We begin with a forward-thinking critique of Detroit Future City by urbanist-preservationist-Detroit advocate Francis Grunow, who, by day, is a public policy consultant for New Solutions Group. By night, yes, he'll be burning the critical midnight oil for Model D.
Finding places to park cars, lots of cars, is crazy-serious business for most Detroiters. Chene Park and Minock Park have your back. They believe, and they want Francis Grunow, and you, dear reader, to believe in the ugly-beauty of parking your vehicle(s).
Detroit may seem like the last urban stronghold for the car-in-every-driveway ideal, but less than a year after Wayne State introduced a car sharing program, Detroiters are proving that car ownership is not the only way to get around. Francis Grunow steers the conversation.
There seems to be growing understanding that the state will not improve until the state’s most important city and region improves. We're talking about Detroit, of course, a critical spoke in the public transit wheel. Francis Grunow takes on the issue with a carrot and stick.
GalaxE Solutions believes so strongly in the potential of Detroit's information tech future that it announced it would hire 500 skilled workers simply because it made economic sense to employ them here. The group recently participated in an "insourcing American jobs" forum at the White House, where the focus was on repatriating jobs to the U.S. Francis Grunow drills into the details.
Few topics in Detroit resonate historically like transportation. In particular, the current debate about Woodward Light Rail (scaled down but still alive) and a proposed rapid bus transit system. Francis Grunow tracks down visionary change-maker Enrique Penalosa for insight and guidance.
Magnificent when it was built nearly 100 years ago, magnificent the David Whitney building remains today, a testament to enduring Detroit modernism. Francis Grunow sets the historic scene for Model D's Next Big Thing event this Friday, Oct. 21.
If Doug Farr were a superhero, his cape, tights and calling card would be green. The native Detroiter is an architect and sustainability guru who has built a career out of thinking about cities through a very green lens. He talks with Francis Grunow about what Detroit has, and how, through sustainable practices, the city can best use those assets. And he as some advice for Mayor Ken Cockrel, too. (Hint: Think green, buddy.)
Portland looks better than ever. As Detroiter Francis Grunow revisits the Rose City, he contemplates how the regional cooperation that's worked for Portland could could make the Motor City a better place, too.
Little green chairs. Believe it or not, sometimes that's all it takes to make a more livable city. And as unassuming as a few-hundred bistro chairs are in the context of a city as large and as difficult for pedestrians as Detroit, the result can be transformative.What are a few of the little things that can make a city better for the average Jane or John?
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