Melissa DittmeAmy Green•ernes:

ivic Engagales 0 P

Melisso Dittmer is on orchitect ond ossocioteot Homilton Anderson Associotes (HAA) 0

multidisciplinory design firm bosed in Detroit. Shereceived her Bochelor of Architecture from theIllinois Institute of Technology ond her Moster ofScience in Architecture ond Urbon Design fromColumbio University. Her design projects hovebeen feotured in the publicotions: Constellotions:Constructing Urbon Design Proctices, ConstructingUrbonisms: Design Competitions, ond 'Ploces :Design Observer'. Her orticles on orchitecture,urbon design theory, post industriol strotegies, ondprofessionol proctice hove been published in criticolinternotionol journols Topos, MaNU, ond The Pion.

She is the creotor ond editor of 0 Detroit baseddesign blog, www.roguehoo.com. in addition toco-organizing a bi-monthly design lecture series,lecturesHAA, that focuses on Detroit regenerationstrotegies. Most recently, Melisso has been workingon the Detroit Works Project, a multi-disciplinary,internotionol effort at designing the future of adepapulated, post-industriol city.

As graduate of the Cranbrook Acodemy of Art,Masters of Architecture in 2000, Amy GreenDeines has a diverse design background thot buildson her ocodemic training in industrial design andarchitecture. Amy is an Associate Professor ot theUniversity of Detroit Mercy, School of Architecturewhere she teoches Architecturol Design Studios,Grophic Design, Interior Design, and GraduateSeminors. Ms. Deines has presented her work andlectured numerous times at various universities ondconferences. Amy is 0 professionol designer withexperience in both the public and private sectors.She has been involved in numerous prototypicalprojects thot hove been awarded four United StotesPotents involving technology ond customizotion.

Ms. Deines received a university supported gront titled"Reclamotion and Re-use of Moteriols Salvaged:The Demolition of 3,000 Homes in Detroit involvingthe repurposing and categorization of recloimedmoteriols from post-industrial londscopes. Mostrecently, Amy contributed ond acted os guest editorfor the journol entitled, The Plan, Urban Developmentpublished in Milan, Itoly, December 2010.

Ieblic Exchange

38 04052 0546680 082

0968 110

_,CS are on the City of Detroit, and for good reason. Situated within therury, where the complexity of issues facing urban society is such that

;d::::i:ians, clients, and community boards are increasingly under prepared ing priorities for making healthy cities, it is fundamental for city officials and

re thinkers to develop collaborative strategies to engage the stakeholders of~.as well as the youth and recent college graduates.

rrac Detroit's trajectory over the last fifty years by any standard metric is to-r a city in decline. Once a city that was home to 1,850,000 citizens in the

_ -.: '5, Detroit currently suffers from population loss, poor public schools, poverty,me, infrastructural failure, racial tension, and political corruption that often

=-~ the headlines of both local and international press. Punctuated by the mostrelease of census data, Detroit has lost yet another 25% of its population

over the past decade; the city is balanced on the precipice of total erasure. Thispaper will attempt to evaluate civic exchange as a means to design a new urbanstrategy. Additionally, it will look at the way in which our academic modelsprepare or under prepare future thinkers to engage the public in an active waywith measurable outcomes. The strong convictions concerning the significanceof public exchange and the impact of outside forces are the common threadthroughout this paper. At some point within a crisis concerning a city like Detroit,the stakeholders from all directions must evaluate its effectiveness and relevance.For example, college education and the academic experience must engage a largermilieu than that of the insular walls of the academy. Additionally, the way inwhich the city administration reaches out to the public must be evaluated andrefilled based on the current needs.

The recently started "Detroit Works Project" [http:! / detroitworksproject.corn]demonstrates the importance of this single moment in time. As a comprehensive"framework plan" for the city, the project is being developed collectively bylocal and national consultants, I as well as city leadership, supporting agencies,and representative citizens. From detailed demographic analyses, infrastructurediagrams, economic models, and health statistics, it is incumbent upon the projectteam to develop a rigorous, evidence-based methodology for the development ofthe plan. This is important for the plan's functionality and implementation, butalso for ensuring confidence with citizens, policy makers, and investors.

