Melisso Dittmer is on orchitect ond ossociote ot Homilton Anderson Associotes (HAA) 0 multidisciplinory received her design Bochelor firm

of bosed in Detroit. from She the Architecture

Illinois Institute of Technology Science in Architecture ond

ond her Moster of Urbon Design from projects hove Constellotions:

Columbio University. Her design been feotured in the publicotions: Constructing Urbon Urbonisms: Design Design Observer'.

Design Proctices, Constructing Competitions, ond 'Ploces : Her orticles on orchitecture,

urbon design theory, post industriol strotegies, ond professionol proctice hove been published in criticol internotionol journols Topos, MaNU, ond editor of
0

ond The Pion. Detroit based

She is the creotor

design blog, www.roguehoo.com. in addition to co-organizing a bi-monthly design lecture series, lecturesHAA, that focuses on Detroit regeneration strotegies. Most recently, Melisso has been working on the Detroit Works Project, a multi-disciplinary, internotionol depapulated, effort at designing city. the future of a post-industriol

As graduate of the Cranbrook Acodemy of Art, Masters of Architecture in 2000, Amy Green Deines has a diverse design background thot builds on her ocodemic training in industrial design and architecture. Amy is an Associate Professor ot the University where Grophic of Detroit Design, Mercy, School of Architecture Design and Studios, Design, Graduate she teoches Architecturol

Interior

Seminors. Ms. Deines has presented her work and lectured numerous times at various universities ond conferences. Amy is 0 professionol designer with

Melissa Dittme Amy Green ernes:

experience in both the public and private sectors. She has been involved in numerous prototypical projects thot hove been awarded Potents involving technology four United Stotes ond customizotion. gront titled Salvaged: involving

Ms. Deines received a university supported "Reclamotion and Re-use of Moteriols The Demolition the repurposing moteriols from of 3,000

Homes in Detroit

and categorization of recloimed post-industrial londscopes. Most

recently, Amy contributed ond acted os guest editor for the journol entitled, The Plan, Urban Development published in Milan, Itoly, December 2010.

ivic Engag Ie ales 0 P blic Exchange

38 040 52 054 66 80 082 096

8 110

are on the City of Detroit, and for good reason. rury, where the complexity of issues facing urban ;d::::i:ians, clients, and community boards are increasingly g priorities for making healthy cities, it is fundamental re thinkers to develop collaborative strategies to engage ~.as well as the youth and recent college graduates.
_,CS

Situated within the society is such that under prepared in for city officials and the stakeholders of

Detroit's trajectory over the last fifty years by any standard metric is to 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 most release of census data, Detroit has lost yet another 25% of its population
-r

rrac

over the past decade; the city is balanced on the precipice of total erasure. This paper will attempt to evaluate civic exchange as a means to design a new urban strategy. Additionally, it will look at the way in which our academic models prepare or under prepare future thinkers to engage the public in an active way with measurable outcomes. The strong convictions concerning the significance of public exchange and the impact of outside forces are the common thread throughout 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 larger milieu than that of the insular walls of the academy. Additionally, the way in which the city administration reaches out to the public must be evaluated and refilled 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 by local and national consultants, I as well as city leadership, supporting agencies, and representative citizens. From detailed demographic analyses, infrastructure diagrams, economic models, and health statistics, it is incumbent upon the project team to develop a rigorous, evidence-based methodology for the development of the plan. This is important for the plan's functionality and implementation, but also for ensuring confidence with citizens, policy makers, and investors. At the same time, the team is engaged in a multifaceted civic engagement research effort to understand the salient perspectives that will help to shape the plan. These insights are critical to the plan's development, and they must address the diverse perceptions within the city, as well as those outside. Quite often such prevailing positions are motivated by specific issues, especially those that may be contested. For these reasons, the "Detroit Works" civic engagement process is sequential and corresponds to the data and opinions collected from its participants throughout the project's multiple phases: 1. Listening, Learning and Analysis 2. Making Tough Choices 3. Choosing a Strategic Direction 4. Plan Adoption.

