美国国家公共电台 NPR Detroit's Big Comeback: Out Of Bankruptcy, A Rebirth

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

OK. The city of Detroit has reached a major milestone¹. Five years ago, it went bankrupt - was saddled with more than $18 billion in debt. Well, now Detroit is not only out of bankruptcy² but is issuing bonds backed by its own credit instead of bonds guaranteed by state government or insurers. As Quinn Klinefelter of member station WDET reports, while the city's economy is improving, some Detroiters fear it may be leaving behind those who toughed it out when the times were bad.

QUINN KLINEFELTER, BYLINE³: Detroit shed $7 billion of debt by going bankrupt. It then restructured and declared itself open for investment. New development poured in led by hometown businessman Dan Gilbert who invested more than $5.5 billion in about a hundred Detroit properties, moved his mortgage company and Bedrock real estate firm downtown and is now reportedly the city's largest private employer and taxpayer⁴. At a recent groundbreaking for a new downtown office tower backed by Gilbert, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan marveled at just how fast the once bankrupt city is changing.

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MIKE DUGGAN: Well, isn't this an amazing week in Detroit? I mean, we...

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DUGGAN: ...We started Monday with a historic commitment by the corporations to help transform Detroit neighborhoods. And three days later on Thursday, we're here with Dan Gilbert and Bedrock - an announcement that's going to help transform the skylight.

KLINEFELTER: Moody's Investors⁵ Service analyst⁶ David Levett says the city government is balancing its budget now, saving funds to cover pension obligations Detroit will have to resume paying in 2024. And he estimates impending⁷ job cuts in Detroit's auto⁸ industry really won't hit much of the city's workforce⁹. But Levett cautions that Detroit's public school system has no money to make badly needed repairs, and investors are not spreading their wealth across the city.

DAVID LEVETT: The growth in the city has been largely concentrated in the greater downtown area. There's still declining population if you look at the city as a whole. And the income levels are still low in the city as a whole.

KLINEFELTER: And some here expressed concern that investment is skewed towards bringing new upscale residents downtown, neglecting the neighborhoods where most Detroiters live. The exodus¹⁰ from those neighborhoods has slowed to a mere¹¹ trickle¹² of what it's been over the past few decades. And in some, people are actually moving in.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Thank you for coming in.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: No problem.

KLINEFELTER: The Art in Motion Studio and Gallery sits on what's called the Avenue of Fashion - once a prime shopping area. Owner Kay Willingham says she's stayed in this neighborhood for almost 50 years. While there are crime issues like any big city, there's also a vibrancy¹³.

KAY WILLINGHAM: Families are moving back in 'cause that's one thing that had not happened. We see a lot of families that are moving in. And I think that's a great thing because that's what this community needs. They're not afraid to get out and try something new. They're not afraid to go for a walk, take the dog out, take the kids out - where, at this neighborhood for a long time, that wasn't happening.

KLINEFELTER: Detroit officials are targeting hundreds of millions of dollars to build up neighborhoods already doing well like this one. Willingham says that can be a mixed blessing¹⁴.

WILLINGHAM: Now we're getting ready to go into construction next year, which is a good thing. They're getting ready to take the median out. They're expanding the sidewalks, putting in bike lanes. But that's going to be a two-year process. So for a small business, that's a lot to endure to keep business going.

KLINEFELTER: In other neighborhoods, stretching across Detroit's 143 square miles, residents are still waiting for a rejuvenation¹⁵.

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KLINEFELTER: A soft rain is falling on heavy traffic along Jefferson Avenue, connecting a mostly barren edge of Detroit with the affluent¹⁶ Grosse Pointe suburbs. Detroit officials have plans to lure¹⁷ new business to the area, providing tax breaks, assembling parcels of land, even offering to match investors' money with grant funding. But community activist¹⁸ Luther Keith says too many stores here still sit empty.

LUTHER KEITH: To bring them back requires somebody to walk down this block of closed storefronts and say, I think we can change this; I'm going to put up the store - first storefront; I'm going to open the first coffee shop.

KLINEFELTER: The city recently announced it will renovate¹⁹ two vacant buildings in the area to create new residential²⁰ units - half of them affordable²¹ housing for people with low incomes. Keith says that helps offset²² fears among some Detroiters that the city's tearing down of tens of thousands of blighted²³ buildings makes way for new upscale residences while overlooking resources for those already in the neighborhoods. But he says the enduring challenges to transforming Detroit go far deeper.

KEITH: The real issue in Detroit is not gentrification. It's poverty - poor people. We need jobs. We need investment so folks can take care of themselves.

KLINEFELTER: Detroit's poverty rate has dropped slightly, but almost half of Detroit children live below the poverty line. City officials say there are jobs here. And they're offering training in skilled trades, everything from construction work to database administration.

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KLINEFELTER: Detroiter Thomas Sampson supports himself driving for the ride-share service Lyft. As he cruises towards downtown, he says he and others like him are making Detroit's post-bankruptcy economy work for them even if they're not the kind of new property owners the city wants to fill its tax base.

THOMAS SAMPSON: But because we have the decisions that was made...

COMPUTER-GENERATED VOICE: Turn left. Then turn right.

SAMPSON: ...And now we've got all these folks that's coming down. It enables me to do well in the ride-share program. And that's what's the most important thing about Detroit - is, you know, we're strong. We're resilient. You know, when we fall, we get back up.

KLINEFELTER: That's a mantra Detroit officials have adopted, too, touting²⁴ the resurgence²⁵ of the Motor City moving past bankruptcy far faster than experts anticipated but with many miles to go on the road to resurrection. For NPR News, I'm Quinn Klinefelter in Detroit.

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1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

8 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

9 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

10 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

11 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

12 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

13 vibrancy   

n.活跃；震动

参考例句：

• I like the vibrancy of her character.我喜欢她的活泼性格。
• Tom felt himself being drawn towards her vibrant personality. 汤姆感觉自己被她充满朝气的个性所吸引。

14 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

15 rejuvenation   

n. 复原，再生, 更新, 嫩化, 恢复

参考例句：

• Prolonged starvation and aging might lead to rejuvenation of embryogenic potential. 长期的饥饿和衰老可以导致胚胎发生能力的复壮。
• All this signs rejuvenation of agriculture. 所有这些都预示着农业将复苏。

16 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

17 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

18 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

19 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

20 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

21 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

22 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

23 blighted   

adj.枯萎的，摧毁的

参考例句：

• Blighted stems often canker.有病的茎往往溃烂。
• She threw away a blighted rose.她把枯萎的玫瑰花扔掉了。

24 touting   

v.兜售( tout的现在分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• He's been touting his novel around publishers for years. 他几年来一直到处找出版商兜售自己的小说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Technology industry leaders are touting cars as a hot area for growth. 科技产业领袖吹捧为增长热点地区的汽车。 来自互联网

25 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。