What is the future of Detroit? The answer to that question is deeply intertwined with its past, but also enlightened by its present. Global Site Plans offered me the platform to contribute. I am grateful for the opportunity to share in this dialogue and pose my own questions, such as: What encourages bicycle-use in your community? [...]
Due to rapid global urbanization, specifically in Asia and Africa, the United Nations predicts the world population to be 67% urban by 2050. This year’s World Urban Forum (WUF6), held in Naples, Italy, was aptly themed, “The Urban Future.” September 2-6, 2012, leaders from around the world gathered to address pertinent urban planning questions, such [...]
“Mobility” is one of the 14 quality of life indicators that Detroit, Michigan will use as a benchmark of success for their long term regional and urban planning. In December 2012, we begged the question: Will the Motor City (Detroit, Michigan) ever relinquish its auto-centric ideals for the benefits of pedal power? What about buses [...]
According to the EPA, in 2010, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash and recycled materials, while composting over 85 million tons of material. Environmental sustainability and responsible resource use are important political and urban planning topics. A study conducted by the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor revealed that Detroit is the only major [...]
Architecture alone doesn’t make a vibrant city, you have to activate the store fronts. Despite its assets, during the suburban growth of the 1970′s, 80′s, and 90′s, Detroit found that it could no longer compete with the malls and shopping centers cropping up in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County. In many ways, the 1998 demolition [...]
Outdated, poorly maintained, and critically disconnected from the streetscape and RiverWalk, COBO Center was well on its way to becoming Detroit’s largest white elephant. At risk of losing its contract for the North American International Auto Show, State and local government leaders arrived at an arrangement regarding the Center’s management and modification. Under the control [...]
“Every citizen has had long associations with some part of the city, and his image is soaked in memories and meanings.” Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City (1960) Twenty-seven years later, a young Tyree Guyton reflected on his associations to the city of Detroit, Michigan. Poverty, drugs, crime, racism, and violence shaped his world. [...]
Architects, urban planners, engineers, and residents realize that Detroit isn’t actually shrinking. The physical boundaries still exist, but, in many areas of the city, the density has been significantly reduced and the vacancy rates increased. Fortunately, land banks can be an effective way to manage this underutilized space and generate tax revenue. According to U.S. [...]
In many ways, Michigan’s current economic climate is distressing to architects and urban designers. Our regional dependence on the automotive industry has left Detroit, Michigan with a major identity crisis, not to mention the visible fissures indicative of a shrinking city. Then again, these conditions also offer design students a unique landscape for urban study, [...]
The economic recession has changed the job market dramatically. Rather than waiting idly for the resurgence of the architecture sector, design professionals should consider freelance blogging. Writing for The GRID provides value for future opportunities. From urban design related blogging opportunities with Grist and Planetizen, to media, news, and design correspondent positions in the NGO [...]
One of the most important components of your work as an urban planner is engaging community stakeholders. For urban projects in the main street district, the downtown development authority, city leadership, planning and zoning commissioners, historical district commissioners, architects, and neighborhood residents are all integral partners. Projects that deal more with regional issues require collaboration [...]
Once home to the innovations of the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, American Electrical Heater Company and General Motors, the New Center area breathes new life into Detroit, Michigans’s entrepreneurial spirit. In April 2004, the partially-renovated Chevy Creative Services building designed by architect Albert Kahn, opened its doors to Detroit’s start-up community as TechOne. The TechTown [...]
Daylighting Detroit, Michigan’s Bloody Run Creek will be no small feat, but it’s a project that truly embodies a new and sustainable direction for the city. St. Louis developer, Richard Baron, has been pitching redevelopment ideas to Detroit since the 1980’s, but until now, nothing’s stuck. Flowing south, just east of downtown and into the [...]
According to Huffpost Detroit, Michigan’s unemployment rate has dropped slightly to 8.8%, while Detroit is hovering at 19% unemployment. Conditions are grim. Architects have been hard-hit by the recession, and unfortunately, our recovery is contingent on the vitality of other industries. When I returned to Michigan in fall 2011, my plan was to find work [...]
Social media is changing the way we live, work, and play. Our networks are larger, our interests broader, and our opportunities more abundant than ever before. Thanks to this dynamic, digital infrastructure, Detroit, Michigan is making a comeback and gaining esteem as a city of possibility. The new direction is small and sustainable. There is a [...]
In February 2012, I wrote a post called Assessing the Damage: Preserving Detroit, Michigan’s Historical Places, describing the delicate balance between restoration and demolition. Incorporating preservation efforts into Detroit Michigan’s priorities is vital, but there will always be the reality of budget cuts, insufficient public services, community needs, and generally, too little, too late. Detroit [...]
While social media is changing the way designers collaborate and connect, face-to-face networking is still an important step in gaining industry distinction. At roughly 3.5 inches by 2 inches, business cards carry significant influence in this networking process. As designers, urban planners are expected to make a statement with their business cards. What kind of [...]
Opening day just five weeks away, Detroit Tiger’s fans are clawing to get back into their orange and navy blue. Baseball has always been considered America’s favorite pastime. For Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit, four of the American League (AL)’s “Classic Eight,” the ballpark itself has been an important element of urban design and economic [...]
Today, thanks to social media, innovative planning strategies and sustainable technologies are shared globally within the environmental design community. Are you part of that dialogue? If you’re reading The GRID, you’re off to a good start. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are also valuable resources, but there is something to be said for attending these discussions [...]
Many agree, Detroit, Michigan requires restructuring, on a physical and political level, but the process is still unclear. From the Art Deco and Neo-Renaissance buildings of downtown, to the Tudors, Victorians, and Bungalows of Detroit’s diverse neighborhoods, the architecture tells a tale of the city’s rich and painful history. In order to save the city, Cityscape [...]
