mayor has an opportunity to put housing justice at the center of the city’s future by reclaiming land for public use and investing in the people who never gave up on Detroit.”

John Kuk is ansistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the College of Social Science. He is an expert in issues relating to the housing rental market, residential segregation, public policy, and inequality and urban politics.
Contact: jskuk@msu.edu

“Homelessness has become a significant issue among students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The number of K12 students experiencing homelessness has risen sharply — from 1,191 (2.4%) in the 2019–20 school year to 3,182 (6.6%) in 2023–24. The number of unsheltered school-age children has nearly tripled during the same period, increasing from 48 to 136.”

Environmental issues

Jeremy Orr is an adjunct professor at the Michigan State University College of Law. He is an expert on issues relating to environmental law, justice and policy.
Contact: orrjerem@msu.edu

“Detroit has been carrying the weight of environmental injustice for decades. From water shutoffs to toxic air to flooding in our neighborhoods, these are not abstract policy debates. They are daily realities for families across the city. The next mayor has to put climate justice front and center because our people can’t wait any longer.”

Infrastructure planning and economic mobility

Dick Sadler is the C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health in the Department of Public Health at the College of Human Medicine. He is an expert in the integration of urban planning and public health topics in relation to neighborhoods and the environment.
Contact: sadlerr@msu.edu

“Detroit continues to face an uphill climb in its overall resurgence because of a continuation of anti-urban state policies that hamstring core urban areas. Rather than being a focal point of regional economics, Detroit is faced with competition from its many suburbs. As a result, outside of the downtown-midtown corridor, much new investment to the region goes to suburban areas that already have stronger schools or local economies. Mayoral candidates need to deal with existing infrastructural and social challenges as well as strategizing how to recapture investment from suburban areas.”

Public health

Rhonda Conner-Warren is an assistant professor at the College of Nursing with expertise at the intersection of community health and service learning to improve quality of life.
Contact: rhondacw@msu.edu

“Over more than 40 years of working with children in Detroit, I’ve seen how environmental factors — particularly asthma and lead exposure — deeply affect their health, growth and development. Though different, both are linked to the environment: lead from older homes and soil, and asthma from poor air quality and climate change. These challenges remain urgent, especially for our children — Detroit’s most valuable asset. As health care providers, we must continue to assess, educate and, most importantly, advocate for better health outcomes, improved quality of life, and the legislative and financial support needed to make lasting change.”

Crime and policing

Christopher Melde is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the College of Social Science. He is an expert in issues relating to gang violence, gun violence prevention and community reactions to crime and victimization risk.
Contact: melde@msu.edu

“Detroit has made substantial investments in tackling the city’s gun violence issues over the past five years. Both through federal investments made to support collaborative local and federal law enforcement efforts spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office (referred to as the One Detroit initiative and then in the form of the mayor’s Shot Stoppers program), which was a significant investment of $10 million in nonenforcement strategies funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, gun violence has decreased dramatically since the modern peak of 2020. Specifically, following the first year of the pandemic, shooting victimizations have declined steadily in the city of Detroit. There was an 8.7% decrease in shooting victimizations in Detroit in 2022 relative to the previous year, followed by a 17.5% decrease in 2023, and a 21.7% decrease in 2024. In 2024, shooting victimizations in Detroit were 20% lower than in 2019, before the pandemic. There were 47 (20.52%) fewer shooting victimizations in the second quarter of 2025 than in the same period in the previous year.

“While this is excellent news for the citizens of Detroit, the next mayor will have to make budgetary decisions to either maintain such significant investments in gun violence interventions in the face of state and federal budget cuts and alterations that are likely to lead to significantly lower levels of support to maintain the programs and personnel funded under these prior initiatives, or reduce the intensity of these efforts and risk losing this momentum.”

David Carter is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the College of Social Science, where he is also the director of the Intelligence Program. He is an expert in areas relating to policing, crime control, law enforcement intelligence and counterterrorism.
Contact: carterd@msu.edu

“In 2024, Detroit achieved historic lows in homicides and significant reductions in violent crime. They have been proactive in investigations, embracing technology and modern crime prevention and criminal investigation best practices. Importantly, the police department has also ‘re-embraced’ community policing that not only helps in crime reduction, it also aids in reducing disorder, lowering fear of crime and increasing the quality of life in neighborhoods.”

Politics and trust

Danielle K. Brown is the 1855 Professor of Community and Urban Journalism and an associate professor in the MSU School of Journalism. Brown specializes in analyses of media representations and narrative change, social movements and activism, and identity and political psychology. She is the founding director of the LIFT Project — an engaged research effort aimed at identifying networks of trusted messengers in Black communities in the Midwest to understand their effects on civic and democratic life; create, network and allocate resources needed to inform Black communities better; and build new opportunities for sustainable reparative narrative change.
Contact: dkbrown@msu.edu

“Detroit is fortunate in that it has developed and maintained a rich news media landscape that offers news to residents in a variety of ways: the local papers still thrive; local television stations have wide reach, and healthy competition; and a network of landmark nonprofit news organization offer in-depth, investigative reporting that covers city affairs, environmental news, education concerns and more. And Detroiters trust the local news to take on this role. A 2024 survey of Black Michiganders showed that residents trust their news organizations to provide accurate information about many of the critical issues that matter most to them. News coverage is one of the key spaces that residents will learn pressing information about candidates as Election Day closes in. Exposure through news is important.”

Meghan Wilson is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the College of Social Science. She is an expert in the intersection of public policy, urban development, race and how these questions influence institutions and their futures.
Contact: mwilson@msu.edu

“Detroit’s upcoming election for its next mayor holds immense significance, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s political landscape. This transition signifies a shift in Detroit’s political dynamics, and the next mayor must navigate the challenges of the ongoing recovery. Moreover, the incumbent mayor faces a vastly different political environment, characterized by reduced federal resources and shifting federal priorities. Whoever assumes the role at CAYMC in January must bring a well-vetted team and a comprehensive plan to address the city’s pressing issues.”