Lately we've been keeping tabs on the great press Detroit has gotten from national publications like the Boston Globe and Sporting News Magazine. While it's great to get an outsider's perspective on all the positive things happening in Motown, articles like the one that ran in yesterday's Detroit Free Press are nice to read too, albeit for very different reasons:

When it comes to good food, culture and sports teams, Detroit has flavor, pizzazz and game -- and a fair share of suburban visitors.

Nearly two-thirds of residents of suburban Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties say they at least occasionally dine, attend cultural events or take in professional games in Detroit.

Work brings about 12% of suburbanites to Detroit frequently and another 11% occasionally. About 9% of suburbanites say they never set foot in the city, the poll found, though among those younger than 35, only 2% never get to the city.

What would bring more suburban and city residents downtown?

The top answer of both suburban and city residents was more security -- despite statistics that show downtown has a relatively low crime rate.

Detroit residents also cited better retail shopping and improved public transportation as changes that would bring them downtown more.

In all honesty, the poll results highlighted in this article are something of a mixed bag. Of course, being eternal optimists, there are certainly some positive tidbits we can take away from this research.

What's encouraging here is that suburbanites are starting to come back to the city. Getting a younger generation of Metro Detroiters to come downtown -- whether it's for work, class, or entertainment -- should be a major goal for the city throughout this process of economic revitalization.

We already know that Detroit's sports teams are a big draw, and as the article points out, the city's restaurants and various cultural attractions help bring folks downtown. Well, we think affordable housing projects (like the ones funded by the Trust Fund) can also be a part of the puzzle. Think about it...

Getting young people to visit downtown Detroit? Great!

Increasing the city's supply of affordable housing so young people will want to live in downtown Detroit? Even better!!

Remember, housing = jobs. More housing in Detroit = more jobs in Detroit. It's that simple.