12

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

troit
:::J

ulation 2000 2010 713777 55604 586573 7436 3003 48679 Change -237493 -44317 -185393 -1699 -1414 1512 Percent -25 -44.4 -24 -18.6 -32 3.2

otal ite Black Asian Other ispanic

951270 99921 771966 9135 4417 47167

acial, ethnic and age demographics 2000 percent White Black Asian Other Hispanic Over 18 10.5 81.2 1 0.5 5 68.9 2010 percent 7.8 82.2 1 0.4 6.8 73.3 Change -2.7 1 0 -0.1 1.8 4.4

Source: Detroit News, March 22. 2011 DICHOTOMY 17

Other cities in recent times have also looked to civic engagement as a way to collaborate 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 leadership has engaged the community and has created a drastic plan to turn the city around by accepting the existing scenario and reacting in a responsible manner. This city has embraced shrinking as a strategy in collaboration with its residents. Some experts have speculated that strengthening the educational landscape in Detroit will tremendously help with future strategies. Detroit, like other shrinking post-industrial cities, has also experienced 'brain drain'. Detroit has seven Universities within its city limits. These quality institutions produce thousands of graduates each year. Only a fraction stays to root, invest, and live in Detroit and this creates a population that lacks diversity in race, age, and educational backgrounds. Recently, Detroit has reached out to the existing population to obtain and gather opinions, suggestions, and concerns about the city and its future. A variety of programs are offered as incentives for graduates to stay in the city. For example, start up money is offered for small business incubators through a variety of universities located in Metro Detroit. Additionally, social organizations are becoming introduced that frame Detroit as a city to 'play and live' in. The formation of many of these initiatives is collaboration and the exchange of ideas. This exchange happens at the scale of the city administration, the citizens of Detroit, and the local universities and businesses collaborating with its young educated graduates so that they will stay, invest, and live. The key to any healthy American city is found in embracing civic engagement as a planning strategy, reaching out to the youth that are currently living in the city and retaining college graduates. These three ingredients speak to a brighter future and allows for positive public investment and security that sustains healthy, rich environments. If we do not engage students during their academic years and acquaint them with the city of Detroit, they may not feel responsible to stay. Many perspectives, interviews, stories, and narratives recently surround the City of Detroit and its status. The interviews included in this piece offer perspectives from 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 woman in Detroit who are organizing and coordinating both the entirety of the "Detroit Works" project and the civic engagement process. The first interview questioned Toni Griffin, an Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Toni has committed to serve as the Co-Project Director for the Detroit Works Project. The second interview questioned Karla Henderson, Group Executive Planner and Facilitator for the City of Detroit. Karla works directly with the Office of Mayor Dave Bing. Both interviews covered a multitude of topics, ranging from vacancy, depopulation trends, repopulation strategies, new visions for the future, and many others. Moreover, while there were many commonalities between the two discussions, a single theme emerged - the extreme importance of civic engagement in Detroit's evolution. As witnessed in the following interviews, the implementation of a place-specific civic engagement process is crucial in the development for a healthy, self-sustaining new American City, such as Detroit.
The following interviews were recently published in The Plan Milan I Detroit, Dense, Rarefied 047 [12-2010] THE PLAN - Architecture & Urban Design via del Pratello 8 - 40122 Bologna, Italy T +39 051 227634 I F +39 051 220099

Interview 1: Toni L. Griffin Urban Planning and Design for the American City 52 West 120th Street, #4 New York, New York 10027 Conducted by Amy Green Deines, AlA Associate DElNES: What is your 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 key objectives: Articulate a shared vision for the future of Detroit at the scale of the region, city and neighborhoods Set near term priorities and actions that affect neighborhood stability such as the

DICHOTOMY 17

Public Works

Forums, Photos: Detroit Free Press

elimination of blight and opportunities for job creation . Build a framework and strategic direction for coordinating public and private investments throughout the city. Implement a process for both inclusive citizen engagement and interagency coordination. Detroit Works also includes an effort to examine the city's operational and administrative systems and propose strategies for how they can be reformed to efficiently support both the current challenges as well as the future vision for the city. The transformation of a city like Detroit really does require a shared vision amongst all of those sectors because each will playa role in implementation. We believe that to take on this challenge all the stakeholders must be active participants in the process. We have established an advisory task force that includes residents, businesses, civic and faith-based leaders, nonprofits and philanthropy. We have also created an interagency task force inclusive of city and regional operations and policy departments. We have designed an architecture of civic engagement that includes a diverse set of tools that create multiple ways to interact with stakeholders. This includes facilitating both small and large scale public meetings, creating tools and events that promote planning awareness, and establishing a project website, detroitworksproject.com,

