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A look
back at
the
defining
moments
of
Detroit
in 2025
Wendell
Bryant -
Local/State
Tell Us
Detroit
News
DETROIT
- As
2025
comes to
a close,
Detroit
finds
itself
at a
historic
crossroads.
The year
was
defined
by a
massive
shift in
local
leadership,
the
completion
of
long-awaited
skyline
projects,
and a
sports
scene
that
kept the
city on
the edge
of its
seat.
1. A
Historic
Political
Hand-Off
The
biggest
headline
of the
year was
the
election
of
Mary
Sheffield
as
Detroit’s
first
female
mayor.
-
The
Transition:
After
over
a
decade
under
Mike
Duggan,
the
city
entered
a
new
era.
Sheffield’s
campaign
focused
heavily
on
neighborhood
equity
and
housing
affordability.
-
The
"Duggan
Departure":
Outgoing
Mayor
Mike
Duggan
didn't
stray
far
from
the
spotlight,
however,
as
he
became
a
leading
figure
in
the
2026
Michigan
gubernatorial
fundraising
race,
leading
the
field
as
an
independent.
2. The
Skyline
and
Riverfront
Reimagined
2025 was
the year
the
"construction
fences"
finally
came
down on
several
generational
projects:
-
Hudson’s
Detroit:
The
685-foot
tower
and
the
12-story
office
building
at
1240
Woodward
began
phased
openings.
The
addition
of
the
luxury
Marriott
EDITION
hotel
and
retail
like
Timberland's
first
Detroit
shop
solidified
Woodward
as a
premier
destination.
-
Ralph
C.
Wilson
Jr.
Centennial
Park:
In
October,
the
Detroit
Riverfront
Conservancy
opened
this
22-acre
west-side
anchor.
It
quickly
became
a
favorite
for
its
"water
garden"
and
massive
play
areas.
-
Michigan
Central:
Now
in
its
second
full
year
of
operation,
the
train
station
hub
emerged
as a
global
center
for
"advanced
air
mobility,"
hosting
drone
delivery
tests
and
AI
manufacturing
startups.
3.
Record-Breaking
Safety
Gains
Building
on the
momentum
of 2024,
Detroit
saw
violent
crime
rates
continue
to
plummet
to
historic
lows.
-
The
Numbers:
By
the
third
quarter
of
2025,
homicides,
nonfatal
shootings,
and
carjackings
were
down
by
double
digits
compared
to
the
previous
year.
-
The
Strategy:
Success
was
attributed
to
the
"Community
Violence
Intervention"
(CVI)
programs,
which
expanded
to
seven
zones
across
the
city,
and
a
new
strategy
of
embedding
federal
prosecutors
directly
into
DPD
precincts.
4. A
Rollercoaster
for
Detroit
Sports
While
the city
didn't
get a
parade
this
year,
the
"vibe
shift"
in
Detroit
sports
reached
a fever
pitch.
-
Lions:
After
a
record-setting
15-2
regular
season
that
saw
them
clinch
the
#1
seed,
the
year
ended
in
heartbreak
with
a
late-December
loss
in
Minnesota
that
eliminated
them
from
the
2025
playoff
hunt.
-
Pistons
&
Wings:
Both
teams
showed
massive
improvement.
The
Pistons,
coming
off
years
of
struggle,
shocked
the
league
by
sitting
near
the
top
of
the
conference
in
December,
while
the
Red
Wings
remained
in a
heated
"heater"
to
break
their
long
playoff
drought.
-
Tigers:
Tarik
Skubal’s
dominance
made
the
Tigers
a
national
story
again,
though
they
fell
short
in a
competitive
AL
Central
race.
5.
Infrastructure
and
Economic
Hurdles
It
wasn't
all
growth
and
celebration;
the city
faced
significant
"growing
pains"
this
year:
-
Environmental
Concerns:
In
late
December,
a
major
controversy
erupted
over
news
that
hundreds
of
residential
demolition
sites
may
have
been
backfilled
with
contaminated
dirt,
a
problem
Mayor
Sheffield
inherited
on
day
one.
-
Infrastructure:
A
massive
watermain
break
in
Southwest
Detroit
underscored
the
fragility
of
the
city's
aging
pipes.
-
Economic
Tensions:
New
federal
tariffs
led
to a
noticeable
drop
in
Canadian
truck
crossings
(down
7%),
impacting
local
trade
and
the
automotive
supply
chain.
2025 by
the
Numbers
|
Category
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2025 Milestone
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Population
|
Second consecutive year of growth (reaching approx. 645,000).
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Real Estate
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Completion of the $80M Centennial Park and Hudson's Office Tower.
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Public Safety
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Homicides hit the lowest levels since the mid-1960s.
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Jobs
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City resident wages grew by 3.2%, outpacing the state average.
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