Southwest : Features

The Motor City Mapping project captured vital information on the condition of each of Detroit's 375,000+ parcels. It may have also created a template for citywide collaboration.

A building's visual order can have an inordinate impact on a community, which is why a number of area community development organizations have used façade improvement programs to battle blight and spur neighborhood economic development.

To help inform Detroiters looking to acquire vacant land, The Greening of Detroit, Michigan Community Resources, and the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights have collaborated in developing a series of workshops called "Land Forum."

Resource-strapped schools have trouble providing recess in a way that is fun for kids and suplements academics. Playworks, a national nonprofit, has partnered with several Detroit schools to provide recess for kids that is fun, educational, and inclusive.

It's no secret that young professionals have gravitated to Detroit's urban center in recent years, but what happens when they start having kids? Nina Misuraca Ignaczak spoke with some families who have made the commitment to stay and raise their kids in the city.

Many immigrants and refugees in Southeast Michigan left professional careers behind when they left their native countries. Global Detroit tells us about Upwardly Global, a program that helps immigrants adapt professional skills learned abroad to the workplace in Metro Detroit.

This is Walter Wasacz's last issue as managing editor of Model D. He waxes sentimental about his predecessors, talks about what's next for him professionally and even declares the coming season "a summer of love."    

Matthew Lewis, Model D's new managing editor, muses about the past, present, and future of the publication.

Our eternally youthful Detroit correspondent revisits his skinny, 25-year-old self, and name checks Dennis Archer and Spike Lee to help sort out what's next for the city. Take it away, Sir James Boyle.

Street photographer Bill Rauhauser, 95, has spent decades documenting Detroit and its people. Glen Morren sat down with Rauhauser and others to explore this legend's living legacy.

A city bus system can only withstand so much disinvestment, and DDOT is on the brink. Mayor Mike Duggan recently appointed Dan Dirks, former SMART manager, to lead DDOT’s turnaround effort. Model D spoke with Dirks to find out how he plans to get the system back on track.

This is a healthy sign: we can't remember a Valentine's Day in Detroit proper (and Hamtramck) filled with so many events, from music to skating to indie retail fun in a long, long time. Kelli Kavanaugh puts together a hot list of cool things to do this week. 

We welcome back Kelli Kavanaugh, Model D's former development news editor and now East Riverfront bicycle entrepreneur, who will be writing about cycling in the city over the coming months. First up: all you needed to know about bike sharing but were afraid to ask. 

Essayist Keith Owens says Detroit needs to polish off its 'international gold standard' as a music city and re-emerge as a creative powerhouse to rival Memphis and New Orleans, at the very least. Let's start by helping to keep local talent in the city, he says. 

We're excited to partner again with the Revitalization and Business Conference on Dec. 6. Presented by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, "IdeaLab" is a fast-paced, two-hour session with a stellar line-up of Detroit innovators.