Matt Clayson, director of the Detroit Creative Corridor Center, the organization we have been developing the Speakers Bureau content for, is currently spending time in Algiers, Algeria with the U.S. Department of State and the Aspen Institute as part of a delegation effort to help Algiers define and develop its creative sector. Clayson penned a post for the Detroit Regional News Hub that has some interesting observations in it, mostly because the issues they are trying to overcome in Algiers are things that we are working on here in Detroit.

From the post:

A discussion amongst leaders in Algiers’ creative community consumed most of the day. Our role was to listen and to share limited feedback, when appropriate.
The discussion covered three core areas of need as identified by our Algerian hosts: the need for government support, the need for funding and the need for a unified advocacy organization.

Rings familiar, eh? Sounds like some of the kinds of efforts drummed up months ago during the arts summit as part of the Detroit Works Project. This summit asked many questions around how our local government can be a part of fostering development from the creative sector. Their were a multitude of proposed solutions– public officials embracing the arts as part of Detroit’s external image or opening up some of the 60,000+ publicly-owned buildings to artists and small businesses. Other solutions hovered around the third point in Clayson’s observation, that is, having a unified advocacy group that advised the mayor’s office on policy catering to the creative sector.

More from Clayson:

[In Algiers] the educational infrastructure for the creative sector is inadequate implicitly forcing many wanting to pursue careers and practices in the creative sector to study overseas. The result … a predictable brain drain.

Again, something familiar. What’s interesting though, in our case, is that we have the educational infrastructure, we have a ton of it in fact. This presents a great deal of light at the end of the tunnel in the sense that our infrastructure is sound, now we just need to a better job of creating enterprise and opportunity. In other words, we aren’t starting from scratch, we just need to learn how to bridge the gap from graduation to employment.

Anyway, it’s interesting as we delve further in to dialogue about Detroit and other places around the world going through similar growth struggles. We are obviously big fans of this trans-continental exchange, trying to contribute in this realm with our upcoming documentary release After the Factory. With so many cities confronting similar issues in the face of large-scale globalization and economic re-tooling, can’t we make the transition process easier by learning how to work together/share ideas more effectively?

The two featured cities in our upcoming documentary release, After the Factory, have been prominently placed in two recent “2012″ lists worth noting.

First, Lodz was featured in the New York Times’ “45 Places to go in 2012” feature. It made it in at number 43, with a sub-headline reading “The Hollywood of Poland reclaims its industrial past.” Lodz gets touted as an up-and-comer via its innovative use of old factory shells for new developments– namely a studio being built by famed director David Lynch (who is head over heels for Lodz, by the way), and the Lodz Arts Center, a former textile factory itself that is now an arts incubator. Here’s a secret: The latter and its director are subjects in the film.

Second, Detroit was listed as one of “The Top 10 Emerging Sustainable Cities to Watch in 2012“, which was an interesting choice, especially given absence of the usual suspects: San Fran, Portland, etc. The article’s author Leon Kaye tells the world to nevermind the lack of light rail or our political instability– it’s the people that matter most. And further, it’s the people who are ultimately at the forefront of re-defining the urban and rural landscapes. The piece ends with a basic (and sort of bold with the use of “thrive”) statement: “Watch for urban farming, social enterprise and the creative arts to thrive.” We’ll take it.

So, here’s to the success of our cities, and to the film really. See the trailer if you haven’t already and get your tickets for the premiere at the DIA’s Detroit Film Theatre on Thursday, February 2 at 7pm.

Good morning and good week.

I heard through the grapevine and confirmed it through a blog post that Hatch Detroit participants, the brothers Newman, and their brainchild the Detroit Institute of Bagels, have secured a location for their business. Right next to PJ’s Lager House nonetheless! Soon, we will have our very own (delicious!) bagel shop. Well done, bagel’eers.

(I just noticed that this news was revealed by the Huffington Post yesterday, you can read their detailed account of the announcement here.)

Bagel shops aren’t the only thing making moves around town:

The M1 LightRail gang, mostly foundation and corporale folks, are saying they will push ahead with plans to keep the light rail alive as an addendum to the regional high-speed bus system. Charles Pugh is an outspoken supporter of this. More!

Curbed Detroit, the real estate blog, revealed plans for the ground level restaurants that will occupy the soon-to-be-renovated Broderick Tower. There are three of them. Get the deets here.

