Detroit’s ‘doom loop’ was unlike any other American city. Its downtown is now a model for urban reinvention. [Video]

Last week, more than 775,000 football fans converged in downtown Detroit for three days as the city hosted the NFL Draft.

Detroit obliterated the previous draft turnout record set in 2019 when Nashville hosted roughly 600,000 fans across three days.

Campus Martius Park, perhaps the most revered public gathering space in Detroit, served as the centerpiece of the festivities.

Such positive developments are not atypical for Detroit these days. New residents continue to flock to residential developments downtown, and businesses occupy early-20th-century architectural gems that sprouted when the city was at its industrial zenith.

So, just how did this Midwestern city become a model for urban reinvention?

The past informs the present

In the 1980s and 1990s, downtown Detroit was a visible reminder of the “urban doom …