In Malcom Gladwell's book "the Tipping Point" he describes how the "broken window" principal helped clean up the mean streets of NYC. The basic idea is that when the police bust criminals for every small misdemeanour it creates social conditions wherein the public has restored faith in services (the law) that allow the greater community to develop the sense that they can "take back" their community. The Tipping Point is that while the actual circumstances may not have changed, people's perceptions do. The "collective belief" in change actual helps propel change. Often this collective belief comes from person to person conversation.
In a recent book, journalist John Gallager illustrates what may be one component to the new Detroit:
"Cocktail party conversation is likely to change, too. Back in the 1980s, every social gathering I attended resonated with the talk of automotive workers, mostly engineers, and the gossip about Ford and General Motors and Chrysler was inevitable....As the city's economy evolves into more community-based enterprises, those conversations will range over a broader spectrum of topics, including (if we're lucky) the life sciences and other entrepreneurial ventures.
If lawmakers retain the state's lucrative movie incentives, which already have brought swarms of movie crews to the city, Detroiters may even be chatting up filmmakers at block parties and Sunday brunches."
The concept is that more evolved conversation allows for greater collective belief.
In most great cities around the world, there is a history of "cafe culture" and urban meeting spots that foster this type of discussion. Street talk and having a rallying point (cafe, barber shop, church) is essential in developing relationships and establishing a system of collective belief.
One of the side effects of Detroit's decline and "ruralization" is the increasing LACK of this locales. There are few cafes and only 5 Starbucks in all of the 313 Detroit area.
For some this would be a welcome thing.
However it points to the broader issue of no community rallying point. Opinions and critical thinking don't have a venue to be voiced and so ideas and inspiration remains fragmented; tucked away behind locked doors and terrified citizens. With unemployment as high as it is and the economy battered, people cannot afford $5 for a coffee and a muffin. Instead they remain at home, along with their ideas
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