There are two kinds of people that really symbolize the values of determination and perfectionism to me: kids in skate board parks and graffiti artists. I love this bit from a story about a successful Detroit bike path project:

‘For many locals, the best part of the Dequindre Cut is its colorful graffiti. During the 25 years that the rail line went unused, it became a kind of open-air gallery overgrown with brush and home to wildlife such as pheasants, foxes, and rabbits. The trail’s promoters have used the project to preserve the graphic remnants of its days as a dystopian nature trail visited only by graffiti artists, urban explorers, and the homeless. “It was like a wilderness in the middle of the city,” says Jim Griffioen, a Lafayette Park resident. “It was splashed with an ever-changing archaeology of color that even the most stodgy decrier of vandalism couldn’t deny was art.”’

Cut Loose from the Car — Kelli B. Kavanaugh, Metropolis Mag

A nostalgic effort to capture the graffitic heritage of the site. Awesome. A successful Detroit bike path. Awesome. I hope this project helps to take bike commuting, something Detroit is not known for, to new heights in the city; and to take graffiti, something Detroit should be rightfully proud of, to new levels of excellence.

‘It won’t exactly compensate for the failing fortunes of the automobile industry, but at least it’s a sign of a new way of thinking that’s gaining ground in the Motor City. “This is about having a vision,” Woiwode says. “The Dequindre Cut really is a great way to talk about what could be. It makes people able to imagine just how profound a change there can be in how we get around in southeast Michigan.”‘

Yes indeed, it’s time for Detroit and southeast Michigan to get excited about change. They’ve got a lot of it coming.