Videos

For the past three years, Urban Innovation Exchange has been following hundreds of small projects making a big impact in Detroit. We have covered everyone from corporate executives working to create stronger communities to grassroots organizers galvanizing people on the streets. They've ranged from tech start-ups to restaurateurs, spiritual leaders to youth advocates, artists to ambassadors. Three years and some 300 people later and we can say: this is the face of Detroit innovation. Video by DETROIT LIVES!read on…

We all know innovation is crucial to solving our community's toughest social issues—public transportation, urban poverty, and more. But today's urban impact entrepreneurs are faced with a catch-22: investors demand results before deploying capital, yet entrepreneurs lack the funding to produce early results. So how do we change the dynamic? And how can we provide early stage social entrepreneurs the capital they need to fix our cities? Clara Brenner, co-founder and CEO of Tumml, a San Francisco-based nonprofit urban ventures accelerator, tackles these topics in a recent talk at TEDxSanAntonio.   read on…

NEIdeas: Rewarding Ideas for Business Growth launched in May by asking existing businesses (those that are at least three years old, i.e. non-startups) in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park a simple question: "What's your best idea for growth?" Nearly 600 loval businesses applied, of which thirty were selected by a jury to receive $10,000 each. Meet the winners in this video by Detroit Lives!  read on…

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presents the Knight Cities Challenge, seeking new ideas that make the 26 communities where Knight invests more vibrant places to live and work. The challenge is offering $5 million for innovative projects that answer the question: What’s your best idea to make cities more successful? Carol Coletta, Knight Foundation vice president, introduces the Knight Cities Challenge in this short video. Hurry, entries are due in by November 14!   read on…

Wallace Detroit Guitars uses reclaimed wood from abandoned houses in Detroit to make electric guitar bodies. The instruments emphasize the heritage of Detroit and build on the city's musical legacy. Video by Milk Products Media.   read on…

After all the talk of Detroit becoming a hotbed of innovation and inspiration, the first-ever #UIXDET conference set out to show it during a three-day large-scale idea exchange featuring innovators from across the country. See for yourself! Video by Iron Coast Video. read on…

With more than 30 design happenings, 500 designers, and 25,000 attendees, the Detroit Design Festival celebrates Detroit’s role as a global center of design and creativity. Concentrated in Detroit’s Creative Corridor and various neighborhoods throughout the city, events and installations will showcase Detroit’s cutting-edge design with the rest of the world. ?Video by Detroit Design Festival. read on…

For the last 3 years, UIX has been documenting the growing movement of artists, makers, entrepreneurs and innovators leading creative neighborhood transformation in Detroit. In this look back, photographer Doug Coombe shares some of the people, projects & places he has captured along the way. Want the full experience? Join us at #UIXDET Sept 24-26, 2014 in Detroit. Music: "Baptism" by Passalacqua, off their new album CHURCH. read on…

Detroit's scrappy, resilient DIY mentality is perhaps most evident in its burgeoning food scene - one filled with fluorishing urban farms, trendy bars and restaurants, artisan food start-ups, and pop-ups aplenty. (revolver) in Hamtramck is a pop-up that doesn't pop back down. A combination supper club and social experiment, (revolver) features a rotating host of chefs that changes each week, from home cooks looking to launch their own concept to seasoned professionals of national note looking to do something different and have a little bit of fun. Co-owners Peter Dalinowski and Tunde Wey discuss their concept and why so many people are drawn to it. Video by DETROIT LIVES! read on…

Interested in Detroit creativity and innovation? September is the time to dive in. Join us for Detroit Design Festival (September 23-28), Urban Innovation Exchange (September 24-26), Dlectricity (September 26-27), and Meeting of the Minds (September 30-October 2). For more info, visit http://UIXDetroit.com/events. Video by DLECTRICITY. read on…

Detroit is facing enormous challenges with an abundance of vacant and abandoned buildings in the city. Demolition is a necessary part of moving the city forward, but Detroit can't just demo its way to revitalization. Here, individuals on the ground in Detroit show that through strategic preservation and rehabilitation of commercial and residential structures, you can change the dynamic one building at a time and demonstrate that just because it's vacant, doesn't mean it's blighted. Video by Michigan Historic Preservation Network.read on…

Dan Carmody, President of Eastern Market Corporation, discusses the importance of Eastern Market to the city and the region and why it's about more than just food. Video by DETROIT LIVES! read on…

Athletics. Academics. Community. Family. The Downtown Boxing Gym has helped so many. It could help so many more. Video by 4exit4. read on…

Dan Kinkead, director of projects of the Detroit Future City (DFC) Implementation Office, discusses the future of Detroit Future City and how his team is taking the next steps from strategic framework study to physical implementation. Video by DETROIT LIVES! read on…

ACCESS Growth Center assists immigrant entrepreneurs in making Metro Detroit more than a place of residence -- but rather a place they can call home.read on…