Remaking Detroit

Fast Co's recent article profiling Detroit gives a spot on look at the city, the hopeful and exciting optimism of a creative class moving in, set against the stark reality of a dysfunctional city battling a half century's worth of decline. I like the honest look at where the city is and largely agree with many of the opinions shared by the folks interviewed. Detroit is cool and certainly has a feeling of renewed bravado for those of us lucky enough to choose to live here and craft our own careers. Yet, for most in the city, as LeDuff correctly points out, there's nothing cool or prideful about living on a crime ridden street without street lights and sending your kids to a poorly maintained school where they'll get an education that leaves them behind their better off peers. But I guess that's why I like living here so much (while acknowledging the sad fact that it comes at a very high expense of those less fortunate). The tale of two cities being played out in such clear terms, right in front of you. The good and the bad, the really exciting and the really depressing makes for a city that feels real, that feels alive even on the most deserted and vacant corners, and makes you ask questions you didn't even know you had.

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682409/remaking-detroit-can-creative-companies-save-an-american-city-on-the-brink

Lafayette Park

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20130218/BUSINESS06/302180059/Greater-downtown-Detroit-has-more-wealth-racial-diversity-than-city-as-a-whole-report-finds

M1 Rail

Woodward light rail looks like it will actually become reality. After finally sealing the deal on the federal government's $25 million funding portion, construction is expected to begin in the fall of this year and completion slated for Fall 2015. Only 59 years after the original Woodward streetcars made their last run and were shipped to Mexico City. It's about time they came back.

What a beautiful map.

Kenya's Silicon Savannah

Kenya has released plans to build a new city for 185,000 people 40 miles outside of Nairobi. It still remains one of the world's poorest countries, but while living in Nairobi and to this day, watching from afar, I'm continually impressed with the skill and ambition of the country's business and entrepreneurial communities. The exciting forward thinking and inspiring vision of a city that this plan showcases is in stark contrast to my current city's attitude, which continues to hold on to a glorified past that is no longer (at least in the government).

Lafayette Towers renovations?

My Detroit home has a new owner. I've seen a few articles since Gregory Jackson purchased the towers and they all seem to say the right things - he's planning on renovating and improving the units and the entire complex. $5 million, as my friend Ryan pointed out, seems like a pretty low amount based on how my kitchen and bathroom look (1960s), and that doesn't even touch the heating/cooling issues, the hallways, nor the state of the parking lot. But, $5 million is $5 million, and it's likely more money than has been invested in the property in many years. Mr. Mies can't complain with that.

A 2013 wish

It was exactly two years ago that I quit my life and job in Chicago and boarded a plane to Kenya. In certain ways it doesn’t seem that long ago and yet my life has changed so drastically from that point that it’s hard to imagine that it’s only been a couple of years. Reflecting back on my decisions to move to Kenya to work with KickStart and to subsequently go through Code Academy in Chicago, it’s hard to believe that I was close to deciding against both. And the thought that I could very easily still be in Chicago working within the online marketing industry, if not for a couple of decisions that at the time felt a bit reckless, leaves me so very confident that giving up on the well laid out professional track I had before me in Chicago was the right move. Both experiences were great reminders of how enjoyable life can be when I actively make decisions about what I desire rather than simply sliding into something without much intentional thought or behavior.

Two years ago I didn’t really know what I was looking for in Kenya, I just knew that my job in Chicago wasn’t something I wanted to do for long and certainly wasn’t close to work I loved. And I trusted that my intuition might know where it was going. Two years later, I enter 2013 with more confidence and excitement than any previous year and doing work that feels right. May the next two years be as exciting, worthwhile, and meaningful as the last two.

Detroit Labs in the Atlantic

Another look at Detroit Labs and its success downtown. Also pretty sure I'm stumped with whatever I'm working on.

Detroit's filter

I enjoyed this short article on downtown Detroit, specifically this thought from George Royce, a bartender at Detroit Beer Company.

Royce acknowledges that Detroit is not for everyone.
“The people who live here usually have something going on,” he says. “They’re artistic, they’re handy, they’re self-starters. People who are finicky don’t come to Detroit. There’s a filter at work here. You’ve got to have self-sufficiency.”

One reason I really enjoyed living and working in Kenya and going through the Peace Corps was the ability to meet, learn, work and become friends with, etc the very interesting people that those types of opportunities attract. I've found that to be the case in Detroit as well and it's certainly one of the reasons I enjoy living here way more so than some of the well manicured and more well off cities where I've lived in the past. Royce's comment above perfectly captures the person Detroit is attracting and why that might be the case.

