The wrapup that is the weekend at Traverse City Film Festival will get fleshed out in muiltiple parts. Part one seems to be the most relavant as it relates directly to Detroit and the film that everyone wants to see: DETROPIA. I was fortunate enough to check it out on Saturday at the festival. A filmmaker sitting next to me who had seen my film “After the Factory” looked at me right after the credits rolled. “So you hated it, right?”

First, no, you shouldn’t hate it. Really. Second, it’s not the whole story of Detroit. Third, it might make you angry in some parts– senseless jabs at community gardening and urban farming, a very familiar look at the city’s problems, very little theoretical discussion about future possibility– but that’s OK. Fourth, the film’s strongest asset is how it contextualizes Detroit’s problems relative to the rest of the country and our “system” at large. DETROPIA is a social commentary on the failures of capitalism as told through the story of Detroit. And honestly, if there’s one narrative that should come out of the city, I believe it should be about Detroit’s position as the epic failure of the American Dream and the countless possibilities that position affords in re-inventing the whole system from the ground up. Let the reality of our position not be a means to an end, but rather the beginning of a much larger, more progressive long term vision.

I’ve said it countless times– literally, probably a hundred on this blog alone– but Detroit’s oppportunity resides as the laboratory for thinking about next-generation cities. And when you see DETROPIA, the problems that the entire country is suffering from are presented through the prism of Detroit. Less in a “THESE ARE DETROIT PROBLEMS! THIS PLACE IS A SHITHOLE!” and more in a “These problems exist everywhere, probably most frequently/dramatically in Detroit,” and then it becomes the viewers inference that perhaps given that reality it could be the place that composes the brilliant change mechanism. Psychologists would be the first to tell you (I am reminded most of the RD Laing book “The Politics of Experience“) that the extent to which you lead a fulfilled existence relies solely on the degree to which you have experienced. Translation: success depends solely on what you’ve gone through. Detroit, well, let’s see, it’s a city that has gone through more than the average place, so let’s treat that experience as an asset.

And herein lies my excitement about Detroit: Let’s start treating this place as ground zero for a new system. The city has no money, and therefore must attack problems in unique ways out of necessity. In turn, those bootstrapped solutions become actions that virtually anyone can mimic. The result: scalable innovation. Let’s start thinking about ourselves as solutions exporters, because, well, we’ve gone through practically everything. We can talk from experience.

Forget the past– honestly, the way we’ve been doing it as a country politically and economically, has led us here. We need bold new ideas. Big new ideas. The Occupy Movement is happening for a reason! Things need to change. The revolution is coming, so as Detroit, let’s be at the forefront of that re-invention of values. We need to start thinking of our city as that player. The issue then becomes getting the general public to see that reality via the images of cities across the country– which is something that DETROPIA does not do, but that the viewer can infer by reading the daily news in virtually any city across the country on their own time.

DETROPIA says one thing very well: The system is f*#@$d, it needs to change. That message is most clearly substantiated through the perils of Detroit. So, as a viewer, specifically one from this city, take that message as the beginning of our battle cry. Use this film as a motive and driving force, and suddenly DETROPIA becomes part of a larger effort to be at forefront of envisioning next-generation cities rather than feeling like another strike at the dead horse that everyone else seems to be taking.

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Note: DETROPIA took the Jury Prize at the festival over the weekend, a very significant distinction.

Whoo! Let me throw a fist pump in there, too (PUMP PUMP PUMP). Scoot on over to read this article immediately. It’s short, sweet and sort of epic. It’s like Detroit’s battle cry.

Go on.

It’s Aaron Renn’s take on the power of the Detroit brand. (He’s no stranger to writing inspirational pieces on Detroit– in fact, he’s penned quite a few). He claims, in this latest epic battle cry, that Detroit is one of the most powerful brands in America. “There are lots of cities that are struggling right now, but how many of them have a stream of international reporters, film makers, artists, etc. coming to see it in person for themselves? How many of them have attracted random bloggers from all over the country to analyze the place and propose remedies? Why is this place thought to hold lessons for America while so many others do not?”

There’s an energy that’s building. There is a force that is alluring people in and making them learn more about the city. This brand power that Renn talks about is changing perceptions and it is happening very quickly right now. Last week I was talking about the trip to New York to try and get some products in stores out there and how shop owners were quite receptive to Detroit with quips about it being “the next place to be.” Cool. Hell yes. I’ll take it. But here’s another. This one is kind of intense. In a good way.

Just last week, through a random hodge-podge of social interactions, I acquired a new roommate in my house. He had ridden his bike from Vermont to Detroit to make the city his home– for at least three years while he launched a series of projects that he thought might further his own goals and simultaneously help the city. He heard an inspirational talk by a visiting Detroit professor that whet his appetite. One thing led to the other and through a series of other interactions and the way that “opportunity” is portrayed in the city through a variety of different mediums, he decided to take the plunge. He finished school, hopped on a bike and came to Detroit.

I mean, come on. No smoke and mirrors here, folks. The “brand” that is Detroit is taking on a new form. A form that presents opportunity. It’s bringing people in, peaking their curiosity and just generally making Detroit a different “place.” This is powerful. This is the opportunity that leads to innovation. And that innovation, well, that’s what the fun’s all about.

