“As we build a place that more North End residents are involved with and proud of, and as more community needs are served, we know the North End will thrive.”

~ Jerry Ann Hebron, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm director

The task force’s report on engagement in Detroit is used as a guide across campus to ensure that research and engagement projects are conducted in an equitable and mutually beneficial manner. The task force was chaired by Robert Sellers, vice provost and chief diversity officer, and included representatives from all areas of campus.

The variety and volume of the efforts are a collaboration with Detroit’s neighborhoods, its community organizations and its residents. While the specific goals and partners of each effort vary, all of the work aims to help boost the vitality of Detroit and the region. 

His project in Detroit will attempt to address the issue of internet connectivity through the design of a building that will be a community anchor, providing internet access. It also will help to create a new social destination with spaces for gathering, where residents can come together.

Hosted by Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, ENGAGE Program Manager and adjunct lecturer, the discussions focus on equity issues in Detroit and movements for social change in the city. They are free and open to the public and have featured speakers including thought leader and scholar Tawana Petty; Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib; lawyer and activist Deepa Iyer, among other prominent activists, scholars, and community leaders. 

Join this discussion, moderated by Patrick Carter from the U-M Injury Prevention Center, on ways to reframe the gun debate in America.

Riverside communities have displayed remarkable resilience through the myriad trials of the past 75 years, and this project aims to partner with these communities as they continue reshaping the shared narratives that will lay the groundwork for a sustainable post-carbon future for the region.

Justin Golden, BBA ‘02, has partnered with several other U-M alumni to start Greatwater Opportunity Capital, a real estate private equity investment management and development firm focused on providing housing in Detroit’s neighborhoods.

“The program allows students to study across a variety of disciplines and learn on a number of different fronts related to real estate and development,” said Marc Norman, director of real estate initiatives at Taubman College and associate professor of practice in urban and regional planning.