At the same time, the team is engaged in a multifaceted civic engagement researcheffort to understand the salient perspectives that will help to shape the plan. Theseinsights are critical to the plan's development, and they must address the diverseperceptions within the city, as well as those outside. Quite often such prevailingpositions are motivated by specific issues, especially those that may be contested.For these reasons, the "Detroit Works" civic engagement process is sequential andcorresponds to the data and opinions collected from its participants throughoutthe project's multiple phases:

1. Listening, Learning and Analysis2. Making Tough Choices3. Choosing a Strategic Direction4. Plan Adoption.

12

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

troit

:::J ulation

2000 2010 Change Percent

otal 951270 713777 -237493 -25

ite 99921 55604 -44317 -44.4

Black 771966 586573 -185393 -24

Asian 9135 7436 -1699 -18.6

Other 4417 3003 -1414 -32

ispanic 47167 48679 1512 3.2

acial, ethnic and age demographics

2000 percent 2010 percent Change

White 10.5 7.8 -2.7

Black 81.2 82.2 1

Asian 1 1 0

Other 0.5 0.4 -0.1

Hispanic 5 6.8 1.8

Over 18 68.9 73.3 4.4

Source: Detroit News, March 22. 2011

DICHOTOMY 17

Other cities in recent times have also looked to civic engagement as a way tocollaborate with the public with some success. Youngstown, Ohio is a small,former steel-belt city, which has seen disinvestment, a shrinking population,vacancy, lack of diversity in it's population, and blight. Youngtown leadershiphas engaged the community and has created a drastic plan to turn the cityaround by accepting the existing scenario and reacting in a responsiblemanner. This city has embraced shrinking as a strategy in collaboration withits residents.

Some experts have speculated that strengthening the educational landscapein Detroit will tremendously help with future strategies. Detroit, like othershrinking post-industrial cities, has also experienced 'brain drain'. Detroit hasseven Universities within its city limits. These quality institutions producethousands of graduates each year. Only a fraction stays to root, invest, andlive in Detroit and this creates a population that lacks diversity in race, age,and educational backgrounds. Recently, Detroit has reached out to the existingpopulation to obtain and gather opinions, suggestions, and concerns aboutthe city and its future. A variety of programs are offered as incentives forgraduates to stay in the city. For example, start up money is offered for smallbusiness incubators through a variety of universities located in Metro Detroit.Additionally, social organizations are becoming introduced that frame Detroitas a city to 'play and live' in. The formation of many of these initiatives iscollaboration and the exchange of ideas. This exchange happens at the scaleof the city administration, the citizens of Detroit, and the local universitiesand businesses collaborating with its young educated graduates so that theywill stay, invest, and live. The key to any healthy American city is found inembracing civic engagement as a planning strategy, reaching out to the youththat are currently living in the city and retaining college graduates. These threeingredients speak to a brighter future and allows for positive public investmentand security that sustains healthy, rich environments. If we do not engagestudents during their academic years and acquaint them with the city ofDetroit, they may not feel responsible to stay.

Many perspectives, interviews, stories, and narratives recently surround the Cityof Detroit and its status. The interviews included in this piece offer perspectivesfrom the ground floor of the city and speak to the significance of civic engagement,retaining the youth, education, and optimism as it relates to the future of Detroit.

14

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

The following interviews were conducted with two of the most relevant womanin Detroit who are organizing and coordinating both the entirety of the "DetroitWorks" project and the civic engagement process. The first interview questionedToni Griffin, an Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Harvard's GraduateSchool of Design. Toni has committed to serve as the Co-Project Director forthe Detroit Works Project. The second interview questioned Karla Henderson,Group Executive Planner and Facilitator for the City of Detroit. Karla worksdirectly with the Office of Mayor Dave Bing. Both interviews covered a multitudeof topics, ranging from vacancy, depopulation trends, repopulation strategies,new visions for the future, and many others. Moreover, while there were manycommonalities between the two discussions, a single theme emerged - the extremeimportance of civic engagement in Detroit's evolution.

As witnessed in the following interviews, the implementation of a place-specificcivic engagement process is crucial in the development for a healthy, self-sustainingnew American City, such as Detroit.

