moroun - The Handbuilt City

Culture & Language Lifestyle Environment

A Love Burning Brighter Than The Gas Flares Of Zug Island

November 18, 2021November 18, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments 48216, 48217, 48219, air pollution, ambassador bridge, boynton, crossing us canada border, delray, delray detroit, engagement, engagement photos, gordie howe, gordie howe international bridge, marathon oil, marathon petroleum, marathon refinery, matty moroun, moroun, most polluted zip codes in michigan, Nat Zorach, noah balanda, oakwood heights, river rouge, rouge river, southwest detroit, us canada border, us canadian border, US Steel, water pollution, who is gordie howe, windsor, Zug Island, zug island hum, zug island iced tea

As many of you know, or don’t, I got engaged in September! Yes, folks– if someone thinks they can put

Mobility Public transit Michigan Transit infrastructure Government

MDOT: Rebrand And Replace. Some Ideas From The MAP Conference.

October 28, 2021October 28, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments aicp, ambassador bridge, american planning association, auto industry, automotive, car culture, cars, chrysler, dan gilbert, dan gilbert industrial complex, EGLE, f150 super duty state of mind, Ford, ford motor company, fossil fuel subsidies, fossil fuels, green stormwater infrastructure, GSI, highways, land of the rising f150 super duty, mami, MAP, matty moroun, MDEQ, mdot, MEDC, MEGA tax breaks, michigan, michigan association of planning, mike duggan, moroun, public transit, rick snyder, road, stellantis, transit, vehicle miles traveled, vmt, vmt reduction, wendy rampson

Nat is attending the Michigan Association of Planning’s annual conference. It’s going great– especially with regard to figuring out new ways to refashion state agencies that aren’t doing their jobs.

Real Estate Policy Urban Planning Law

The Morouns Tore Down A Warehouse For More Truck Parking. Really. [EDITED]

July 9, 2021July 14, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments BSEED, building department, city of detroit, city of detroit government, climate change, corktown, criminal negligence, david bell, Detroit, drainage, drainage assessment, duggan, duggan administration, enforcement, flooding, hardscaping, impervious surfaces, industrial slumlords, manuel moroun, matty moroun, Michigan Central Station, mike duggan, moroun, moroun clan, moroun empire, municipal incompetence, pervious surfaces, rain tax, Regulation, slumlords, southwest detroit, southwest solutions, ted bundy, west side industrial

Walking from home to Corktown last night in search of food and drink with some out-of-town visitors who were eager

Cities & Urban Planning Environment

A Common-Sense Rezoning Hits Billionaire Resistance

February 10, 2021February 10, 2021 Guest 0 Comments downzoning, industrial zoning, manuel moroun, matty moroun, moroun, moroun detroit, moroun trucking, nonconforming uses, rail corridor, rail corridors, rezoning, southwest detroit, toledo detroit, toledo st. detroit

The billionaire Moroun family’s trucking empire, which also owns the Ambassador Bridge, is pushing for a controversial zoning measure that would allow them to develop a trucking depot in Southwest Detroit. Residents do not favor the effort, and the city has declined to enforce its own ordinances to stop them from starting development. (Guest piece by Dion Thompson-Davoli).

Urban Planning Government Vacancy

Why Is Detroit Giving Industrial Slumlords Like Moroun A Free Pass?

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments ambassador bridge, BSEED, building department, building inspections, building inspector, corktown, dan gilbert, Detroit, detroit international bridge company, DIBC, economic development, enforcement, gordie howe, gordie howe international bridge, green dot stables, logistics, manuel moroun, matty moroun, Mike Ilitch, moroun, northern border transit, rosa parks blvd., southwest detroit, trucking, UST properties, UST Properties of Michigan, ust properties of michigan llc, Vacancy, warren, west side industrial

The owners of the Ambassador Bridge, their trucking empire, and a plethora of shell corporations own many acres of prime real estate close to Detroit’s downtown. Why have they avoided regulatory scrutiny?

Detroit Historic preservation Mobility Transit infrastructure

Tour of Ford’s Michigan Central Station Project

September 22, 2020September 21, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments adaptive reuse, biking, corktown, dearborn, Density, Detroit, detroit international bridge company, economic development, Ford, ford motor, historic preservation, land use planning, matty moroun, Michigan Central Station, micromobility, mobility, Mobility Corridor, moroun, multi-modal transportation, new mobility, public transit, regional transit authority, RTA, scooters, southeast michigan, speculation, train station, train stations, trains, transit, transit infrastructure, trump, urban living

Michigan Central Station, the iconic, hulking, centenarian structure that has sat vacant for decades, is perhaps the flagship redevelopment project