The Michigan media is reporting that now that visitors have left, regional and state leaders have turned their attention to harnessing momentum generated by Super Bowl XL and using it to turn around downtown Detroit and Michigan as a whole. The same challenges exist: lack of adequate public transportation & urban blight in Detroit and budget problems & lack of jobs everywhere.

One suggested strategy is to seek out more convention business, including one of the 2008 Presidential nominating conventions. However, as the Freep's Tom Walsh points out "That's not a sustainable year-round business model, except maybe for Las Vegas." Another is to revive the concept of a business improvement district (BID) to fund sidewalk and street cleaning, new landscaping, graffiti removal and roving ambassadors by taxing properties in a district based on assessed valuation. BIDs are allowed under Michigan law.

• Can Detroit keep its mojo? ... empty buildings & city coffers (Detroit News)


• NFL showcase brings profit, some promise ... Detroit and Michigan must create jobs and attract new business (Freep)


• What's next? Region can build on success through more partnerships ... can XL level regional cooperation continue? (Freep)


• State has room to grow - if it focuses on tourism ... yes, we linked to it yesterday, but it's a good one (Oakland Press)


• SBXL: Keeping the spirit alive ... Endowments, BIDs could keep ball rolling (Crain's Detroit)


• Bob Allen asks "Now What? ... make the Motown Winter Blast a Winter sports spectacular (Crain's Detroit)


• Detroit, the suburbs and Windsor should cooperatively market ... has about the best description of popular opinion of Detroit ever (Jack Lessenberry)

Absolute Michigan Mini-Editorial

While we don't like to yell at the barn after it has let the horses out, we have to say that starting a conversation about "How do we capture the energy of the Super Bowl?" seems a lot like a surfer wondering how they're going to ride a wave that has already broken. Much of the energy we're trying to capture has already been lost as the national media eye has already shifted its gaze elsewhere. Any benefits Michiganians derive from Super Bowl XL is better than none at all, but we do hope that our leaders learn a lesson for the future.