For Gail Rodwan and Shirley Jackson sharing a neighborhood involves more than neighborly gestures. As long-time residents of Sherwood Forest, their families have formed bonds – but communities aren’t built on hugs and handshakes. The Story of Sherwood Forest: One Hundred Years a Detroit Neighborhood documents some of the initiatives and organizing the Rodwans, Jacksons […]
Detroit’s former State Fairgrounds property plan has been all but decided with the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority Board of Directors’ approval of the sale of the vacant property to the City of Detroit and Magic Plus, LLC. The proposals, once final, mean the City of Detroit will purchase approximately 142 acres of the […]
Detroiters wondering about the future of the long-vacant State Fairgrounds might have a better idea after March 21. A Wednesday meeting of the Michigan Land Bank Authority in Lansing will determine if the Magic Plus, LLC investment group, which won a proposal to transform the site into commercial property, moves forward after years of little […]
Detroit is a family-friendly place, but not enough people know it. So says Kerry Doman, who has just launched a new project called LittleGuide Detroit, which lets parents know about the kid-friendly things going on in metro Detroit. The idea stems from her own experience as a new mom to a now 18-month-old. Doman has lived downtown […]
Within the next few months Central City Integrated Health Inc. (CCIH) in Midtown will grow from two to six dental chairs and move to a new facility to expand availability of cavity care and cleanings to the low-income population of Detroit. “More than 42,000 Detroit residents live below the poverty line. We don’t have the […]
Planning for the future in a city whose narrative has been defined by uncertainty is challenging. Still, Detroit Future City took on the challenge, got input from more than 100,000 community members and adopted as a road map toward equitable and sustainable development by the Duggan administration. Now, it’s time for implementation, says Detroit Economic […]
by Steve Palackdharry Elfido and Kim Castillo are a young couple with deep roots in southwest Detroit. “We’ve lived here our whole lives, and this is where we want to stay,” Elfido says. “We believe the area is getting better, and we want to be part of helping it improve.” Elfido grew up in the […]
Commentary by Bill Johnson Detroit’s campaign to bring the nearly 40,000 rental properties into compliance with the city housing code by 2020 defies logic. These codes were intended to prevent neighborhood deterioration. This blitz, however, will accelerate abandonment and decimate both low-income and middle-class communities. Rental property owners will have six months to register their […]
Public champion Bill Johnson recently penned an article on his blog about how Detroit’s rental registration ordinance will exacerbate blight in Detroit neighborhoods. Financially struggling landlords will be unable to comply with the new regulations, he argues, and this untenable burden will displace countless Detroit renters. Johnson is hardly averse to taking strong positions, having […]
Detroit’s campaign to bring the nearly 40,000 rental properties into compliance with the city housing code by 2020 defies logic. These codes were intended to prevent neighborhood deterioration. This blitz, however, will accelerate abandonment and decimate both low-income and middle-class communities. Rental property owners will have six months to register their units, bring them up […]