Coming Home, building communities

It's impossible these days to go anywhere in southeastern Michigan without seeing new construction and renovation of existing buildings. It's like another Renaissance of Detroit downtown with all the new residential units coming on the market. The surrounding suburbs, especially in Royal Oak, Ferndale and further north, are seeing traditional and loft style condominium booms, much of which are quite different from the free standing, cul-de-sac suburban homes that have dominated the landscape for decades.
Many of the developers recognize what urban planners have been saying for years; that the LGBT community is a terrific resource for any urban development project, residential or commercial, especially in the tough real estate market we have in Michigan. In Dr. Richard Florida's groundbreaking 2002 book, "The Rise of the Creative Class," he writes that "Gays can be said to be the 'canaries of the Creative Age,'" and that openness to the gay community is a good indicator of the low barriers to human capital that are so important to spurring creativity and generating high-tech growth.
Michigan's LGBT community is involved and is paying close attention to the developments in Detroit and the surrounding areas. Our community can be described as "urban pioneers," one that is willing to take risks on an attractive city living experience, and that is accustomed to an urban lifestyle. The LGBT community, with a lower number of children than the general population and a higher disposable income, exactly fits the profile that urban developers seek.
Leaders of other cities have embraced their LGBT communities and recognized that a strong LGBT presence is often the first step in urban revitalization. Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago has long been a supporter of greater LGBT rights including protection under the law and marriage. In 2006, Daley told the Chicago Tribune, "We're very proud of the gay community in our city. Every quality-of-life issue, the gay community has stepped forward as great leaders… They are great residents of Chicago. They're our doctors, our teachers, our lawyers. They're involved in child care. They're parents. They're raising families. Definitely. They're great citizens of Chicago."
Mayor Daley has overseen overwhelming revitalization and growth during his long tenure, and has also served during a Chicago population boom, the first of its kind since 1950. Daley gives a lot of the credit for the success of Chicago's rebirth to the involvement of the city's LGBT community.
We hope that our local leaders, including Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, will take a page from the Daley playbook and look at what Michigan's LGBT community has to offer. The local real estate developers already know that the LGBT community is a perfect market for their new residential developments, and that LGBT owned and operated businesses are opening up and expanding in Michigan, creating much-needed jobs in our tough economic environment.
In this, our annual Spring Home Guide issue, take note of all the businesses and developments that recognize the value of the LGBT community. It is the commercial community that is leading Michigan on LGBT issues, and we look forward to the day when the political and civic leaders understand that by welcoming the LGBT community into the fabric of the community, it benefits everyone.