And JOBS! Holy smokes, WDET is hiring. Ever dream of being a producer for the Craig Fahle Show? This could be your opportunity. See the job posting, a full-time gig mind you, here.

So, as you’ve heard (Mlive, Free Press, the News), the M1 LightRail plan has been scrapped, and in its place will come a more regional rapid transit bus system. The death of M1, without a doubt, hurts the psyche of this city– yet again citizens see a plan talked about, get behind it even, watch it be promoted and invested in, and then never executed upon. It perpetuates the distrust that many Detroiters already have with organizations of all shapes and sizes in the city. That being said, there is undoubtedly some positive prospects to this. Let’s look at a few things that say maybe this isn’t all that bad.

1) High speed bus lines are doing magnificent things in Cleveland to redevelop their Uptown area. The New York Times wrote an article about the momentum this development is creating, one component of which was a focus on the high speed bus lines they have used. We discussed some components of that conversation here on the blog (check it).

2) The other clean cut success story comes from Bogotá, Colombia– the country that had massive million-dollar plans for an elevated highway system and ended up scrapping that plan for a high speed bus line. I’ve spent time in Bogotá, and let me tell you, the TransMilenio (the name of the line) is actually remarkably efficient, timely, easy to use and pretty slick. Buses have a dedicated lane and station, and quite frankly, it feels just like a rail line would– it just costs a heck of a lot less (an average of $13.5 million per mile while light rail average costs are $34.8 million per mile) and moves on multiple rubber wheels instead of some rail track. Check out this video by Street Films that looks in depth at Bogota’s system.

3) Gary Hustwit, the director that has produced some great documentaries like Objectified and Helvetica, most recently released Urbanized, a film looking at urban planning and the design of cities. Aside from Detroit being included in the film for urban gardening– what was one of the marvelous examples of developments he examined that could lead to the growth of cities? High speed bus lines. So, there is actually some merit to the idea.

A couple things happening right now that point to some momentum, or at least the possibility therein:

First, Tony Goldman revealed that he could be as close to 90 days away from making some investments in the city, with no real details stated about the intended purpose. But let’s step back for a few seconds– this is the guy that bought brownstones in lower Manhattan in the 70s and turned it in to Soho, then later did the same thing in Miami with a collection of art deco buildings transforming it in to what we now know as South Beach. He’s part developmental guru and preservationist, making it very clear that retaining as much of our architectural heritage is important in creating authentic developments today. All of which says whatever plans he has in Detroit could be exciting. We’ll see.

Second, it was announced today that an offshoot of W Hotels– the “Aloft” brand, a part of the Starwood Group– will be opening a hotel in the David Whitney Building, just across from the Broderick Tower, currently getting a facelift itself. This is a big win for preservationists, too. The building itself was the work of Chicago architect Daniel Burnham (his last dying words, “Make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men’s blood”), and will be preserved in all its natural glory for the new development. With some more successes with the financing of the project, the hotel could be open by 2013.

And speaking of old world glory and preservation, go check out Rachel Lutz’s new shop called The Peacock Room, inside the Park Shelton building. She did a really magnificent job unearthing some of the original details and construction of the building itself that were incorporated in to her store (see a photo here). The grand opening was last week with some 500 people showing up. Take a gander after grabbing a crepe at Good Girls or a coffee at 14 East as the Peacock Room is just inside the Park Shelton at the corner of Kirby and Woodward.

There’s some signs of life coming from the mayor’s office with the Detroit Works Project, now being dubbed “Long Term Planning,” probably due in large part to the fact that a lot of community residents have a bad taste in their mouth when the words “Detroit Works” are mentioned. Probably the biggest of the concerns from the public at large was the idea of being forced to relocate to areas in the city where resources were being concentrated. Then there was the lack of “plan” that the mayor’s office had, which they claimed was intentional, but mistrust from the public had them thinking they knew what they wanted to do before they even started and just weren’t talking about it. The mayor’s office then held community meetings throughout the city that turned in to shouting matches. The urban planner Toni Griffin largely leading the project, was rumored to have been fired after she wanted to bring in some outside consultants (as opposed to hiring all Detroiters) to aid in the strategy development. To top it off, the funders of the whole project– the Ford and Kresge Foundation– announced via the Wall Street Journal that they were strongly considering pulling out of the project in large part because of its ineffectiveness. When most thought maybe the project was dead– or at least the squandering of precious resources (about $9 million from Kresge) for a grand opportunity to build anew– three days ago a headline in the Free Press declared “Bing reboots Detroit Works.”

