Detroit Innovation is a series highlighting community-led projects that are improving the vitality of neighborhoods in Detroit, while recognizing the potential of residents to work with partners to solve the most pressing challenges facing their communities.
The series is supported by the New Economy Initiative, a project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan that's working to create an inclusive, innovative regional culture.
Joe Robinson and his company APX Management have helped raise the profile of some of Detroit's most recognized hip-hop artists. And they’ve also begun giving back to the community in innovative ways.
As a teenager, Benito "Mav-One" Vasquez found refuge in hip-hop culture, transforming himself into a b-boy. Now he's bringing it to the kids in his southwest Detroit neighborhood.
The fire-ravaged and neglected buildings encountered by Detroit firefighter Gary Ringer have become an unlikely source of inspiration.
Model D explores Detroiter Ron Matten's ambitious retirement project: Reimagining his neighborhood.
Fatou-Seydi Sarr hopes to bridge the resource and information access gap by increasing the visibility of Detroit's black and African immigrants.
Once a stable for Detroit police horses, this Rouge Park center now educates the public about the legacy of African-American servicemen known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Two med school programs are helping students see past stereotypes by treating the homeless. In the process, the students themselves are engaging in a form of back-to-basics medicine that puts patients first.
Juan Carlos Dueweke-Perez started Featherstone Moments, a marketing company, to close the gap in minority business ownership by helping people of color attain resources and capital.
Being completely snowed in is a common problem for seniors in Detroit. That's why the city launched The Detroit Snow Team, a volunteer effort to help seniors and the disabled with winter weather.
Daniel Washington, 25, founded Original Creativity in 2017 to help revitalize his home neighborhood of NW Goldberg, an area that's been heavily disinvested over the years but sees change from development on the horizon.
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