16

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 all ublic and private, to have an active role in executing the vision. ~S: What was the result in terms of public contribution during the first Detroit discussions ? : Public safety was and is a large concern, but residents also talked about portance 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 plowed zarough their communities. Many of these cities, particularly those that have been 5sinvested for so long, have scars and wounds from the past, but fresh memories o the civic disruption. This community has lost confidence in its local government and so issues related to what is going to happen with vacant land makes people fearful. They fear that they will be forced to move again and they fear that parts of 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 to e 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 in their best interest. When you design a process, given the communities' sentiment concerning their city, you have to allow people to vent. Also, you have to establish trust and transparency before you can get to a place where you can talk about the rough 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 have to be focused on planning awareness, efforts that introduce people to the basic concepts of the planning and implementation process. The recent five community forums where over 4500 people attended were intended to' connect people with their government. Participation was very strong and people appreciated having some connection to the new administration. DEINES: Can you talk about the civic engagement process and how it relates to Detroit as
a shrinking city?

GRIFFIN: I question calling Detroit a uniquely shrinking city and I find the way in which the profession is latching on to this term quite interesting. If you look at the population of most of our urban cities, populations have has been declining for about 50 years. Most of the shrinkage has occurred because of the land use and transportation policies that ultimately promoted sprawl. It is being exacerbated because of the collapse of the economy in the last couple of years, the mortgage foreclosure crisis, and cities ending up with large portfolios of land assets that they can no longer maintain. There are cities that are similar to Detroit that are also at this crisis asking how do we reposition and realign government structures and city systems to deal with this type of land condition. These cities are not changing the political boundaries based on shrinking population. When we finish this process, Detroit will still consist of 139 square miles. We are designing a long-term plan that deals the maintenance of land and retooling of city systems in the near term and 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 strong asset in our city?

GRIFFIN: We are engaging such groups, currently looking at where these types of activities land spatially in the city, and how we can build on them. The art scene 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 to understand how the collection of small ideas might become a big idea when you add them all up. We have been spending time gaining an understanding of what these initiatives are, where they are, and how to support them.

18

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

mr"iB:
-

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

e have not engaged the youth enough. We have some young adults in their er 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 the eficiaries 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 are in 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 Henderson

Detroit - Gronp Executive Planning and Facilities of Mayor Dave Bing "-_u.uJlAC Towers, Suite 2300 Oettoiit., Michigan 48226 o...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"ffort? Has this process been intentionally publicized on multiple geographical scales to e _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 shrinkage
SlZWg.

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 efforts were focused on making Detroit the same city it used to be. Through this effort, we understand Detroit will never be the same city it was in 1950. The difference for this administration is that we are not paralyzed by that fact. Detroit can be a great city in

the 21 st century, urban renewal.

leading

a new wave of

DEINES: Please talk about the youth involvement 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 engaged ose who attended. One of the main topics dealt with the ed ucational system in Detroit. We know that if we do not fix our educational system our youth will not e 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.

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 city in the difficult position we're facing today. People are voting with their feet, let people have a say of what the school district looks like. We are working with our youth because we realize they are the future of our city.
DEINES: Detroit is a segregated city. What is the administration doing to try to introduce diversity? Are there any tangible incentives to bring people back into the city? HENDERSON:

We are focused on stopping the citizens who are leaving. Trying o 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 to understand 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 Detroit may have positive/negative opinions about the city. We need to change the culture regarding this issue. The 2010 census indicated that the white population increased from 8.3% to 13.9% for the first time in 60 years. * This is very exciting and speaks directly to younger residents moving into the city, of all backgrounds. We need to embrace what new populations can bring to the city, without taking away from what makes Detroit a unique place.
DEINES: Obviously, education is the most critical issue that the city isfacing, despite the need to address demolition, land use, vacancy, and the void. We need to engage our youth and offer them a staie-cf-the-art education and community.

refer to data on page

12 for the most current census dote.

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 excitement surrounding this process. Numerous foundations have been extremely generous. The Obama administration is very supportive of Detroit and its future. We have support from the US. Department of Housing and Development [HUDj that is assisting us to recreate incentives for the citizens of Detroit. The mayor says "we need to 'move the needle' - we saw where status quo has gotten us; we need to get out there and try new things." We need to permeate this attitude to the culture of all city departments. I recommit myself to the city and this process everyday. I choose to have a positive effect on those around. DEINES: Can Detroit become a prototype of a new Post-Industrial City based on the
administration's process of civic engagement? Have you been approached by any other city administration concerning our process of planning?