OK. A good sign.

So, Toni Griffin seems to be back and in the saddle. She joins Dan Pitera (professor of architecture at University of Detroit Mercy), as key leaders in the “re-boot.” Both individuals will be the driving forces behind the project. In my eyes, that simple announcement is a very good start– being perfectly clear about the leadership that will champion this project and what they are accountable for. Simple stuff, but it’s been largely ignored in the past.

The clear statement of leadership does not stop there. They have named a 13-member steering committee (to establish well represented long terms strategies) as well as a 15-member process leaders team (taking a strong hand in directing the community engagement process). To top it off, there will be a walk-in office, with a location to be determined, where anyone can come in, ask questions, take surveys, get information, and probably a lot of other things. There are even discussions about developing a mobile app that would pull in residential input for the community engagement process.

These seem to be HUGE steps. Sure, they are all preliminary, and sure there is a lot of follow-through that needs to occur in order to realize a lot of these claims, but even just seeing a more clearly communicated plan and leadership strategy is a sure sign that things are being done differently from when this project started.

Have a listen to Dan Pitera and Toni Griffin on the Craig Fahle show from yesterday’s broadcast here

See more communication from the DWP website here

This past week in the New York Times an article appeared discussing Cleveland’s current movements to re-design and spur some activity in an area of the city called Uptown. The development work involves building a large performing arts center and some tweaks to public transportation. They’ve moved a few stops on a regional transit line to include the new development and they’ve also been investing in a high speed bus line. Initially, there were skeptics to the development, but with an increase in jobs (5,000 to be exact), future planned developments and an increase in the city’s cultural offering, it’s getting a unanimous thumbs up from the public at large.

I was skeptical, thinking there had to be opposition to the development, if only becuase in Detroit it seems there are skeptics for everything. I emailed Terry Schwarz, director of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Her comments:

“This development illustrates a key trait of cities like Cleveland. We’re growing and shrinking at the same time. The Uptown development is a good thing because it leverages some of the city’s strongest assets (like the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western) and reinforces recent infrastructure investments in the city’s light rail and bus rapid transit systems… The model is based on the idea that you find something that’s working and try to grow it with strategic investments of public and private capital. The tax revenues generated by a development of this scale can help spur additional investments elsewhere and stabilize surrounding areas that are still struggling.”

And her parting words, “I haven’t heard much opposition to this project.”

A couple things. First, it seems the “build it and they will come” model is on the up-and-up these days. couple weeks ago we discussed Kansas City and the massive performing arts center they are developing designed by Moshe Safdie. Bilbao has already done it with the Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry. Turin did it as well with the Silent Film Museum. It’ll be interesting to see if this investment bodes well for Cleveland as it did across the Atlantic. And will this be something that Detroit follows suit with? We threw up a handful of casinos in a short amount of time, it seems we could probably manage a cool cultural center. And you know we’ve got enough history and content from our past to fill the walls.

Second, Cleveland’s forward movements are evidence of the virtues of public/private sector partnerships. In Detroit, we are testing such waters with the development of the M1 LightRail, which could possibly be the beginning of such growth in Detroit.

Claire Nelson closing up shop at Bureau was a shock to many, but a sure sign that bigger things were in the works. That news was made public today– Claire Nelson will join Model D as their new publisher. Big news. Read some words from her over at Model D.

Claire’s baby, Open City, the small business-centric event she started years ago with Liz Blondy, ought to be interesting tonight. It discusses local business, ways to support it and raise it up. Or just getting something a movement going. What’s needed now? Larry John, the Woodbridge landlord-visionary will be on the panel– the fellow that also commissioned this DL! mural. 630-8pm at Cliff Bells.

Finally, you should probably read the mega-news article that has been spreading wings all over the country via the LA Times. Author Andrew Bender discusses movements in the city, cool stuff taking foot and why it’s a special place. Good narrative indeed to be spreading from coast to coast. Check it here.

The title of this post is an interpretation of a famous Dr. King quote– “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” He said that in a speech given in St. Louis, Missouri on March 22, 1964. I am reminded of this particular statement as I listen to the ongoing discussion called “Crossing the Lines” on WDET. For the last year, they’ve been deliberately discussing the tough issues, those that we tend to separate ourselves on in Detroit: the race conversations, the insider/outsider-suburbanite-versus-city-dweller arguments, the class issues, the education debates.