The following interviews were recently published inThe Plan Milan I Detroit, Dense, Rarefied 047 [12-2010]THE PLAN - Architecture & Urban Designvia del Pratello 8 - 40122 Bologna, ItalyT +39 051 227634 I F +39 051 220099

Interview 1:Toni L. GriffinUrban Planning and Design for the American City52 West 120th Street, #4New York, New York 10027Conducted by Amy Green Deines, AlA Associate

DElNES: What isyour current role in Detroit?

GRIFFIN: I am serving as the Co-Project Director for the Detroit Works Project.Detroit Works involves a 12-18 month planning process with following keyobjectives:

• Articulate a shared vision for the future of Detroit at the scale of the region, cityand neighborhoods• Set near term priorities and actions that affect neighborhood stability such as the

DICHOTOMY 17

Public Works Forums, Photos: Detroit Free Press

16

elimination of blight and opportunities forjob creation .• Build a framework and strategic directionfor coordinating public and privateinvestments throughout the city.•Implement a process for both inclusivecitizen engagement and interagencycoordination.

Detroit Works also includes an effortto examine the city's operational andadministrative systems and proposestrategies for how they can be reformedto efficiently support both the currentchallenges as well as the future vision forthe city.

The transformation of a city like Detroitreally does require a shared vision amongstall of those sectors because each will playarole in implementation. We believe that totake on this challenge all the stakeholdersmust be active participants in the process.We have established an advisory task forcethat includes residents, businesses, civicand faith-based leaders, nonprofits andphilanthropy. We have also created aninteragency task force inclusive of city andregional operations and policy departments.We have designed an architecture of civicengagement that includes a diverse set oftools that create multiple ways to interactwith stakeholders. This includes facilitatingboth small and large scale public meetings,creating tools and events that promoteplanning awareness, and establishing aproject website, detroitworksproject.com,

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

.:.- allow people to obtain information, provide comments and ultimately- _~:' e in real-time discussions. In this way, all sectors will have a shared

JA~s'm-p in the plan and we envision that the plan will create specific roles for allublic and private, to have an active role in executing the vision.

~S: What was the result in terms of public contribution during the first Detroitdiscussions ?

: Public safety was and is a large concern, but residents also talked aboutportance of community stewardship. A number of people every night would

ut what they were doing with their block club. They recognized that the.- could not support all their maintenance issues. Many residents shared stories

- g care of vacant lots on their street in partnership with their neighbors.- me of the audience participants challenged other citizens to do the same thing.

le also talked about how they want to see a repurposing of the abandoned- idential stock, for example, how can we take houses that have the potential for

ilitation and provide those people who are in less desirable conditions a new__ rrunity.

~S: What are the citizens of Detroit mostly concerned about?

GRIFFlN: It has been a long time since this community has been asked to look~ mprehensively at itself. It is a city not unlike other U.S. major urban centers that- -e a similar history, where people were forced to move when freeways plowedzarough their communities. Many of these cities, particularly those that have been5sinvested for so long, have scars and wounds from the past, but fresh memorieso the civic disruption. This community has lost confidence in its local governmentand so issues related to what is going to happen with vacant land makes peoplefearful. They fear that they will be forced to move again and they fear that partsof the city are going to be sold off to different municipalities. We are entering this

rocess knowing that people are fearful of the future, fearful of what will happen toe assets that they have claimed, in terms of their house and their property, They

are concerned about whether or not they can trust their government to work intheir best interest. When you design a process, given the communities' sentimentconcerning their city, you have to allow people to vent. Also, you have to establishtrust and transparency before you can get to a place where you can talk about therough issues and choices to move the city forward. We envision there will be a

DICHOTOMY 17

whole range of different types of meetings that will have to occur. Some will haveto be focused on planning awareness, efforts that introduce people to the basicconcepts of the planning and implementation process. The recent five communityforums where over 4500 people attended were intended to' connect people withtheir government. Participation was very strong and people appreciated havingsome connection to the new administration.

DEINES: Can you talk about the civic engagement process and how it relates to Detroit asa shrinking city?

