The more than 72,000 blighted structures that plague Detroit should be eliminated over the next five years so the Motor City can start its own new model, according to a public-private task force that reviewed all 377,000 parcels.
Detroit, which filed for municipal bankruptcy in July of 2013, has seen blight spread as more businesses and residents have left the city. The plan shows another 5,200 industrial, commercial and multi-family structures — or 29.7% of the total — contributing to blight.