I’m so fortunate to be working at Detroit Future City. The work that I’m doing with this organization is set to change the political and cultural landscape of the city, not to mention the outlook with which citizens, community organizations, and developers understand the nature of green development in Detroit. This summer, Detroit Future City is working on a three-project agenda, which consists of a green calculator, a manifesto, and a field guide to developing vacant lots. The green calculator is a resource for developers to understand the environmental implications of their developmental actions by providing a cost-benefit analysis for their proposed green interventions. The manifesto is a tool for spreading understanding of the importance of green infrastructure to the community at large. The field guide is a resource that offers citizens and community developers sustainable green infrastructural design ideas to develop the vacant lots in the neighborhoods of Detroit—and let me tell you, there are many such lots.

After going on a tour of these vacant lots in four Detroit neighborhoods with the two other interns at DFC and seeing these tangible community gaps, I now know that each of these lots has a specific personality, a surrounding neighborhood with a unique culture, and a variety of potential impactful green interventions. I’ve witnessed firsthand not just the sheer number of vacant lots, but also the draining effect these lots have on many of the neighborhoods that harbor them. With our projects, DFC is not just attempting to encourage Detroit citizens and organizations to fill the vacant lots with green infrastructure (developmental practices that are beneficial for the environment). We’re doing something much more important. We’re reinvigorating a city, restoring dignity to the land, and providing for a cultural revolution. We want to see these lots become assets—points of community interactions, practical use, beauty, and pride.

The work I’m doing at DFC specifically contributes to this mission. As consultants, the other interns and I are constantly editing the materials that will be published and distributed to the public. We have edited numerous drafts of the manifesto, field guide, and website. Our edits range from spotting technical or grammatical errors to establishing the tone of the writing and format of the piece or refocusing the entire piece to cater more directly to our target market. We have also been conducting research on different aspects of preexisting green calculators, our analyses of which are influencing DFC’s decisions on which features to include in our own green calculator. We’ve been presenting research on a new aspect of the calculator every week, so that we can slowly deconstruct the green calculators that already exist before piecing the best aspects back together to make one that will address Detroit’s unique needs. Every suggestion the interns give the full-time employees is carefully presented and relevant to DFC’s target market of users, desired and optimal user-interface, and Detroit-specific culture. This green calculator will be different from preexisting green calculators because it will be Detroit-centric. With all the vacant land in Detroit, this city needs a green calculator that will cater specifically to the unique problems that it faces. This is, quite frankly, a revolutionary and site-specific project that is devoted to making a positive and tangible change in one city, and I’m here to help make that change be as profound, impactful, and effective as possible. That our research, opinions, and suggestions are being taken into account in the decision-making process that includes ascertaining which inputs, outputs, and interface DFC should use for the calculator is incredibly humbling, inspiring, motivational, and energizing to me. Another important job of mine has been to write Local Examples, or case studies of locals who are employing ecologically sustainable practices on their land. These Local Examples will be a component of DFC’s field guide. What I write will actually be on their website! It will be available to hundreds of thousands of people and useful and applicable for addressing one of the city’s most seemingly insurmountable problems. I’m also responsible for gathering and contacting suppliers for our field guide. My job is to approach potential suppliers for permission to include their company’s name as a resource on our field guide so that users know where to go to buy supplies that are necessary for implementing each intervention on the guide.

With every week, the other interns and I do more and more case studies, research, and individual tasks that are instrumental to executing these three main projects. I finally believe that I’m starting to understand Detroit and environmental sustainability—two things that I had never given much thought to before this summer but that I now appreciate immensely. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this revolutionary movement and the small powerhouse that is fueling it all. 

This past week, David and I have continued working at TechTown and learning more about Detroit. TechTown is more than just an incubator for new business ventures. It offers various lab-based programs for entrepreneurs and new businesses in Detroit. One of these is Detroit Technology Exchange (DTX) Launch, a 10-week summer startup accelerator for students and recent graduates from the state of Michigan. This summer, David and I are focusing on creating a marketing strategy and evaluation system for the program. DTX Launch helps Detroit by increasing entrepreneurial activities in the area and stimulating the city's economy.

Unlike other startup accelerator, DTX Launch places an emphasis on education and knows many of the students' ventures will fail. However, entrepreneurship education is critical for creating a better society. Whether graduates of the DTX program continue to start their own business or not, they will leave the problem better prepared to serve the community in a variety of ways. 

