They say plant a seed and things will start to blossom. That’s exactly what Barb and Joe Matney did in their Warrendale neighborhood. The far west section of Detroit that lies only four blocks from the border of Dearborn has not been the safest place in years past. Abandoned houses on many blocks didn’t help, […]
Jefferson East Executive Director Joshua Elling sits at the helm of an organization that is taking the lead in redevelopment on Detroit’s east side. Many east side Detroit residents know that growth is coming to their neighborhoods. One unbridled advocate of that growth is Jefferson East, Inc., or JEI, an organization not only heavily involved […]
It was the late Eighties, and the neighborhood just to the south of where John George lives in Old Redford was feeling the pinch of the crack epidemic. “We didn’t want to be part of an expanding problem but part of a solution,” he says. It came a little too close to home – literally […]
Fixers. The city of Detroit is loaded with them. Ask any city resident to tell you about a person or group that’s changing their neighborhood and you’ll quickly discover that there is a lot more activity going on than makes the headlines. Without much fanfare and, oft times, less than adequate support, these change agents […]
When it comes to rebuilding Detroit, many groups in the Motor City have been happy to dig right in and get things done. A drive down one of the city’s major arteries reveals new shops, restaurants, condominiums and apartment buildings, a visual delight for residents inside the city border and beyond. Parts of Woodward, Livernois, […]
There is no shortage of residents willing to dig in and improve city neighborhoods, according to ARISE Detroit Executive Director Luther Keith, who reported a record 350 neighborhood improvement efforts took place during a single day alone on August 6, the celebration of his organization’s 10th Annual Neighborhoods Day. It does not stop there, according […]
Brightly colored blossoms will replace concrete cracks and overgrown weeds in lower east side Detroit communities this summer. With support from a $25,000 Kresge Innovative Projects grant in 2015, the technical assistance provider, published, Greenfill Development: A Guide to Repurposing Vacant Lots for Flower Farming Enterprises. The guide outlines two unique business models that will […]
Passing the baton signifies many things – working as a team, establishing bonds, carrying lessons forward. To Dotti Sharp, it also symbolizes leadership transitions, turning neighbors into activists for their neighborhoods. Through her work with Michigan Community Resources (MCR), Sharp recently helped recognize 24 Detroiters at the “Power of One Dedicated Woman” breakfast. The event […]