Industrial Digitalization as a Driver of City Reindustrialization: Evidence from Detroit

The paper delves into the problems of digital transformation and reindustrialization of an old industrial city. Detroit, one of the largest US industrial cities of the second echelon, was chosen as the object of the study. We analyze the city’s economic development, problems and challenges typical of its current evolutionary stage, as well as the measures taken to overcome them. The paper provides some examples of modern technological solutions implemented by major enterprises in Detroit and details the ecosystem of Industry 4.0 in the city, which includes high-tech enterprises, digital platforms, educational organizations, scientific institutions, government support measures, market of qualified specialists and modern digital technologies. We examine the prospects for the industrial transition to Industry 5.0 in Detroit, which would involve human-machine collaboration and social innovations, and identify the main obstacles to such a transition.