GRIFFIN: Iquestion calling Detroit a uniquely shrinking city and I find the wayin which the profession is latching on to this term quite interesting. If you look atthe population of most of our urban cities, populations have has been decliningfor about 50 years. Most of the shrinkage has occurred because of the land use andtransportation policies that ultimately promoted sprawl. It is being exacerbatedbecause of the collapse of the economy in the last couple of years, the mortgageforeclosure crisis, and cities ending up with large portfolios of land assets that theycan no longer maintain. There are cities that are similar to Detroit that are also atthis crisis asking how do we reposition and realign government structures and citysystems to deal with this type of land condition. These cities are not changing thepolitical boundaries based on shrinking population. When we finish this process,Detroit will still consist of 139 square miles. We are designing a long-term planthat deals the maintenance of land and retooling of city systems in the near termand the repurposing of land for future needs.

DEINES: Arts and culture in the city of Detroit has been instrumental in cultural growth,evolving ideas into realities. How can the administration utilize and cultivate this strongasset in our city?

GRIFFIN: We are engaging such groups, currently looking at where these typesof activities land spatially in the city, and how we can build on them. The artscene is a sub-culture that is growing, and has much excitement surrounding it.We want to tap into it. The grass roots initiatives should continue, and we want tounderstand how the collection of small ideas might become a big idea when youadd them all up. We have been spending time gaining an understanding of whatthese initiatives are, where they are, and how to support them.

18

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

mr"iB: tI{J)' has the city administration engagedyouth in the regeneration of the city? How can- _::he city (and suburbs) take a larger role in Detroit's urban renewal?

e have not engaged the youth enough. We have some young adults in theirer advisory board and we had a number of children attending our smaller scale

Ne are very excited about the idea of going to local schools and engaging theeficiaries of our planning efforts. One thing I like to bring into the planning

.=:!~::sa:i'on is the question: "who is the city for?" Certainly over the next year, we arein conversations with people who currently use the city. However, in many

are planning for people who are not here today, were planning for the 10 year. 20 years will be 30. We have to put ourselves in this mind set. Yes, we want to

-= youth is this conversation because we are planning the city for them. The planning-= are doing is really for the next generation.

_a1ri~w with Karla HendersonDetroit - Gronp Executive Planning and Facilities

of Mayor Dave Bing"-_u.uJlAC Towers, Suite 2300

Oettoiit., Michigan 48226o...tlld:e,d by Amy Green Deines, AlA Associate

lES: What type of active language is being used to describe the future physical landscape- -., it is defined and manipulated? Is the current "Detroit Works" project being utilized as a

L~-r-_-.-rl'ing"effort? Has this process been intentionally publicized on multiple geographical scales to_i;Detroit's reputation?

ODERSON: Others have speculated on the idea of urban villages; our position is not to--' or refer to the city as something specific because we are not to that point. However,cerm that keeps being used by this administration, as it relates to the future of the city,

rposing' of land and place. We are not using terms such as resizing or shrinkageSlZWg.

illS: How does this "Detroit Works" community engagement process differ from the previous- plan processes?

lDERSON: This process is unique; it is adapted as we move forward. We respond- e voices of the citizens of the city. It also embraces the reality we face, without

DICHOTOMY 17

being overwhelmed by it. Previous effortswere focused on making Detroit the samecity it used to be. Through this effort, weunderstand Detroit will never be the samecity it was in 1950. The difference for thisadministration is that we are not paralyzedby that fact. Detroit can be a great city in

the 21st century, leading a new wave ofurban renewal.

DEINES: Please talk about the youthinvolvement in the regeneration of Detroit.

o::.~OT::;0:: '-'D F'"'\lC-V• - hI"-

• N'..,F.

• ,'Sf,\

Source: Detroit Interrupted, Toni Griffin and Andrea Hansen, Harvard GSD, Spring 201 1

20

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

HENDERSON: Recently, Mayor Bing held a youth summit and actively engagedose who attended. One of the main topics dealt with the educational system in

Detroit. We know that if we do not fix our educational system our youth will note an opportunity to become successful, productive citizens. The mayor stated

- at we have to be open to other models. In those arenas where we are successful,'e need to be supportive and duplicate them, whether they are in public, private,arochial or charter schools.

* refer to data on page 12 for the most current census dote.

six years, the population of Detroit Public Schools [DPS} has decreased by·0%. The lack of quality education in Detroit is one of the factors that put the cityin the difficult position we're facing today. People are voting with their feet, letpeople have a say of what the school district looks like. We are working with ouryouth because we realize they are the future of our city.

