Near East Side

Detroit has long espoused the idea that its urban core could be designed in such a way as to allow the integration of affluent, working class, and low income people within a few blocks of each other. Immediately east of Lafayette Park reside people whose household incomes are lower than Lafayette Park, but the 1960s modern feel of the area offers a seamless flow to the historic Villages. Here, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elmwood, and other residential communities offer quality urban living with the same proximity to Eastern Market, downtown, and the riverfront as those in Lafayette Park. Mini-street malls support the needs of residents, from video rentals and fast food outlets to Walgreen’s and CVS drug stores. Close to East Jefferson’s retail strip, yet a few streets removed from the hustle bustle. Looking beyond this corner of the Near Eastside, north to 1-94 and east to McClellan, you have an area that is being redefined and redeveloped by grassroots organization trying to preserve what hasn’t been lost and build a new community in its place. To understand the Near Eastside, however, one needs to examine its local assets: schools, churches, neighborhoods, and parks.