Duke Engage's stimulating enrichment activities and TechTown's DTX Launch program have both shown me how entrepreneurial skills can be applied outside of starting a new business venture. The ability to innovate and think outside the box is useful for any job. Customer discovery, startups' crucial process of interviewing many potential consumers, increases individuals' ability to network and forge lasting relationships. Pitching to potential investors helps public speaking skills, and working with a team makes aspiring entrepreneurs more collaborative and adaptable. Perhaps the most important skill gained from entrepreneurship programs is determination and drive to succeed in the face of adversity. 

I am proud to be working with TechTown to teach young people these important skills. Hopefully by the end of my time in Detroit, I will have created an effective marketing video in order to attract more people to the program. I am also excited to get to know the current DTX Launch participants and listen to their own unique stories. To learn more about the program, see TechTown's description here. 

“What’s your story?”

At BUILD, Ryan and I are researching various funding models and best practices of coworking space and incubator models, ultimately culminating in a feasibiltiy report. The hardest part of the research is figuring our where the money will come from. So when Eric Larson, developer of the old Tigers Stadium site and executive director of BUILD’s parent organization, Downtown Detroit Partnership, was quoted in Crain’s Detroit saying BUILD would likely be a tenant of the development’s subsidized commercial space, we were really excited.

After our BUILD team meeting Monday morning, we went downtown to the Renaissance Center (RenCen) for a meeting with Eric and Kelly, also from DDP. While April wanted Ryan and I to prepare some numbers (how many sq ft, avg start up and operating costs of a coworking space, number of private offices, etc.) for the meeting, Eric didn’t really care about the numbers right now. He wanted BUILD’s story. He said figure out your identity and your story and the numbers and money will follow.

For our next meeting with Eric and the rest of the Tigers stadium development team, Eric wanted us to nail down BUILD’s identity, point of view, story, and vision to present to the rest of his team. 

    

A Tale of Two Cities

In a way, Detroit has become a tale of two cities, however these two cities did not exist at the same time. Detroit was once the richest cities in the world, and, in less than a century, it has fallen into widespread poverty and crime, becoming the largest city to file bankruptcy. However, after adjusting the debt and exiting bankruptcy, Detroit could rebuild in one of two ways. Detroit could rebuild as a segregated (economically and racially) city, becoming the classic tale of two cities. The inequality gap in the United States has been rising since the 1950s, and the picture of wealth inequality today looks very similar to the level of inequality just before the Great Depression. Some will argue a rising tide will lift all boats and inequality drives growth and innovation, so as long as everyone is doing better off its ok that some gain more than others right?

As America continues to rebound from the recession, it is important to make sure growth is met with opportunity for all. To avoid the tale of two cities, Detroit could match its amazing growth potential with increasing opportunity for all. Borrowing one of April’s sayings - we must be intentionally inclusive, otherwise we become unintentionally exclusive. Detroit, I think, is at least slightly more conscious of this idea than other cities because Detroit has been rebuilding from the grass-roots up. But as Detroit continues to get back on its feet, its important to keep this idea in mind.

That’s BUILD’s story. We are making sure that low to middle income entrepreneurs have access to the knowledge and resources to start their businesses or even pursue life with an entrepreneurial mindset. We pride ourselves on our diverse community and contributions to Detroit to give everyone the opportunity to thrive. Even beyond the economic benefits of thriving entrepreneurs in Detroit, BUILD is making a social impact to create a diverse, integrated urban community. We’re creating a tale of a third city, one that’s not divided into two.

“It’s not about the numbers”…but it is actually

While creating a diverse, integrated community sounds like a great summer project and incredible help to the city of Detroit, the day to day work is not nearly as glamorous. Our Monday meeting with Eric and DDP was a great reminder of the grander picture, but on the day to day, Ryan and I are on our computers looking up grants and funding sources, trying to nail down an ideal square footage for BUILD’s new space, asking other coworking spaces for estimates of their start up and operating costs. Its all about the numbers; its all about the money. BUILD has to be all about the money because our students and grads are all about the money. Not all about the money in the sense they only care about profit, but that they are always thinking about costs, budgets, and how to make ends meet. We need to keep the cost of the classes and new coworking space down to make sure they are accessible to all. If we can’t keep costs down, we can’t create an intentionally inclusive community. Our feasibility study and findings must always include the feasibility for both BUILD and the people we serve. We are finding a feasible solution for BUILD to expand our reach, scope and community, while keeping its sevices accessible and intentionally inclusive. 

Whether you support or oppose it, there is an undeniable sense that certain areas of Detroit are being revived much quicker than others. I haven’t been here long enough to form my own opinion on the matter yet, nor am I even sure that I should be given a say due to my lack of time here; nevertheless, I’m glad to be working at Build Institute, a nonprofit that works to provide entrepreneurial resources to those who otherwise may not have had access to the means to receive them. Often times, this consists of people living outside the “bubble of revitalization.”

