OT: Are you bullish or skeptical on Detroit's comeback?

It definitely has an improved vibe in some areas but I don't think it will ever be like the cities you listed. I think Cleveland is the realistic goal for Detroit, as pathetic as that sounds

I'd love to live in the Detroit area again.

But, I'm not actively seeking a pay cut.

IMO, Detroit will enjoy a small renaissance, but in large part what made Detroit great once was its manufacturing base.  That has shifted to other parts of the US or other countries and isn't coming back. There are strategic advantages to manufacturing in other parts of the US to say nothing of Michigan's crumbling and outdated infrastructure and that doesn't begin to touch some of Detroit's issues. 

The only real Rustbelt city to reinvent itself is Pittsburgh and they have done that on the back of a large financial industry and high-tech industry supported by a couple of very solid research-based universities.  From a population standpoint, Pittsburgh has lost a decent sized chunk of its population base. 

I went to school in Detroit from 2013-2017. Lived in the city for two years, and Grosse Pointe for the other two. 

The changes to the downtown area and area surrounding the Wayne State campus (aka "Mid-town") have been very drastic. Tons of new development. But, the prices there are absurd. For a one-bedroom apartment in the city, my wife and I were paying $1400 a month. It was a very nice apartment, but that's an absurd price for Detroit. However, that choice was entirely our own. We chose that mainly for convenience. My wife worked a block from our apartment, and I could walk to my school and the DMC campus.

There are plenty of very very nice apartments and houses you can rent in surrounding neighborhoods (such as Woodbridge) for ~$200-$500/month. Nicely updated, very charming. The issue is that petty crime there is rampant. You have to assume that your car will be vandalized at least a couple of times. None of my classmates who lived there had issues with break-ins, but one person had their car stolen.

And all of this ignores the fact that there is little or no money being put into the neighborhoods that have made Detroit infamous. Detroit is such a huge fucking city. The vast majority of native Detroiters don't live in any of these areas. They aren't seeing any impact on the city's "revival" and can't afford any of the new stuff anyways. 

It's a complex issue for sure...

I want to buy in to Detroit, but I don't think I am there yet.  The city is much better than it used to be based on my last visit there, but it really couldn't have gotten much worse.

For Detroit's long-term stability, SE Michigan needs to diversify its industry.  The auto industry faces huge competition from Europe and Asia.  The layoffs stated by the OP are a perfect example of the auto industry's vulnerability.  

Other areas like Philly/NJ invested hugely in pharma and it paid off for them.  NOVA and MoCo invested heavily in tech and it has paid off.  Go to Northern VA sometime and see all the new buildings going up.

For me to buy into Detroit, I would need to see more investment in technology or pharma or whatever the next big thing is.

Detroit should also eminent domain the people living in the outer areas of the city and move them closer to the center so the city can deliver essential police, fire, and ems services effectively.  I am not sure if this is still the case, but I read a story a few years ago about ambulance calls taking 40 mins.  One reason for this was that only 1 or 2 houses on a city block were actually occupied, and the no one really patrolled the area.  This is obviously politically and economically difficult for the city to do, but it would greatly improve the QoL in the city.

The next recession is going to hit Detroit hard... When money gets tight, the nightlife in Detroit is going to plummet, and the housing market will go with it.

Detroit still has the same infrastructural problem, no reasonable/easy public transportation to/from the city to the suburbs. Needed the Qline to go all the way to Royal Oak, and need something similar that goes up Gratiot (to St Clair Shores), Grand River (to Novi), and Michigan Ave (to Canton or even Ypsi). 

Skeptical.  Always feel like Detroit and the Big Three are in "reactive" mode.  Example - Ford's purchase of Spin, the e-scooter company, for $100 million to "get with the times" - about three years too late, when this strategy might have seemed proactive and meaningful.  

Could give other examples - but most of them will seem political.  And as this is not about the Ann Arbor City Council - that is not kosher on this site.

I had this argument with someone on a flight recently. My perspective as a surburbanite who visits the city twice a year was that things look much improved to me. Her perspective as a long-time city resident was that nothing had changed and that the neighborhoods are worse than ever. Maybe it's just time to give up on Detroit and focus on Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids where the real growth and future seem to be.

Skeptical.  Detroit needs an infusion of talent in order to make a true comeback.  Snyder had a lot of bad ideas, but his request for special permission to bring in a bunch of skilled immigrants to revitalize the city was a great one.  Too bad it never happened.

It'll never recover to the 1920's level, but already pockets are, if anything, too gentrified. As property prices rise in those pockets the neighboring areas will get better as people are priced out and move nearby. 

My fiancee and I are out in Boston currently but are looking to move back to Michigan because our entire family is here. Not necssarily Detroit, but Metro area. She's a high school teacher that teaches at Title 1 schools (so over 90% of her students are eligible for free or subsidized lunches) and I'm looking at grad school right now.

She would love to teach in DPS because that's the income and demographic she wants to teach, but it's such a mess she's not going to. Mind you, she has a master's degree from MSU (top 5 college of education in the country) but won't go to Detroit because they occasionally can't pay their employees or keep the buildings upright.

My father just retired from GM after 45 years (management) and with how that whole thing shook out, I'm not terribly excited about how thinks are going around the area (I know GM isn't Detroit, but it has a lot to do with if Detroit fails or succeeds). We also just took engagement pictures in Detroit and as others have said, it's basically a square 2 or 3 miles that look inviting and the rest is still terrible.

Detroit's revival will have a lot to do with industry in the area and if they can fix the school district. Boston's Dorchester is the worst part of the city (relatively speaking) but it's still full of people because of its proximity to downtown and it's within city limits. Detroit either has the people living downtown or out in the suburbs. There's no in-between and unless the city can attract people with kids, the door will continue to revolve and long term success will hit a ceiling (if it hasn't already).

Chickenor the egg. You need a tax base to pay for services and you need services to get people into the city to pay taxes. Industries alone won't fix Detroit but they will have a heavy hand in it's outlook.

Chicago sucks

The city will not make a comeback until there are a significant amount of living wage jobs readily available for people that don't have college degrees or vocational skills. That is when most large cities are successful. If those jobs are available, the next thing that will improve is housing and education. When you get all three, a city will thrive. Detroit has been losing jobs, housing and education for the last half century. All their recent plans and "improvements" have not really done anything for the actual residents of Detroit. It just attracts more people to the suburbs and Detroit doesn't benefit all that much.