Northeast Detroit residents showcase early results in efforts to restore District 3

Spanning Woodward Avenue to Kelley Road along Eight Mile, District 3 is undergoing a project to present the region in a new light.

Restore Northeast Detroit (Restore NED) and Allied Media Projects have collaborated for the past 18 months through a project named Create Northeast Detroit (Create NED) where residents have taken it upon themselves to renovate the under-resourced areas of District 3.

ArtPlace America, a nationwide organization that helps plan communities, gave a $500,000 grant to the project. From this larger grant, 20 smaller ones were distributed to various projects. 

There has been an effort to restore vacant parcels into greenspace. Computer classes will be offered. In the warmer months, festivals, mural paintings, and farmers markets will be organized in the new and improved green areas. With the help of residents, a newspaper was created, a website, and a logo to publicize their projects and keep the city updated on these positive developments.

[Read our feature on the efforts of Restore NED]

To give people the chance to see the positive side of Detroit, a bus tour was led to not only show area's history, but to let people see how it has been beautified.

According to the project, these are just initial steps. The work of Restore NED will likely continue for years to come. 

Watch the video below for more information on the project. 

Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.

Read more articles by Chanel Stitt.

Chanel Stitt is a Model D editorial intern and currently studying journalism at U-M Dearborn.