Detroit's Innovation and Turnaround Solution from Richard Florida

So I was working today and ran across this great interview on a podcast I listen to by the BBC - it was an interview with Richard Florida.  He came here to speak a couple years ago.. but this podcast was absolutely fascinating in how he talked about regional Detroit's problems and the big 3.

It may be tough for some to hear - but he outlined some key takeways points in the seven minutes they focused on Detroit in the 23-minute piece.

1) The vast majority of Toyota, Google and other successful company talent lives in urban, densely populated areas (equivalent here to the neighborhoods they speak of would be downtown Pontiac, Birmingham, Royal Oak, Ferndale, and in Detroit city proper, Downtown, Midtown/Wayne State, Lafayette Park, Corktown)

2) The most creativity comes from those densely populated areas and urban centers and from people being close together to share ideas

3) The Detroit 3's management structure has stifled creativity in a "top-down" mentality that the work knows nothing and they know all - and this has carried on to our politics

4) That the top-down, workers have no part except being muscle management style has been the single largest contributor to the region's downfall

5) That today's workforce is all about choice - that money is NOT their driving factor, and that they will go and work anywhere they want to with the environment they want, many times taking less pay for a better lifestyle, regardless of other factors - and to this day, Metro Detroit's leadership doesn't understand that

6) That the big 3 executives, still to this day, from the interviews by the presenter (a very respected reporter) do not understand that the foreign competition strength is about a cultural change in how to approach their product and service

I'd be interested in your thoughts.