The recent hot topic has been the insider versus outsider debate. It all reached a crescendo of sorts last Thursday on the Craig Fahle Show when Council President Charles Pugh, while clearly frustrated with the opinion of a caller who was in favor of an Emergency Financial Manager in Detroit (Pugh has been a very outspoken opponent of an EFM), tried to dismiss the caller’s opinion by asking him the question, “Where do you live?” The man responded that he lived in the New Center area and it came as something of a surprise, where it seemed as though Pugh intended to dismiss the caller’s opinion in favor of the EFM simply because he didn’t know what it was like inside the city. Fahle decided to dwell on it quite a bit as a prime example of the problems we have moving this city forward– the idea that a lot of Detroiters feel that if you aren’t from within the city limits, your opinion doesn’t matter, or you simply have no idea what is good or bad for this city.

I am reminded of the fiasco with Toni Griffin, the Harvard-educated city planner that was hired to be a large part of the Detroit Works Project, a political reform process coming from the Mayor’s office paid for by the Kresge Foundation. Griffin was hired in based on her work in Newark, New Jersey and a wealth of experience dealing with similar issues that Detroit faces. In getting the planning process initiated, she wanted to hire in outside consultants (presumably from geographies outside of Detroit) that would aid in the process of reform. On the heels of that request, she was told “that’s not how we do it in Detroit,” that is, getting a bunch of outsiders to come in and help with an internal process. Since then, and this was around March of this year, it’s been largely rumored she was fired. The mayor’s office won’t comment other than the fact that she may be on hiatus. And that’s that.

The question becomes how valuable outsider insight is to the city. Given that Detroit is a very unique place, dense with circumstances of its own, it makes sense that insiders should play an integral role in the reform process, but it certainly seems unhealthy and detrimental to not seek any outside involvement. Seems disastrous in fact.

As a city in general, it’s an issue we constantly discuss. What will break down these barriers? What will finally make us realize that our hardened mentalities and insular behavior may in fact be hurting us more than helping us? When will we confidently seek the input of others, outsiders, as a means by which to prosper? It’s hard to say, but simply talking about the issue, understanding it, and understanding why it plagues us, is a start. Stay tuned to the conversations as part of the “Crossing the Lines” feature on WDET. The latest article in the series, discussing this very topic of insider/outsider debate, can be found here. The entire body of work can be viewed here.

While leafing through the recent issue of the Atlantic, I was drawn in by a headline reading, “Kansas City Bets on Culture.” The sub-headline asked the question “If you build a shiny new performing-arts center, will the creative class come?” I immediately thought of Bilbao, Spain. It was largely an industrial town in the 19th and 20th centuries (second in production only to Barcelona) that underwent a transition to a service-based economy in the latter part of the 20th century like many other cities have: Pittsburgh, Turin, Manchester, Berlin, etc. Bilbao just did it by creating a destination. They commissioned Frank Gehry to build the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in 1997. Within a couple of years the Guggenheim became a heavily sought-after tourist destination, drawing in millions of people. In many ways it ushered in an era of service-based growth repairing many components of the broken industrial past. And so the Atlantic asked the same question with a performing arts theatre built in Kansas City. Will it bring the young creative class in as tourists? As residents?

Here in Detroit, could we build a cultural attraction to usher in similar service-based growth? Could RoboCop do it? OK, OK. Kidding. Sort of. Though it doesn’t seem a horribly distant prospect given that boat loads of people go to Philly every year to see a Rocky statue.

Perhaps more likely to be the cultural attraction that could bring in the masses would be the re-development of the elephant in the room of our architectural ruins: Michigan Central Station. Everyone from Mars to Maryland has heard of this place, if not taken a photo of it, which lays the groundwork for a massive inflow of people were it to be re-developed in to something interesting. I can already hear people screaming that that will never happen. But wait–

Team LOVELAND has created a site to begin gathering ideas that people have as to what could be done with the train station: talktothestation.com. Anyone can get on the site and suggest ideas for the future re-development, with others being able to “love” that idea, the social equivalent of Facebook’s “like.” Even more interesting is that Nora Moroun, the wife of infamous Matty, the station’s owner, has taken a shine to the website and the sheer amount of ideas that are coming through. It’s proof that some dialog is being had around the future of this magnificent station, which is a massive step forward compared to previous years and controversy around its fate. If they do choose to develop something with the building, get ready Kansas City and Bilbao, because the masses will be flocking to Detroit to see and taste one of the greatest architectural comeback stories of all time.