• Mayor Mike Duggan focused on the city’s challenging past and his administration’s work to address grave issues.
• Duggan touted lowering unemployment, boosting public safety and redeveloping multiple sites across Detroit.

Mayor Mike Duggan enchanted an energetic crowd at his final State of the City address inside the new Hudson’s Detroit skyscraper, highlighting his administration’s successes of confronting Detroit’s dire issues over the last decade while reassuring Detroiters a promising future.

Duggan distributed praises among residents, business leaders, Detroit’s clergy community and politicians for helping the city emerge out of his hardships, particularly after the city filed for municipal bankruptcy before his taking office. In his 12 years as mayor, Detroiters have witnessed ample development and building restorations, crime reduction, eliminated abandoned housing and blight and restored recreation centers. But looming neighborhood issues remain, which Duggan cited as the city’s “biggest battle” in the last 12 years.

“I thought we could bring every neighborhood back. It was started by demolishing it at rates faster than anybody in the country,” Duggan said, adding that since taking office, the city had 47,000 abandoned houses. Through a partnership with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which sold 15,000 houses and expects to have 1,000 by the end of the year, neighborhoods are expected to improve.

Here are some takeaways from his speech:

More: Mayor Mike Duggan drew Dan Gilbert, roaring audience for his final State of the City speech

Increased employment

Many predicted a bleak future for Detroit when the city’s unemployment rate reached nearly 20%, but Duggan attempted to maximize opportunities on the city’s vacant land. Through his tenure, several manufacturers stepped in to develop facilities on those sites, which would open up hundreds or even thousands of jobs.

These included several automotive companies and major businesses, such as Amazon, to anchor a business center at the old State Fairgrounds. Last June, Ford Motor Company restored and reopened the abandoned Michigan Central Station, a long-awaited development showcasing elaborate attention to details in its restoration.

Crime reduction

In 2014, Detroit was considered the “most violent city” as residents and police officers left. The city consistently boosted public safety by hiring more officers, providing them $10,000 in raises and advocated for Community Violence Intervention initiatives that have had a big affect on reducing neighborhood crime. Duggan said 99% of the police department’s positions are filled to date.

Duggan hailed a major drop in homicides in 2024, marking the lowest since 1969, and commended Community Violence Intervention initiatives like ShotStoppers for reducing gun violence in the city.

Growing revenues

Since taking office, Duggan was tasked with balancing the city’s budget and growing revenues. In his latest budget address, he proposed several financial boosts across multiple departments, thanks to increased revenues from more income tax collections as people have moved back to the city — reversing a decades-long decline in population — and new business have opened.

Funding homelessness initiatives to increase shelters and beds, hiring more Detroit Department of Transportation drivers and mechanics, buying new buses, and boosting public safety were among the investment priorities in his $3-billion budget proposal to Detroit City Council.

Riverfront transformation

Several investments include new parks and proposed projects, like bringing a multi-sports complex and an entertainment district to the riverfront.

The mayor highlighted transforming what would have been a condominium complex on the East Riverfront into Gabriel Richard Park, paving the path to further developments along one of Detroit’s most visited attractions. That includes Riverside Park on the west side of the riverfront, which was previously abandoned and closed, and rebuilding AB Ford Park on the east side, and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park at West Jefferson Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard.

RenCen potential

Plans to partially demolish two towers surrounding the Renaissance Center, Michigan’s tallest building and an icon of Detroit’s skyline, have been a subject across the city in a proposed effort to redevelop the riverfront. General Motors moved into the building in 2000 but recently announced it would move into Hudson’s Detroit.

Businessman Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock firm and GM are partnering on a proposal to remove two of the RenCen five towers — those facing the riverfront — while the center hotel tower would remain as a hotel, the two remaining towers would be reconceived: one as an office tower and the other as apartments, which would include affordable housing units. The plan also calls for a quarter-mile park for an entertainment destination similar to Chicago’s Navy Pier. Restoring the two towers proposed for demolition could be an option, but Duggan added it would be cheaper to build entirely new housing due to the building’s layers of steel and concrete, which would require extra work to run plumbing and utilities.

Despite mixed reviews about the RenCen proposal, Duggan promised better days ahead for Detroiters.

“You’re going to have more days like we had last April,” Duggan said, referencing the 2024 NFL draft, which drew about 775,000 visitors, followed by celebrating “an even bigger event … when the (NCAA) Final Four comes to Detroit,” landing a grand applause and cheers from the audience.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana