For three architecture schools — University of Detroit Mercy, Lawrence Technological Institute and University of Michigan — Detroit is their laboratory. The schools' design studios are having an impact on the city – project by project, neighborhood by neighborhood. In turn, the researchers are rethinking the term "urban," and getting an alternative view of the practice of architecture.
For more than two decades, Maggie DeSantis has helped to build a community identity on the East Side, bringing vitality and a sense of place as well as commercial and residential development.
Kathy Wendler loves the diversity of Southwest Detroit, where she has led the Southwest Detroit Business Association for more than two decades. Her job involves building a lot of bridges, between neighborhoods and businesses, Hispanics and non-Hispancis and City Hall and Southwest Detroit. In her words, ‘It’s about connecting people and assets and energy.’
Sue Mosey believes metro Detroit deserves a major city at its core, and she’s worked for decades to strengthen Detroit. Her piece of the puzzle is Midtown – helming the nonprofit that’s helped tie together the loose ends of the university, cultural center and hospital district into an emerging, invigorated neighborhood.
The grass is starting to look the same on either side of 8 Mile Road. The city’s first-ring suburbs are finding that economic disinvestment and changing social demographics have made their communities seem more like extensions of Detroit than part of their sprawling counties. Now both sides of Detroit’s great divide are starting to work together to blur the lines and spark economic renewal.
Why set up shop in Chicago or New York, when all the cool city you need is in Midtown Detroit? The area formerly known as the Cass Corridor is taking on a new vitality. John Lopez and Ann Perrault think so. Lopez is reinventing a Cass Avenue favorite: Twingo's, hoping to return it to its chic-eats glory. Perrault is baking some of the most tempting breads, pastries and ooey gooey brownies in Motown at Avalon International Breads. Both say there is room and the market is primed for more cool Midtown spots.
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