News

"There’s no city in the history of dance music that’s been mythologized quite like Detroit. And, if today’s offering is any indication, there’s no city in dance music history that’s been as documented as Detroit as well. But hey, that’s all good by us. With new compilations like the one jointly curated by Jimmy Edgar and Derrick May called We Love Detroit about to be released, and Richie Hawtin’s new educational tour, CNTRL: Beyond EDM, afoot, we figured the time was nigh to ply you with some of the D’s greatest hits: the 10—count ‘em, 10!—best documentaries about Detroit techno ever—and they’re all available to watch right here for free."

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"To convey the spirit of his plan to make bicycles in Detroit, Zak Pashak feels a tour is in order. At the wheel of his worn Toyota Prius, the 32-year-old entrepreneur narrates as the sprawl of Detroit unfolds, revealing a city broken but not dead. We pass the obvious blights symptomatic of a long-depressed city: rampant vacancy, overgrown land and lots of people sitting on stoops with nothing to do. But there are also signs of life, including a patch of downtown streets that people have taken to walking again and new businesses spun from an emergent entrepreneurial spirit. Local leaders are hoping these seeds will help to pull the city out of its 40-year funk. It was partly this spirit, partly an 'irrational fascination with Michigan' and partly a need for change that drew Pashak to the Motor City from his hometown of Calgary two years ago."

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CCS student Joe Benghauser conducted a social experiment examining how people will react if public spaces they love are threatened. By hanging a banner over the gate entrance of the former Tiger Stadium falsely announcing a new car dealership to open on the site, he hoped to incite people to action -- namely, to raise money to erect a memorial statue of the Tigers legendary announcer Ernie Harwell. 

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"Each holiday season, Drake Phifer — Facility Rental Manager at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History — and his many coworkers prepare for Noel Night, a holiday-themed venue crawl that draws throngs of people to the Detroit's Midtown district. This year, the holiday spectacular celebrates 40 years of Motor City merriment, and for folks like Phifer, it simply doesn't get much better."

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"Rock Ventures [has announced] that it has bought the 26-floor One Woodward building in downtown Detroit.

"Sports team owner and pizza billionaire Mike Ilitch wants to carve out another slice of downtown Detroit. Officials from Ilitich's Olympia Development company shared plans with state legislators Tuesday to develop a downtown district that would be comprised of residential, retail and office facilities and anchored by 'a new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose events center.'

'The new events center could be home to a new hockey arena thought to be in the works for the Detroit Red Wings."

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"Eight years after it opened its doors to help entrepreneurs, Detroit's TechTown has embarked on a new challenge: revitalizing one of the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods.

'Since August, two of TechTown's staff members -- Derrin Leppek and Ted Jones -- have been meeting with small-business owners in Brightmoor, helping them figure out ways to grow their revenues, overcome obstacles and tap into valuable resources."

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"Wanna be a rock star? Come to Detroit.

'That’s one takeaway a group of Harvard Business School professors had Thursday night during a presentation on their year-long project on U.S. competitiveness."

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"Chrysler has teamed up with Dearborn-based Carhartt for an apparel line to be sold with the 'Imported from Detroit' tagline from the automaker's now-famous 2011 Super Bowl commercial.

'The limited-edition line, including jackets, coats, pants, T-shirts and hats, will debut at the L.A. Auto Show and will be announced today."

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"Over the past few months, more than 200 young leaders from around the country competed for a shot at one of 10 Millennial Impact Grants, each worth $10,000. These community-focused entrepreneurs were part of the first-ever Millennial Impact Challenge, run by IGNITEgood and supported by the Heartfelt Foundation and The Huffington Post. It was a nationwide search for the best public service projects launched and developed by innovators under the age of 30."

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"The Greening of Detroit has received two federal grant from the US Forest Service and are part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which allows the organizations to continue to improve neighborhoods, restore tree canopy, manage stormwater and help the city's youth gain experience in managing natural resources.

'The GLRI is a collaboration between federal, tribal, state and local partners and helps improve the health and long-term sustainability of the world's largest freshwater system.

'The Greening of Detroit received two grants totaling $300,000."

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"As Mode Shift: Move Together reported in late June, the City of Detroit has been working on a new ordinance that would ensure all new road construction projects be constructed for use by more than just automobiles.

'The initiative is called Complete Streets and it's gaining momentum in municipalities and cities across the United States as officials deal with rising gas prices and denser housing developments.

'Detroit's Complete Streets Ordinance, which has been under review and in revision since late 2011, is starting to make real headway with the mayor's office and community stakeholders."

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"About five years ago there was a coffee house in the Lafayette Park shopping plaza on the corner of E. Lafayette and Orleans. It was called Paris Café and it featured stale coffee and puck-like bagels that could break car windows, but at least it was THERE. And then it closed.

'Since then that same shopping plaza has seen a lot of turnaround. The space that was once the café became a short-lived barbecue joint; it is now a Metro PCS retail outlet. Restaurants and nightclubs have come and gone. A first attempt at a grocery store failed, but a second attempt, Lafayette Foods, seems to be doing well. But still no coffee shop.

'Enter Jordi Carbonell."

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"When Detroit Labs co-founder Nathan Hughes recruits employees for his mobile and web app development company, he often faces resistance about the company's location. 

"Erica Raleigh is the Assistant Director of Projects at Data Driven Detroit (D3). She helped conduct a residential parcel survey of Detroit and is currently leading D3’s technical assistance to the Woodward Corridor Initiative. She received her master’s degree in Urban Planning from Wayne State University in 2011; her thesis explored the relationship between crime and vacant, open, and dangerous housing."

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