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

22

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

".: ~
rif:i~

,
:

:~\1. ~.
..~~.~~: .
.

,.

-,

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

major strategy

to win back the trust of Detroit's

Image credit,

DICHOTOMY 17

DEINES: The city's current administration

has begun an impressive campaign of the demolition of 3, 000 vacant, dangerous structures per year. Can the way in which demolition is planned become strategic, concerning open / green spaces in the city? Is the city considering a parallel deconstruction or architectural reclamation program?

HENDERSON: Detroit is engaging a process of design; frankly, there is a planning fatigue. Detroiters are tired of hearing what the city should be and want to see action. We know that implementation has to go hand-in-hand with this plan. The mayor, 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 one of our top visual changes is our current demolition plan that directly affects the neighborhood and its residents. We have been approached by several organizations, not only about deconstruction but 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 made a commitment to achieve this by year-end. We have some parties interested in demolition and the city is ready and willing to partner with demolition contractors to ensure materials are recycled and not end up in a landfill. The city is not prepared or interested in managing the business of the end use of materials, but is ready to collaborate with demolition contractors and those interested in developing a reclamation center to deal with materials. The city is also aware that this has the potential for jobs in the city and is willing to support this effort. This venture would be 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 3,000 homes is greater at this point, although we understand and fully agree with all of the environmental benefits of recycling. We want to get to the point where we are not in the demolition business; but prior to dealing with the excess of land and void, we must remove the blight. This is the moment that removal of the blight is a signifier of progress. The removal is taking place in the neighborhoods where people are living. The removal of the Michigan Central Train Station is equivalent to 3,000 homes. The city is concerned with creating safer neighborhoods as a high priority, especially where children are living in the city. Demolition in the past was not handled strategically. When we began the process of mapping the demolitions, you clearly saw various clusters beginning to form. In

24

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

ar . ,z~ l Ie

:,~e-::lJ ring high amo un ts - :e the weakest housing en of violent crimes - - used on those areas to begin the demolition

does Detroit look like

In

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

.BlD~SOI~- We will have stronger

by repopulation and - e structures within them. l. will e have some new current vacant land, but ..ID.l;cll:';'..:uJdy we'll have a broad plan _ going to do with the vacant '" ing to take a long time, but establis h where we want to focus investment, we can begin speculate 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: etroit will be a place where D _~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, including ery, which plays a large role g jobs and investment back to

improvements are needed in - :ransportation. The first steps are eing taken. An environmental

DICHOTOMY 17

Images at UDM exhibition with Professor Deines studio UDM/SOA, Professor Griffin and Honsen Horvard GSD, Professor Dewer and Thomas University of Michigan.

study is taking place right now to evaluate the feasibility of a new light rail. We are speculating that there will be a light rail from Jefferson to Eight Mile Road. A $25 million dollar commitment was made from the Department of Transportation [DOT] and millions of additional dollars of support from the Kresge Foundation, Ford Foundation, and others. We are looking at European cities for additional models.
Conclusion

In support of the Detroit Works Project, local universities have become involved in a type of civic engagement that has resulted in academic and intellectual investment. Recently, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture hosted Professor Toni Griffin and her Harvard Graduate School of Design studio, as well as studio Professors Margaret Dewer and June Thomas from the University of Michigan's School of Architecture. In a full day event, nearly 60 academics presented their research, design concepts, and proposed directions for the city of Detroit. Members of the city government, Detroit Works project team, and concerned citizens voluntarily participated in the public exchange, suggesting that the crosspollination of academic and professional discourse is essential to the development of a successful civic engagement process. This type of event proved the relevance that such a program has on a student living within a city such as Detroit. Most of the students involved have seen a new side of Detroit and

26

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

_ _

- feel convicted to have critical discussions about the future. Common

to

:.. ..J'-' .- professional and academic model, public exchange requires the facilitation . . ce
ternal and external opinions. College education in general must engage 5~ milieu than the traditional model. Students should be encouraged to step ~._~~";"" their personal process within the academy and argue a critical public 0 ?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