Build’s mission is this: to empower people to turn their business ideas into a reality by providing access to education, resources, and a support network in Detroit. Currently, the company is in between spaces and in search for a larger, more permanent area in which they can expand their current work to include a coworking aspect that provides ample space for collaboration. There are three main deliverables my partner Liz and I are striving to provide during our time here.

First and foremost, we are attempting to create a sustainable funding model in which, excluding start-up costs, the nonprofit would be able to support its operating costs without the need to rely on outside grants or sponsorships. To do this, we are doing extensive research on relevant coworking spaces throughout the nation and comparing the different models. We are also meeting with local coworking owners in Detroit to gain their perspectives on what worked for them and what they would do differently. Many of these areas provide a unique niche to differentiate them from similar places, and it’s interesting to see the different ways they balance these while maintaining a sense of independent financial stability. 

Second, we are working to locate local/national/international grants and corporate sponsorships, compile them in an easy-to access database for later use, and develop a grant proposal template that could be used for numerous future applications. Most of this information will be used by Build after we leave as it becomes more relevant, but our work now will streamline that process. Also, though I mentioned a sustainable funding model earlier, a certain amount of grant backing will most likely be necessary to fund the initial start-up and launch of the new space. Although oftentimes people find it more desirable to rely as little as possible on outside money, there are many viable options in Detroit that provide businesses like Build the necessary funding to begin making an immediate impact on the community.

Last, we are working to collect data through surveys of coworking space owners and alumni of Build education classes, as well as research on the surrounding area. We will be compiling all of this to help Build design the most optimal new space that both aligns with their mission and provides an influence on the community around them. Especially regarding the statistics about Detroit in general, it’s amazing to see the capacity for change available, but also the amount of positive effects that have already taken place.

We will also be representing Build at various community events throughout the summer. This allows Build to further expand their recognition within Detroit, but also lets us simply experience the community of people here at a more in-depth level. After doing this, it’s easy to see why the people working at Build Institute are so passionate about what they do. Whether it’s Midtown or Corktown, people really care about the communities they’re apart of: when they’re provided the necessary resources, they can greatly improve their environment. I’m proud to be able to contribute even just a little bit to this movement. 

As mentioned in my first blog post, my experience in Detroit has been a bit different from my expectations. After following Detroit news and absorbing the city's rich history, I couldn’t wait to get here and work with the communities that needed it most. However, I soon realized I was living and working in Midtown and Downtown; together, they comprise just 3% of Detroit’s geographical area but more than 90% of its wealth. Furthermore, the nonprofits we work with are largely devoted to helping Midtown businesses, and I initially found that disquieting. Midtown, under the safety net of Wayne State Police and an influx of new businesses, did not need our help. It was the hundreds of communities surrounding Midtown that needed attention, and I wanted to make a tangible, immediate impact in those areas.

I keep asking Detroiters how the city’s renewal can be extended beyond Midtown and Downtown. While I’ve been seeking a clear, systematic solution, I’ve learned that Detroit’s issues extend far beyond my limited understanding. From a failing education system to a poorly planned urban sprawl, the variant needs of communities cannot be summed up into some grandiose, easily-implemented solution. Instead, each community has specific needs, and addressing these needs on an individual basis would be inefficient and costly.

Labib, my Venture for America mentor, had an interesting take on the subject. He argued that the development or revitalization of every city in history began by bringing young, intelligent talent to a central location. Moreover, if Detroit wanted to return to its former glory, it needed to continue its focus on Midtown and Downtown. He acknowledged that the surrounding areas are experiencing the greatest suffering, but he emphasized that we need to begin with Midtown and Downtown to maximize the benefit of the surrounding communities. Labib made a great point, and after this conversation, my work at NextEnergy became much more meaningful.

One of my projects at NextEnergy involves a smarthome interface called AllJoyn. This open-source platform partners dozens of businesses to create the smarthomes of tomorrow. It is difficult to really explain AllJoyn due to its technical nature, but imagine having one app that, among other things, lets you adjust your thermostat, turn on your lights, charge your electric vehicle, and lock your doors. AllJoyn would be the interface behind that app, and it’s quickly becoming a reality. Dozens of companies have jumped on board, and the project is making rapid progress.

