The City of Detroit has come to be recognized as a national symbol for urban failure; an economically devastated city, undergoing bankruptcy, when once it was known as the industrial capital of the United States.

It is home to some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world; its shrinking population is a fraction of what it was 60 years ago; it cannot pay its employees the pensions they were promised; and it might soon sell its most prized possessions, like a store going out of business.

However, the downtown Detroit area remains a hub for entertainment, business and investment. It appears healthy and viable, like the typical downtown of any major city.

Downtown businesses are visibly busy and the streets are usually crowded with pedestrians and traffic.

After sporting events, especially Tigers’ games, the downtown area resembles an overpopulated neighborhood, where one has to bump shoulders with fellow pedestrians to get a across the street.

On weekends, the area turns into a party town, energized by many widely acclaimed casinos, bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels.

Although Detroit has the highest crime rate in the country, the downtown area is relatively safe, because of the constant, strong police presence, compared to the rest of the City.

Police officers can be seen all over the area and have recently been patrolling the downtown area on bikes, so as to avoid being stuck in traffic if trouble occurs.

Lyke Thompson, director of the Center of Urban Studies at Wayne State University, said there are two major reasons behind downtown Detroit’s good shape.

“Downtown is a regional business center,” he said. “It is the core area for business in Metro Detroit.”

He added that employees of companies, based downtown, are choosing to live close to their workplace, increasing the population of the downtown area and its surrounding neighborhoods, especially Midtown, where many students who attend Wayne State live.

Thompson said the second reason is that major investors, such as Compuware, Greektown Casino, sports stadiums and GM, are leading a “substantial renewal of downtown.”

He explained that investments are contributing to the safety of downtown, drawing people into the City and benefiting the area.

Last week, the downtown Detroit Marriott Hotel announced a $30 million renovation that is expected to begin in February and take approximately a year to complete.

View of Detroit from Comerica Park

The hotel, which is located in the same complex as the General Motors headquarters, is already a major attraction in the City. It is the tallest hotel building in the western hemisphere.

In a statement, Hotel Manager Shonda Johnson said the Detroit Marriott is “energized by the current revival of Detroit.”

Despite the shortcomings of the City and its bankruptcy status, such potentially profitable investments are taking place downtown.

A recent report by Data Driven Detroit, a statewide organization with a focus on Detroit’s demographics, economics and housing, said the progress of downtown Detroit and its surrounding neighborhoods shows “momentum” and “promise for the future.”

“Major employers, many of whom relocated Downtown in the past decade, include General Motors, DTE Energy, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Compuware, and the Rock/Quicken family of companies. Downtown Detroit is the longtime home of the City and County governments, as well as the region’s major financial, legal, accounting and consulting firms,” the report reads. “Recently, young tech and creative industry firms have joined the growing neighborhood, adding youth and vibrancy to the core of the city.”

According to Data Driven Detroit, jobs have increased the demand for housing in the neighborhood, where 97 percent of residential offerings are occupied.

The downtown area, which stretches from the Detroit River to I-75, between I-375 and Lodge 10, is rich in historic architecture and regularly hosts high profile events. The 2013 Detroit Auto show brought 795,416 people downtown. In addition, in 2005, the district hosted the MLB All Star Game and the Super Bowl.

At the end of last year, the largest Buffalo Wild Wings in the country opened in downtown Detroit. 

Last weekend, the yearly Detroit International Jazz festival brought thousands of people into downtown.

Thompson criticized the media for ignoring the renewal in downtown Detroit and other neighborhoods. He described the media’s focus on devastated parts of the City as “Detroit pornography.”

“It is a media phenomenon. They show pictures from the most challenged neighborhoods to demonstrate urban failure, as part of the 30-second shot they show when they talk about the bankruptcy,” he said. “They never tell you that the oldest neighborhoods in Detroit are actually improving; only bankruptcy and burned down buildings. I hope one day they will be ready to tell the positive side of the story.”

He added that if Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr could maintain and improve the City services, the bankruptcy would have a “great impact” on Detroit neighborhoods.

It is rare to see empty shops in downtown Detroit. However, there are many empty lots, turned into parking garages, which make parking more available and affordable than other urban downtowns in the country.

The manager of Santorini, an upscale Greek restaurant downtown, said more people from outside Detroit have been frequenting the district.

“We get mostly suburban people, even tourists from Canada, who are in Detroit for business,” she said.

Arthur Kesto, the manager of Athens Liquor and Smoke, a shop in downtown Detroit, said the neighborhood is prosperous because of security.

“We get more officers and more stability because of Greektown casino. It is a money-generator for the City,” he said.

The decline of Detroit is partly due to racial tension in the City, which, in the past, led to two race riots and drove the majority of the population to the suburbs, leaving Detroit, in effect, segregated.

However, downtown Detroit is becoming more cosmopolitan and integrated.

Morris Pleasent, a downtown resident, says that the area has never been so diverse in years. He added that attractions in the district are drawing people of all ethnicities and backgrounds.

“You have the best restaurants, bars, hotels and casinos here,” he said. “People are coming back. Business is coming back.”