I had the chance to attend the PSFK Salon today held at the DIA. It was a mini-conference of sorts, 4 hours in length, under the premise of fueling imagination through creative and inspiring discussions about Detroit. Scott Monty spoke. He is man behind the wheel with social media at Ford. Catie Newell discussed her architectural project called Five Fellows that is shaping up to be an ongoing arts installation– and home– in the same neighborhood as the PowerHouse Project. Jeremy Eckhous talked about his company Advanced Energy Group and their use of geothermal energy as a renewable source of energy for affordable heating and cooling in the region. The panel discussion followed with Jerry Paffendorf of Loveland, Terry Parris from Model D and Rebecca Powers at Hour Detroit. Here’s some random snippets that people were heard saying throughout the course of the afternoon– all painting a picture for growth and change in the region.

“I think there is a dynamic happening right now to make us believe that change is really happening this time for Detroit.” Rebecca Powers

“We produced one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time in Henry Ford, and we will continue to do that.” Terry Parris

“It’s in our blood to make things here in Detroit” Terry Parris

“If you have an idea or story and you want to do it, there’s nothing stopping you in Detroit.” Terry Parris

A fine morning indeed.

The media has been laying it on thick with chatter about Detroit as a hotbed for business startup and innovation. Barriers to entry are low, startup costs amount to a fraction of the total cost compared to other cities and their is a community in place that wants to see small, independent business thrive. Entrepreneur Magazine recently put Detroit in a list of best places to start a business, tagging Detroit as a city where “entrepreneurs have the latitude to forge their own path.” See the full list and other cities that were included. Seperately, Karen Dybis with Assignment Detroit did an interview with Jeff Sloan, fellow behind NextWave, a business incubator up in Troy housing 35 startups that will soon expand nationally. Some of the optimism in the interview is another expression of people that believe in the city and region as a whole which suggests the mental image associated with Detroit is changing. Then there’s TechTown, the WSU non-profit that many seem to have heard of, but few are actually aware of what they really do. To aid in creating a sustainable business environment, TechTown currently is incubating 160 different startups through their SmartStart program. The program takes the creative business models for proposed businesses and assists with development to help them succeed. Time to do it in Detroit, people.

I read this article recently, a very grounded and intelligent look at global warming and what we need to be doing now in order to preserve a reasonable environmental future for ourselves and those around us. It got me thinking though. In many ways, Detroit could be model city numero uno to take on reasonable policies and/or community action that supports a lot of this stuff. As a city, we are turning more and more to policy groups like Declare Detroit, and it seems plausible that they could start rallying around simple steps that anyone can take to make a difference (like the article lays out) and diffusing the message that way. A three step plan (with manageable steps) is something anyone can handle. In the article, the author talks about three steps, the last of which could find a snug home in Detroit– this idea of just creating momentum behind the topic and rallying, something that many could argue we are sort of good at here in Detroit to begin with. So it sure does seems plausible that while we try to re-invent a town with the biggest rally the country has seen in 70+ years, we could also start to embrace some environmental policies that would make the rest of the country and Washington realize that baby steps aren’t THAT difficult. In fact, it’s not that we aren’t capable of making these transitions to a more greener mentality with the environment, it’s that deep within our socio-cultural fabric, we just don’t fall back on conservation– YET. But, as Detroit continues to grow and transform, it seems reasonable that some of the things Bill McKibben is saying in this article are practices and policies that we could employ on our way to the top.

Phillip Cooley, Slows maestro, neighborhood guy and community activist, got a nice writeup in the Detroit News. The article provides an illustration of the many things the guy is trying to push in the city, from candlelit dinners in abandoned buildings to meetings with Tony Hawk about putting a skate park outside of the train station. It’s exciting to see the state of Detroit through the eyes of Phillip, a consistent balance between fighting the good fight as the underdog but then doing the stuff on a large scale that blows people away. Detroit will succeed, and Phillip Cooley will be a part of it.

Ruin porn this, ruin porn that. Sure, LIFE’s latest addition to the oodles of photography chronicling Detroit’s abandoned ruins is tiring. Exhausting at times. But hey, that’s where these dudes come in: meet Romain Blanquart and Brian Widdis, a couple of photographers that are shining a spotlight on many of the positive components of Detroit in their photo project Can’t Forget the Motor City. For a full read on what these guys are going for with the effort, have a look at their statement.

Shorpy strikes again wih another cool Detroit photo, this one from around 1902 of the old post office.

The film got a basic writeup in local publication MLive, see it here.

And finally, a group of business leaders and community-minded people have been meeting for a while now to produce the DETROIT DECLARATION. It’s a pledge that we can make to adhere to 12 different principles that will keep our city on the right track. See the site and go ahead and declare Detroit for yourself. Tell your friends.

The good people at m-bike.org have compiled a list of Detroit bike projects that will be coming out of the pipeline throughout 2010. And here’s the good news: there are nine of them. There’s additions being made for lanes in Midtown and New Center, an extension of the Dequindre Cut, Riverfront development, development in the southwest and quite a bit more. Fairly exciting considering Detroit is one of the best places to get around on bike so long as there isn’t 9 inches of ice coating the asphalt. Have a look at the full list of projects coming in 2010 here.

The New Republic, a magazine that provides commentary and strategy as it relates to politics, foreign policy and culture, just published The Detroit Project. It shapes up very similarly to a lot of the critical looks at Detroit, stating the downfalls, the disparities, but then lays out some ideas for Detroit based on what has been done in other European cities– mostly based on (surprise!) leadership and land-use. This method of comparison is by no means a new concept– after all, it seems HAA’s lecture series is doing this once a month– but it is perhaps interesting to see multiple case examples that similar re-invention has happened in another corner of the universe. We ain’t alone. Hey, we can do this! MLive’s Jonathan Oosting posted a response and reaction to the project which helps to really get down to the nitty gritty of the whole thing. Now, it’s just a matter of taking part and contributing to that transformation.