[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Crawford

There's no way in hell Toledo is part of Metro Detroit, especially bc Downriver has the least sprawl of any directional. Port Huron and Flint maybe, but that's really stretching the limits.

I wouldn't consider Flint or Port Huron to be part of Metro Detroit either. Flint has a similar relationship to Detroit that Toledo does. I do think there's a case to be made for Toledo being in the Detroit CSA though.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

the growth boundary doesn't seem to be working all that well, because it's still pretty damn sprawly in the tweener zone along the I-94 corridor: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2449.../data=!3m1!1e3

for reference, here's what actual rural looks like in SE michigan (same scale): https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9451.../data=!3m1!1e3

The Ann Arbor greenbelt is less than 20 years old, and was too late to stop the fusion with the Detroit UA. I'm also not sure it was really aimed at stopping the sprawl from the east. What it did stop was the sprawl of Ann Arbor to the north, west, and south of Ann Arbor.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

what's more, the detroit and ann arbor UA's (as of 2010 definitions) directly abut each other for a run of 7.5 continuous miles. it's probably only matter of time before they merge. if not with the new 2020 definitions, then perhaps by 2030.

the toledo, flint, and port huron UA's all still have a fair bit of open distance between themselves and the detroit UA.

Ann Arbor is definitely more integrated into Metro Detroit than Flint, Toledo, or Port Huron, even though PH is actually in the Detroit MSA. Ann Arbor residents live far closer to DTW than most of Detroit's northern suburban residents, for instance.