IntroductionThe industrial Midwest has been in decline for four decades. Many companies left southeast Michigan to produce goods elsewhere. When these companies moved their operations to other cities, much of the region's population moved as well. These people left to look for job opportunities in other urban areas. When industries and people leave an area, infrastructure is often left behind. Buildings, land and infrastructure remain vacant in Detroit due to this exodus from the region. The region's setting largely resembles the period before Detroit's incorporation as a city, aside from the infrastructure that was left behind. The availability of existing infrastructure, coupled with new capabilities at the Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, provides Detroit with the opportunity to transform the region into an international shipping hub. The Great Lakes Global Freight Gateway project is a program that will use these vacant assets to create an inland port in Detroit and promote global trade from the Midwest (GLFG3, 3:33/8:46). This essay will show how the Great Lakes Global Freight Gateway project can restore economic vitality to the region and provide growth opportunities for all stakeholders. Development The United States economy has transitioned from a primarily manufacturing-based economy to a largely services-based economy. In contrast, Detroit's economy still relies on the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing jobs have been in steady decline for more than 40 years. Repositioning Detroit from a manufacturing-only industry to a manufacturing and transcontinental transportation industry can open new revenue opportunities for stakeholders in the region. When manufacturing jobs left the reg...... middle of paper ......SE Associates.Sase , JF (Producer). (2010). First villages that became Detroit-part 1. [Web video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanecondetroitSase, JF (producer). (2011). First villages that became Detroit-part 2. [Web video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanecondetroitSase, JF (producer). (2011). Growth of Detroit by annexation (study version). [Web video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanecondetroitSase, JF (producer). (2010). Detroit: economic rise, fall and rebirth. [Web video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanecondetroitSase, JF (producer). (2011). Halifax to Detroit. [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanecondetroitSase, JF (producer). (2011). Great Lakes Global Cargo Gateway. [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanecondetroit