David Coates / The Detroit News "I hate to see the rural disappear, but at the same time it puts a paycheck in my pocket," says Mary Lee Roberts, a Macomb Township real estate agent, as she works in her garden north of 32 Mile.

Part II: Balkanized region

    Costs of growth are intensified by the hundreds of often-conflicting development strategies across Metro Detroit.

    The region has 335 units of local government. Of the top 25 metro regions in America, only New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Minneapolis-St. Paul have more bureaucracy, according to “American Metro Politics,” a new book by Minnesota lawmaker and planning expert Myron Orfield.

    The balkanization of southeast Michigan started with centuries-old land surveys that divided Michigan into townships and promoted strong home rule government.

    School districts, counties, cities, townships and various commissions have all since grown separately. In some states, home rule has eroded somewhat.

    Wisconsin, for example, retains townships but has statewide land use planning. Iowa eliminated townships in the 1980s. In Michigan, home rule remains the rule.

    “It’s about politics, not economics,” said Lynn Harvey, Michigan State University professor of agricultural economics and an authority on local government structure.

    Regionalization simply hasn’t sold here. For years, leaders have failed to agree on plans for regional mass transit and water systems.

    In another example, Harvey authored a study several years ago proposing a consolidated fire department for several Macomb County communities. Leaders in every community rejected the chance to save millions of dollars, he said.

Part III: Costly competition