Home regulations need to be relaxed in Detroit as the city fights back from financial ruin, said Michigan-native Kid Rock, the voice of "The Opportunity Made in Detroit" television ad campaign.
The musician owns a waterfront home in Detroit on the same block as the mayor's mansion. "I have a nice neighborhood, and with a historic home and I understand that there's got to be some things in place, … but it's been a bit of red tape" to make upgrades, he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday—the day a federal judge will begin hearing arguments on whether the city's largest public bankruptcy in U.S. history can go forward.
(Read more: )
"From being here all these years, I know one thing: There's no place on Earth that I've been—and I'm not just saying this because I have a love affair with Detroit … with more style," Kid said. "The next five years to me looks like it's going to be the people. I don't think it's going to be the government."
Kid Rock, born Robert James Ritchie, grew up in Romeo, Mich., a town about 40 miles north of Detroit.
—By CNBC's Matthew J. Belvedere. Follow him on Twitter @Matt_SquawkCNBC.