A few weeks ago, I might have deemed this project trivial; it’s not directly helping the people who need attention right now. But I have gradually accepted that this work is important to the revitalization of Detroit. If NextEnergy can help make AllJoyn a reality, it would be a remarkable feat for the future of Detroit. Not only would it attract more people to live and work here, but it would enhance the quality of life for those already here. If we can build a smarter, more efficient central Detroit, then there’s no reason the whole city won’t come back stronger than ever.

The project Liza and I are doing is focused around DTX Launch Detroit, the summer accelerator program for college students and recent graduates from the state of Michigan.  It is currently in its third year and has seen solid success, but is nowhere near its potential considering the success of other major accelerators like Stanford University’s StartX or the Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator, which have led to successful companies like Snapchat, Dropbox, Reddit, and Airbnb.  Detroit is a budding atmosphere for startups, evidenced by the countless other accelerators popping up around the city like NextEnergy and Techstars, so the possibilities are endless.  Our project has two parts: one is to develop an evaluation tool for the program so the coordinators can achieve continued success in the foreseeable future.  The other is the create a high level marketing and engagement strategy to attract strong, diverse applicants from all over the state of Michigan.  I feel very strongly that the DTX Launch program can become as prolific as the Silicon Valley accelerators and spur major economic growth for Detroit by harnessing human capital in the state to create new businesses and jobs.

To understand the program, we are participating in the curriculum on Tuesdays and Fridays and getting to know the students.  It is a bit like an undercover shopper operation because we really want to find out what the students like and don’t like about the program, and if they have suggestions for the future.  Our evaluation tool will be a survey that is sent to all alumni semiannually to gain information on how the program has helped their business grow or why their business failed.  The Michigan Economic Development Corporation funds the program and requires this data to see if their grant money is creating jobs and economic growth, so having a survey like this is vital to the continued success of the program.  However, a key thing our supervisor has us keep in mind is that the success of the program isn’t necessarily black and white.  Approximately 90% of startups fail, so we can’t simply look at the numbers.  Even if the participants do not continue their businesses, they still learn a ton about startups and possibly pursue other entrepreneurial ventures in the future.  Therein lies the challenge of capturing the true value of the program.

The other part of the project is creating a high level marketing strategy to recruit a diverse group of the best possible talent in the state of Michigan.  Currently there are about 10 colleges represented, but we are working on a master list of all the schools in Michigan with contacts at their entrepreneurial related clubs to cast as wide a net as possible.  Furthermore, we are working on marketing videos and profiles of the current teams in the program, and planning engagement events throughout the year at career fairs and startup related events where our supervisors at TechTown can attend and talk to students in person about the program.  Lastly, we are working with alumni of TechTown’s programs to create a one page document to hand out to potential investors with all the relevant critical information about various businesses that have grown out of TechTown (i.e. Sentinl).  Improving marketing will really allow TechTown to reach the greatest entrepreneurial talent and give them a unique opportunity to start their own business.

The spirit of Detroit, according to the city’s mayor, Mike Duggan, is the attitude of its people. As an intern who is constantly surrounded by entrepreneurs in the Green Garage and feeling its innovative vibe day in and day out, I cannot agree with Mr. Duggan more. Personally, I have been working with the Detroit Food Academy, an organization dedicated to youth empowerment through the teaching of culinary arts, immersing myself in the spirit of Detroit and contributing my part to the food entrepreneurship and youth employment sector in the comeback of Detroit.

 

My work with Detroit Food Academy has been mostly focused on the advertising and marketing aspect of its student designed food product: Mitten Bites. Although this product debuted over a year ago and has been sold on farmers’ markets since then, DFA is currently looking to expand its market into the local grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Busch’s. Also, it has been making efforts to improve its stand’s design in farmers’ markets to look more aesthetically pleasing. As a result, I have devoted large amount of time designing promotion materials such as posters, shelf talkers, as well as shelves that will be used to hold Mitten Bites in both retailer stores and local coffee shops. Revenue will be used as the main measure for impact of our deliverables. Ideally, our designs will boost the sale revenue of Mitten Bites in farmers’ markets and will be used in retail stores and coffee shops. In the coming weeks, I hope to work more with the youth of DFA, engaging them into our designing and marketing process. I can host workshops for the youth on the marketing effort of DFA while getting their input into our design. This way, I would not only help DFA to bring in more income, but contribute directly to the mission of DFA, which is fostering youth leadership through food and business.

