Why Detroit Matters
Detroit’s ongoing recovery efforts have led to a wide range of unique and innovative planning and design responses. For the Why Detroit Matters blog series, SmithGroup’s David Lantz sat down with Urban Design Practice Director Dan Kinkead to discuss the chapter Dan wrote for the recently published book Why Detroit Matters: Decline, Renewal and Hope in a Divided City. Dan focuses on Detroit’s emerging and precedent-setting approaches to urban redevelopment and recovery, and their growing significance at a national and international level.
WHY DETROIT MATTERS, PART 1: LEVERAGING VACANT LAND AS AN ASSET
This entry introduces the series and focuses on how Detroit is using its vacant land portfolio as an asset for urban renewal.
WHY DETROIT MATTERS, PART 2: CONNECTING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION
This entry looks at the connection being forged between green infrastructure development and revitalization in Detroit’s neighborhoods.
WHY DETROIT MATTERS, PART 3: MADE IN DETROIT: DETROIT’S NEW INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY
This entry considers the new models of industrial development being constructed in post-industrial Detroit.
WHY DETROIT MATTERS, PART 4: HIGHER EDUCATION’S ROLE IN DETROIT’S RECOVERY
This entry examines how Detroit’s colleges and universities are emerging as partners for redevelopment and revitalization efforts at the neighborhood level.
WHY DETROIT MATTERS, PART 5 DRIVEN DATA: REBUILDING AND DEMOCRATIZING DETROIT’S INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
This entry looks at the pivotal role that Detroit’s new open-source data infrastructure is playing in city rebuilding and recovery efforts.
WHY DETROIT MATTERS, PART 6: BUILDING A MORE EQUITABLE FUTURE
The final entry in the series considers Detroit’s aspirational move away from its divisive past towards a more inclusive, equitable future.