DEINES: Detroit is a segregatedcity. What is the administration doing to try to introducediversity? Are there any tangible incentives to bring people back into the city?

HENDERSON: We are focused on stopping the citizens who are leaving. Tryingo plug the population loss is one of our first priorities.

One of the things we realize, as Detroiters, is that we are not very welcoming.We are very proud people in terms of accepting outsiders; I think we have tounderstand that. We have to embrace people who were not born and raised here.We have to embrace the fact that some people who choose to relocate to Detroitmay have positive/negative opinions about the city. We need to change the cultureregarding this issue. The 2010 census indicated that the white population increasedfrom 8.3% to 13.9% for the first time in 60 years.* This is very exciting and speaksdirectly to younger residents moving into the city, of all backgrounds. We need toembrace what new populations can bring to the city, without taking away fromwhat makes Detroit a unique place.

DEINES: Obviously, education is the most critical issue that the city isfacing, despite theneed to address demolition, land use, vacancy, and the void. We need to engage our youthand offer them a staie-cf-the-art education and community.

DICHOTOMY 17

HENDERSON: The Detroit Works Project has taken on a life of its own.Everyone is rallying around us and we have so much enthusiasm and excitementsurrounding this process. Numerous foundations have been extremely generous.The Obama administration is very supportive of Detroit and its future. We havesupport from the US. Department of Housing and Development [HUDj that isassisting us to recreate incentives for the citizens of Detroit. The mayor says "weneed to 'move the needle' - we saw where status quo has gotten us; we need to getout there and try new things."

We need to permeate this attitude to the culture of all city departments. I recommitmyself to the city and this process everyday. I choose to have a positive effect onthose around.

DEINES: Can Detroit become a prototype of a new Post-Industrial City based on theadministration's process of civic engagement? Have you been approached by any other cityadministration concerning our process of planning?

HENDERSON: Everyone is watching us at this point. I was approached by thecity of Houston who is interested in modeling our demolition plan. Everyoneis fascinated the civic engagement process. Because of a leadership void, thepeople elected Mayor Bing to lead them out of this crisis. There is so muchpositive energy surrounding this process. Community forums were conducted andwe underestimated the amount of citizen participation. We feel this is a goodproblem to have. We responded to the people by reformatting the program and thecontent of the next forum. They were not ready to discuss what Detroit looks likein 2030, they needed to talk about their issues. We are a different administrationin many ways, specifically we listen and respond. Each meeting was more andmore successful in receiving input from the people of Detroit. We put a lot of thekey directors and chiefs in the sessions with us. We had the Chief of Police, theFire Commissioner, Public Lighting official. When individuals had questions wecould refer them directly to the leadership in that particular area. We found alsothat the younger generation wanted to talk about the future of the city while someof the mature residents wanted to talk about what was wrong with Detroit. Atany rate, the next 40 meetings will be catered to allow all voices to be heard anddocumented.

22

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

".: ~,rif:i~:~\1.~.: , .

..~~.~~:..-,

The desire to include citizen engagement in the process of defining and implementation of the newvision of Detroit is high priority. One of Mayor Bing's first priorities centers on demolishing 3,000abandoned homes within Detroit this year. These demolitions have already started. The residentscan visually see the action taken by the new administration of the city. Removing the blight is amajor strategy of the Mayor to win back the trust of Detroit's residents. Image credit, A.Deines

DICHOTOMY 17

DEINES: The city's current administration has begun an impressive campaign of thedemolition of 3, 000 vacant, dangerous structures per year. Can the way in which demolitionisplanned become strategic, concerning open /green spaces in the city? Is the city consideringa parallel deconstruction or architectural reclamation program?

HENDERSON: Detroit is engaging a process of design; frankly, there is a planningfatigue. Detroiters are tired of hearing what the city should be and want to seeaction. We know that implementation has to go hand-in-hand with this plan. Themayor, Dave Bing, has made it clear to us that while we are having this discussion,things need to occur. People need to see a physical change, and probably oneof our top visual changes is our current demolition plan that directly affects theneighborhood and its residents.

