2014 has been a busy year so far in Detroit and at Model D. It's gone by so fast that we thought it would be worthwhile to take a look back on our most popular stories to date. For your summer reading enjoyment, revisit Model D's most-read stories of 2014:
Features
1. "Palmer Park's turnaround and neighborhood revival" by Matthew Piper, January 28, 2014
In this feature, Matthew Piper provides historical background on the Palmer Park Historic District, writes about the redevelopment of some of the area's major apartment buildings, and discusses the iconic neighborhood's future.
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2. "Choosing to raise kids in Detroit: Why and how local families are doing it" by Nina Misuraca Ignaczak, May 6, 2014
This longform story by Nina Misuraca Ignaczak offers several examples of families who have made a choice that many have struggled with -- to raise their children in the city of Detroit.
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3. "Dive bars, cocktails, and the soul of a city: A conversation with 'mixographer' David Wondrich" by John Notarianni, July 8, 2014
David Wondrich, a cocktail historian and a founding father of the modern mixology movement, shared with Model D his thoughts on Detroit, New York, and cities in general (Oh yeah, and booze, too). This year, Wondrich wrote an article for Esquire naming Detroit the best bar city in America.
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4. "Urban dwellers: Detroit attracting city lovers with adventurous spirit" by Dennis Archambault, February 18, 2014
Young professionals aren't the only folks choosing to make a home in Detroit's greater downtown neighborhoods. Dennis Archambault wrote this story about older folks -- empty nesters and retirees -- who have made the move downtown and are loving every minute of it.
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5. "Rebuilding Detroit's first and last neighborhood" by Francis Grunow, January 7, 2014
One of Detroit's oldest neighborhoods, the lower Cass Corridor is about to experience one the most radical transformations in its long history thanks to plans to build a new arena district there. In this popular Model D feature, Francis Grunow muses on the past, present, and future of what he describes as "Detroit's first and last neighborhood."
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6. "Grown in Detroit, but not in the ground: The next evolution of urban agriculture" by Matthew Lewis, May 20, 2014
Urban agriculture is often thought of as way to repurpose vacant land in cities. In Detroit, that's certainly the case. But there's a new movement afoot in which buildings are being repurposed into hydro- and aquaponics operations where produce and fish are cultivated.
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7. "A record lover's guide to Detroit" by Glen Morren, April 15, 2014
In Detroit, one of America's greatest music cities, the vinyl record business is alive and well. To celebrate Record Store Day, Glen Morren put together this guide to the best places to buy vinyl in the city.
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Development News
Our biggest development news stories all came during June and July and ranged in scale from small to massive. Corktown's Roosevelt Park has been the epicenter of popular development news: Detroit billionaire Matty Maroun pulled permits to start work on Detroit's most famous vacant building, Michigan Central Station, and a local developer has promised to redevelop a long-vacant hotel on the park's east side. Plans for a new apartment development near Lafayette Park and the opening of a disc golf course on Belle Isle also got readers excited. Model D's Development News editor MJ Galbraith brought us these popular stories in 2014.
1. "Michigan Central Station's owner pulls permits for $676K in construction work" published June 10, 2014.
2. "185-unit apartment development to begin construction this fall" published July 17, 2010.
3. "Belle Isle Disc Golf Course opens daily operations after three years of work" published July 10, 2014.
4. "West Corktown: Creating Detroit's newest neighborhood" published June 24, 2014.
5. "Historic Corktown hotel to re-open by summer 2015" published July 22, 2014.
Startup News
What do a strange film about warrior monsters, a property title search firm, a microbrewery, a PR agency, and a florist all have in common? Not much, other than they were all the subjects of our most popular Startup News stories this year so far. Model D's Startup News editor Jon Zemke brought us these popular stories in 2014:
1. "Downtown-based Exxodus Pictures premieres new film, Jinn" published March 25, 2014.
2. "Title Source hires 500, including 100 tech pros" published February 4, 2014.
3. "Windmill Pointe Brewing Co mixes beer, bikes and sustainability" published February 25, 2014.
4. "Lovio George expands in Midtown with 2 new hires" published March 4, 2014.
5. "Fresh Cut Detroit starts to blossom in Woodbridge" published April 29, 2014.
The Future…
There's lots of 2014 left. Keep following Model D to find out what's next for Detroit.
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