    Working at NextEnergy and trying to serve Detroit has filled my days with talk of the latest energy technologies, businesses and initiatives in Detroit and all over Michigan. One project Chris and I are working on together is creating a one pager summarizing NextEnergy's lighting upgrades. In several steps starting in 2006, NextEnergy upgraded its lab and parking lot lights to LED lights from Michigan businesses. Since these upgrades, NextEnergy has collected a variety of data on light efficiencies but hadn't taken any steps to synthesize it. The lack of follow up on these lighting projects gave Chris and me the opportunity to use the data to calculate energy savings, pay off time period, and reduced carbon footprint from these upgrades. We are creating graphs to show how NextEnergy's costs and energy output has been reduced thanks to the LEDs as well as summarizing the story of upgrades for the one pager. Yesterday, we realized the data we had been working on of the numbers of lights that were a part of each upgrade did not add up correctly, so we got to do some "field work" and go down to the labs and count all the lights and their wattage ourselves (along with Eric who pretty much knows everything about NextEnergy's campus).  The product of this work, along with other one pagers we will do next, will accumulate to tangible examples of all of the demonstrations NextEnergy does on their campus and give the marketing team the correct calculations and numbers of the projects' impacts. NextEnergy will then be able to better articulate the work they do to the public at meetings and through their website.

    In addition to the one pagers, a really impactful project to Detroit that Chris and I have started to be involved with is an initiative to connect Midtown's transportation systems. Tim, Director of Transportation Initiatives, or as Chris always refers to him "Tim is the man," is a super smart and cool guy that has invited us to sit in on meetings and help him with his project of connecting Midtown's transportation networks. In Midtown, there is Wayne State University  and two  hospital transportation systems that all run separately. Tim has been meeting with all of these stakeholders to identify their biggest transportation problems and to tell us about what their dream system would be. The goal is to create an integrated transportation process so that Detroit can be a model for other cities. A common theme of NextEnergy that I've gotten to do research on is the Smart City, an effort to connect different sectors of a city through data and technology in order to operate with maximum efficiency.  A fundamental component of the Smart City comes from transportation. Developing an environmentally friendly and smart transportation system will help place Detroit at the forefront of the SmartCity trend.

    NextEnergy does a lot of work with venture development and helping start up companies get started. I hope to soon learn more about and become involved with this process as well. As a final focus of my summer here, I'm doing one more project evaluating how NextEnergy shares its story. As a nonprofit, it is vital to have a compelling story, so I will be researching how we share our past success stories and contribute specific examples of companies that have received our many different services that we offer. This work will help NextEnergy market itself to companies that would seek our services as well as allow me to explore the ways in which NextEnergy has already impacted the community.

    As interesting and exciting as all this work is, I've also been exploring the fun offered at NextEnergy. In addition to Chris and I, there are 3 other college age interns. We all work in the same corner of the office (right next to the giant container of Twizzlers), and today we ventured out to sample some local Midtown lunch at the Fisher Building!

This summer I am working for a company called Detroit Future City. DFC is essentially a group of people who have come up with a series of long term goals for Detroit and are no beginning to work toward these goals by partnering with different groups across the city to accomplish projects that have had, and continue to have a positive impact on the city. Although DFC is involved in a great number of projects, the sector that I’m currently involved in is land development.

Initially, I had a hard time understanding what I was going to do during the summer. I felt like I wasn’t able to get a compact, tangible definition of my work. However, after doing some research and communicating with my supervisor, I feel like I have a meaningful, solid idea of what my goals and deliverables are. 

A crucial aspect that any great city has is great neighborhoods. The neighborhoods that surround the bustling, urban centers are what provide a sustainable foundation to a city. Neighborhoods are what help build strong communities of support for people growing up near big cities. My job involves helping make Detroit’s neighborhoods beautiful.

For anything to succeed, it is vital that the people who get the end result feel a sense of ownership in their product. That is why I am not going out and mowing lawns myself. The work I do is to provide people in the Detroit community with a stream-lined process for what they can do to improve the vacant lots or open space that they have in their neighborhoods. These vacant lots can often be an eyesore and sometimes even dangerous. The community members realize this as well, but it is difficult to know where to start because landscaping can often times be a difficult process. This is where Detroit Future City is helping out by providing several incredibly beneficial resources to the communities, starting with the Field Guide.

The Field Guide is a collection of designs that people can use when they are building their lots. These designs are organized based on characteristics such as price, difficulty, and ease of maintenance. The guide also provides a list of professional that people can call should they get stuck on a project in addition to a list of all the permits that people would have to file for should they need to. My job currently revolves around compiling all of those permits. In order to accomplish this task, I have to contact city officials and sometimes take a trip to their offices to gain a copy of the permit. I’ve enjoyed this line of work so far because it involves communication with a lot of people who know a great deal about the city. I am very excited to continue my work with this project and then return so I can see the positive changes that Detroit Future City has implemented.