Featured Stories

Farm stands and veggie vans bring Eastern Market to the people

Amy Kuras Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Amy Kuras of Urban Innovation Exchange explains how Fiona Ruddy of Eastern Market Corp. is working on programs that expand fresh food sales beyond the market district.

Detroit, Dining, Food and Drink, Sustainability

Eastern Market

How Detroit became America's greatest sports city

Matthew Lewis Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Many have heard Detroit referred to as the "City of Champions," yet few know the history behind the nickname. Now a pair of Detroiters are working to revive Detroit's status as a capital of the sporting world.

Building Communities, Detroit, Sense of Place, Sports

Detroit's newest space for growing business ideas

Aaron Mondry Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Aaron Mondry introduces a series about starting a business in Detroit through the lens of the city's newest incubator, Practice Space.

Architecture, Detroit, Education and training, Entrepreneurs, Small Business

Corktown

Brewing beer and breathing life into Corktown's boxcar building

Jon Zemke Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Batch Brewing Co., Detroit's first nanobrewery, has found a home in the former Porter Street Station, a quirky Corktown building with a boxcar attached to it.

Detroit, Entrepreneurs, Food and Drink, Redevelopment, Small Business

Corktown

Inclusive crowdfunding: Andrea Perkins and Benevolent

Amanda Lewan Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Amanda Lewan of Urban Innovation Exchange writes about how Andrea Perkins and Benevolent Detroit are connecting low-income Detroiters with resources through a unique crowdfunding platform.

Building Communities, Detroit, Fundraising, Social innovation

Designing with Detroiters: DCDC turns 20

Francis Grunow Tuesday, April 01, 2014

To celebrate Detroit Collaborative Design Center's 20th anniversary, Francis Grunow sat down with DCDC staff to discuss the Center's legacy of facilitating participatory design in the city.

Architecture, Building Communities, Detroit, Education and training, Higher Ed, Placemaking, Sense of Place, Sustainability, Transformational change

University Commons - Palmer Park

Opinion: What we really mean when we say 'The Neighborhoods'

Aaron Foley Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Aaron Foley gives his opinion on why the oft-bandied term "The Neighborhoods" needs to go.

Building Communities, Detroit, Sense of Place

Onward! New narratives for an old town

Matthew Lewis Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Matthew Lewis, Model D's new managing editor, muses about the past, present, and future of the publication.

Building Communities, Detroit, Sense of Place, Transformational change

UIX: Jacob Corvidae and EcoWorks

Amy Kuras Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Jacob Corvidae and EcoWorks are out to prove that green living is attainable for people up and down the socio-economic ladder, not just the affluent.

Detroit, Energy Efficiency, Green, Public Policy, Renewable Energy, Reuse / Rebuild, Sustainability

Open City recapped: "Starting Slow and Small"

Aaron Mondry Tuesday, March 25, 2014

What is a pop-up? The answer might seem obvious, but members of this month's panel came to an interesting conclusion: it is similar to beta testing software in that you can work out the bugs without the risk of a full launch. Aaron Mondry was there.

Detroit, Shop Local, Small Business, Social innovation

Downtown Detroit

UIX: Abir Ali and Andre Sandifer, Ali Sandifer Studio

Amy Kuras Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Meet Abir Ali and Andre Sandifer. They are the people behind Ali Sandifer Studio, a brand of modern furniture designed and built in Detroit.

Architecture, Arts, Detroit, Entrepreneurs, Small Business

Moving on, but not too far

Walter Wasacz Tuesday, March 25, 2014

This is Walter Wasacz's last issue as managing editor of Model D. He waxes sentimental about his predecessors, talks about what's next for him professionally and even declares the coming season "a summer of love."

Detroit

Immigrants translate skills, find jobs in Michigan

Global Detroit Staff Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Many immigrants and refugees in Southeast Michigan left professional careers behind when they left their native countries. Global Detroit tells us about Upwardly Global, a program that helps immigrants adapt professional skills learned abroad to the workplace in Metro Detroit.

Detroit, Education and training, Immigration, Workforce/Talent development

State of Detroit music: Entrepreneurship in the arts

Keith Owens Tuesday, March 25, 2014

A career in music is not an automatic invitation to starvation and desperation. In fact, Keith Owens tells us, it can be as stable, even as lucrative, as just about anything else out there.

Arts, Building Communities, Detroit, Education and training, Entrepreneurs, Music, Performing Arts

Reflections of an old new guy

Jim Boyle Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Our eternally youthful Detroit correspondent revisits his skinny, 25-year-old self, and name checks Dennis Archer and Spike Lee to help sort out what's next for the city. Take it away, Sir James Boyle.

Building Communities, Detroit, Lifestyle, Redevelopment, Social innovation