We have been approached by several organizations, not only about deconstructionbut also about machines that are designed specifically to sort demolition debris.This year we said 3,000 homes will be demolished; once we said that we madea commitment to achieve this by year-end. We have some parties interested indemolition and the city is ready and willing to partner with demolition contractorsto ensure materials are recycled and not end up in a landfill. The city is not preparedor interested in managing the business of the end use of materials, but is readyto collaborate with demolition contractors and those interested in developing areclamation center to deal with materials. The city is also aware that this has thepotential for jobs in the city and is willing to support this effort. This venture wouldbe considered a new business that would fall under a public/private partnership.The premium is too high currently for deconstruction with costs ranging from$7,000 - $20,000 to deconstruct a home, and the urgency to tear down 3,000homes is greater at this point, although we understand and fully agree with all ofthe environmental benefits of recycling. We want to get to the point where we arenot in the demolition business; but prior to dealing with the excess of land andvoid, we must remove the blight. This is the moment that removal of the blight isa signifier of progress. The removal is taking place in the neighborhoods wherepeople are living. The removal of the Michigan Central Train Station is equivalentto 3,000 homes. The city is concerned with creating safer neighborhoods as a highpriority, especially where children are living in the city.

Demolition in the past was not handled strategically. When we began the processof mapping the demolitions, you clearly saw various clusters beginning to form. In

24

••••••lar .•Ie ,z~ :,~e-::lJring high amo unts- :e the weakest housingen of violent crimes

- - used on those areas tobegin the demolition

does Detroit look like In

.BlD~SOI~-· We will have strongerby repopulation and

- e structures within them.l•.e will have some newcurrent vacant land, but

..ID.l;cll:';'..:uJdywe'll have a broad plan_ going to do with the vacant'" ing to take a long time, but

establis h where we want to focusinvestment, we can beginspeculate reprogramming

land. Our goal is to create._b:loxx:[s where people want to live,

amenities you would want in:Je:~bo.rhood. It is not an easy task,

lL"1:c~iliy:Detroit will be a place where_~c::21s vant to relocate because of the

ge and unique opportunities.goes for business attraction. The. rks Project will help us deliver

more efficiently, includingery, which plays a large roleg jobs and investment back to

improvements are needed in- :ransportation. The first steps are

eing taken. An environmental

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Public Works Forums, Photo Top: Detroit Free Press,Photo Bottom © Morvin Shaouni Photogrophy

DICHOTOMY 17

Images at UDM exhibition with Professor Deinesstudio UDM/SOA, Professor Griffin and HonsenHorvard GSD, Professor Dewer and ThomasUniversity of Michigan.

26

study is taking place right now to evaluatethe feasibility of a new light rail. We arespeculating that there will be a light railfrom Jefferson to Eight Mile Road. A $25million dollar commitment was made fromthe Department of Transportation [DOT]and millions of additional dollars ofsupport from the Kresge Foundation, FordFoundation, and others. We are looking atEuropean cities for additional models.

ConclusionIn support of the Detroit Works Project,local universities have become involved ina type of civic engagement that has resultedin academic and intellectual investment.Recently, the University of DetroitMercy School of Architecture hostedProfessor Toni Griffin and her HarvardGraduate School of Design studio, aswell as studio Professors Margaret Dewerand June Thomas from the Universityof Michigan's School of Architecture.In a full day event, nearly 60 academicspresented their research, design concepts,and proposed directions for the city ofDetroit. Members of the city government,Detroit Works project team, and concernedcitizens voluntarily participated in thepublic exchange, suggesting that the cross-pollination of academic and professionaldiscourse is essential to the development ofa successful civic engagement process. Thistype of event proved the relevance that sucha program has on a student living within acity such as Detroit. Most of the studentsinvolved have seen a new side of Detroit and

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

_ _ - feel convicted to have critical discussions about the future. Common to:..•...J'-' .-.••ce professional and academic model, public exchange requires the facilitation

ternal and external opinions. College education in general must engage5~ milieu than the traditional model. Students should be encouraged to step

~._~~";""0 their personal process within the academy and argue a critical public?J!5li.J:"u~.il in the city. Based on wide exposure, broad experiences, and a variety of

-. " es, it is our belief that students who are taught and practice this model." exchange have a stronger understanding of the ever-changing economic,ical and cultural situations, which are increasingly influential in the processes

hitecture and urban design and the health of our American cities.

DICHOTOMY 17