HOPE Village Revitalization wants to build a more sustainable and equitable neighborhood. In the wake of COVID-19, that mission has never been more important.
When COVID-19 hit Michigan this year, the Detroit Innovation Fellowship cohort were well placed to support the communities hit hardest. The 23 social innovators involved in the talent development program are proving that their focus on creating sustainable, accessible resources builds the kind of resilience that see communities through a crisis.
In Detroit communities hit hardest by COVID-19, solar power projects provided some relief and continuity of service this year. For engineers and entrepreneurs Ali Dirul and Karanja Famodou, renewable energy is not just about the sustaining the environment, it's about sustaining equity.
COVID-19 setbacks and losses have not been able to diminish the optimism of neighborhood innovator Tammy Black. The Jefferson Chalmers resident is drawing on the strength of her community to sustain plans for the construction of a treehouse community center and advocate for horticultural therapy.
It's not just a design hub that Tanya Saldivar-Ali and her husband, Luis, are building on 18th Street — the Detroit couple is developing a construction pipeline to connect residents with sustainable careers. But it's the cutting-edge technology they are using to tell residents' stories that is capturing international attention.
The importance of a resilient community garden space in Warrendale — and the connection it brings for residents — was thrown into sharp relief against the backdrop of a global pandemic this year.
Juan Shannon set out five years ago to establish a smart neighborhood in Highland Park. With a new solar-powered cafe and expanding urban farming initiative, the developer continues to grow green technology in his community.
It's taken many hands to grow the community garden space in Yorkshire Woods, but the team behind the outdoors space know how important it is, especially during COVID-19, and show no signs of slowing: “In the last five years what we have done is given the community a place to be peaceful."
Avalon Village along with partners Soulardarity and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have launched a crowdfunding campaign to install five solar-powered streetlights along Avalon Street in Highland Park.
The new partnership aims to identify buildings that have low rents due to the poor physical conditions of the buildings. It will then work to help find financing for renovations yet offset the costs with programs that maintain affordability and prevent displacement.
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