A city reimagined

Popular Mechanics takes an entertaining look at what Detroit could become by 2025 based on projects that are currently happening and the real people leading the charge.

I've always liked the idea of Detroit becoming the world's greenest city.

Follow the frog!

You don't need to move to Nicaragua. Just follow the frog.

"Today the league, tomorrow the world"

It's been six years since I watched (from a concrete hut in Nicaragua) Magglio Ordonez hit his walk off home run. The Tigers are finally back in the World Series and this time around I'm a proud city resident eager to watch 'em compete for the title. Today the league, tomorrow the world. Bless you boys!

Lafayette Park Autumn

Go Tigers!

Peace Corps Comic Gold

This is brilliant. For volunteers and non-volunteers alike. Enjoy.

http://whatshouldpcvscallme.tumblr.com/

Stik.com: Valley to Detroit!

The Detroit tech movement continues to pick up significant steam, with the lastest news being the relocation of Stik.com from San Francisco to Detroit. Stik, which allows users to provide and seek business referrals via Facebook, was started by two Michiganders (one of whom was a friend of Brian Emeott's at Harvard!) and will be moving into the Madison building, bringing six employees and plans to hire more.

 I'm excited to have them in town. I had a chance to go to lunch last week with one of the founders, Nathan, and enjoyed hearing about their business as well as the thought that went into the decision to move to Detroit. From what I gathered, moving their company to Detroit wasn't simply a "I want to move back to my home state" decision, though that obviously played a role. Detroit indeed offered significant advantages over the hectic pace of San Francisco, particularly in finding and holding onto talent, and that advantage (especially if it bears fruit for Stik.com) bodes well for Detroit's startup community. Welcome to Detroit, Stik!

Check out their site to gather referrals from your friends for just about any professional service: Doctors, real estate agents, insurance agents, financial planners. And be sure to keep an eye on them as they grow their business in Detroit!

Dequindre Cut Extension

Good news for the Dequindre Cut - a plan to extend the pathway through Eastern Market and onto Midtown and Hamtramck will move forward in the City Council and has a $10 million federal grant to help pay for the costs. I don't known anything about real estate development but something tells me that a complex plan like this would have been already executed upon in a more progressive city. Nonetheless, if this plan comes to fruition the cut will be one of the coolest parts of the city.

Photo credit: http://photos.mlive.com/detroit/2012/06/dequindre_cut_walking_and_bike_5.html

Techonomy Detroit

Techonomy Detroit takes place tomorrow. It is Techonomy's first one day event designed to look at how technology can help address the US's most challenging problems and featuring a keynote address by the founder of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey. I really enjoyed this Forbes article answering why Techonomy decided upon Detroit as the host city, "We created Techonomy Detroit because we see a set of urgent issues for this city and the country that all of us need to better understand."

But we at Techonomy—and our speakers—believe we are in an era of technology breakthroughs that can enable any community to make rapid progress—if it embraces them. These tools can absolutely be applied in Detroit, or anywhere, to make a dramatic difference—faster than most recognize. That’s the message we hope to convey this coming Wednesday at the conference at Wayne State University. We see promising advances in education, health care, manufacturing, business structure and management, finance, entrepreneurship, urban planning, and yes even in transportation, Detroit’s historic strength.

While working in Africa, I was inspired by the amount of innovation using new technologies to address the continent's most urgent problems, particularly the problems of those at the bottom of the pyramid. It's disappointing to not see that as much in the states. Maybe it's happening here more than I think but probably not. The author makes a good point that even within the platforms and dialogues of our political parties there's a worrying lack of focus on technology and its capacity to rapidly solve problems. I'm happy to find a conference highlighting this; especially in Detroit, where the nation's most complex problems so clearly reveal themselves.

Detroit Labs futzing its way to success

This is a cool article discussing the growth and success of Detroit Labs as well as its desire to become an innovation factory, dedicating one day a week to product development. Detroit's tech story continues to pick up steam.

When asked how he counters Detroit skeptics, you can hear Glomski winding up into a less-than-mild-Midwesterner riposte. “Here’s where you’ll find a company like Detroit Labs, where in a year’s time we’ve done amazing things,” he says. “We won a Gold Lion at Cannes Creativity Festival. We’ve grown a talented group of 20 developers and designers that companies like Zynga and Facebook would love to have. We make real revenue; we’re profitable. How many startups in San Francisco or New York could you say that of in their first year?”

Dequindre Cut, Detroit

Dequindre Cut's newest graffiti addition. Check out the artist's website to see more.

Hogshead

Walk into this bar 10 years ago and you'd likely find two American chaps tending bar. One would be wearing brown shoes colored black with a permanent marker. Both would likely eat the remaining food scraps from your plate.