Detroit's Economic Potential

From: Model D Media
Written By: Malinda Jensen

When you look at the data that really count for certain kinds of business investments, Detroit more than holds its own with comparable cities. That was the conclusion recently reached by fDi Magazine, a London publication of the Financial Times.

fDi studied data from more than 400 cities, categorized them by population, and ranked them on seven scales relating to business. Detroit ranked fourth among large, North American cities for its potential for international investment. The city ranked tenth overall among large cities (between 500,000 and 1 million in population) as a City of the Future. It ranked third in the group for its infrastructure – largely based on the strength of its airport and other transportation facilities. Detroit also tied for third with Jacksonville, Florida for growth from companies within the knowledge-based sector. It also scored well for the relatively low cost of office and commercial space downtown.

At DEGC we have also focused on Detroit's and the region's competitive advantages, and it's always pleasing to find a highly-regarded international organization agrees. It underscores the way we have targeted certain industries – including transportation and high-technology or research-based sectors – for investments here.

Among the criteria fDi looked at were the number of global companies based in Detroit and the number of foreign direct investments in high tech service and manufacturing industries. Details of the report can be found here.