Detroit Innovation

Since early 2017, as part of our "Detroit Innovation" series, Model D and the New Economy Initiative have been identifying and telling the stories of neighborhood residents pursuing projects that address local needs, often without much financial or technical assistance. These are people creating parks where there were once abandoned houses, helping those with few resources access solar technology, telling local stories through puppet theater, and much more.

The map above showcases where these people are located. As you can see, every corner of the city is filled with these amazing individuals.

And we're not done identifying talent. Are you pursuing a project whose story should be told? Do you know someone who is? Please join us at one of our quarterly listening sessions. Or fill out this nomination form. Maybe you, your neighbor, your friend or family member will be the next person on our innovator map.

Ron Matten

Focus Hope Neighborhood

The workday is to support Matten's initiative in Dexter Linwood Cordon, an eight-block area where he has installed a butterfly habitat and is working on an extensive community garden/gathering space that he hopes will connect the neighborhood with a ribbon-like

Daniel Washington

ORIGINAL CREATIVITY

A lifelong resident of NW Goldberg, Washington founded ORIGINAL CREATIVITY to both solve immediate challenges NW Goldberg residents are facing and help create longterm neighborhood resiliency.

Juan Shannon

A lifelong resident of Highland Park, Shannon is trying to start Parker Village, a smart neighborhood and urban farming operation in his hometown.

Rev. Joan Ross

Ross, who has been an active force for positive transformation in Detroit's North End neighborhood for well over a decade, also started the community radio station WNUC 96.7, which offers a variety of neighborhood-focused programming.

Jayesh Patel

Street Outreach Court Detroit

Patel helped launch Street Outreach Court Detroit, a homeless court which takes place once a month at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and allows homeless or at-risk-of homelessness individuals to get civil infractions and misdemeanors resolved.

Tammy Black

Manistique Community Treehouse

Tammy Black is working to build a 400-square-foot, ADA-compliant treehouse for occupational therapy, counseling, and education in her Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.

Tom Nardone

Tom Nardone and his son, along with a handful of other volunteers, have been navigating the waters surrounding Zug Island on the Detroit River near Delray picking up plastic and other trash floating in the surf.

Samantha Magdaleno

One Michigan for Immigrant Rights

Samantha Magdaleno has been an activist for almost her entire life. Today she's a director at One Michigan, which provides resources to immigrant communities and supports those involved in deportation cases.

Rafael Wright and Megan Burritt

Neighborhood Grocery

The two entrepreneurs are looking to start Neighborhood Grocery, a small-scale grocery with a hyper-local focus, which they hope will create jobs and contribute to the community's wealth.

Lee Gaddis

Gaddis' innovative gaming table, which has been sold all over the world, has turned into much more than just a tool for gamers. It's also become a way to create jobs and educate youth in history.

Mose Primus

Yorkshire Woods Community Organization

A tireless advocate for his little community, Primus has helped get funding and volunteers to beautify Yorkshire Woods through the creation of a park, venue, and gardens.

Luis Ali and Tanya Saldivar-Ali

AGI Construction

AGI Construction, founded by two southwest Detroit residents, is a general contractor that's especially intentional about projects it undertakes and the social value added.

Ali Dirul

Ryter Cooperative Industries

Founded by Dirul, Ryter Cooperative Industries specializes in energy-oriented engineering. It takes special pride in finding ways to make those resources useful and accessible to community residents and organizations.

Quiana Broden

Cooking with Que

Broden writes her popular food blog Cooking with Que, and recently opened The Kitchen, a culinary hub will host classes and meals, and be utilized a shared-space kitchen for her and other chefs interested in catering or events.

Namira Islam

Started by Namira Islam, MuslimARC is a faith-based human rights organization focused on addressing racial justice through education, outreach, and advocacy.

Alex Fluegel and Jalyn Spencer-Harris

Detroit Mama Hub

Spencer-Harris and Fluegel joined forces to establish Detroit Mama Hub, a community offering support and education to moms-to-be and mothers of babies and young children.

Timothy Paule and Nicole Lindsey

Paule and Lindsey started Detroit Hives to vacant lots into bee farms for the conservation of honeybees and to educate our communities and local schools about bees and their contribution to the environment.

Rebecca "Bucky" Willis

Bleeding Heart Design

Willis promotes social change through human-centered design, architecture, and public art projects with her nonprofit, Bleeding Heart Design.

Pastor Barry Randolph

Church of the Messiah

Pastor of a non-traditional episcopal church in the Islandview neighborhood, Randolph has opened it up for a number of non-religious activities and programs, such as business incubation and skill building.

Chase Cantrell

Building Community Value

Cantrell started Building Community Value, whose main program is a three-month course in development designed primarily for people who have traditionally been left out of the development process.

Ezekiel Harris

MACC Development

Harris is the executive director of MACC Development, a place-based CDC operating on the Mack Avenue corridor that built The Commons, a combination laundromat, coffee shop, and community space.

Jackson Koeppel

Soulardarity is a membership-based nonprofit that installs solar-powered street lights. It is based in Highland Park, a city that had almost all of its street lights repossessed by DTE.

Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris

After her son died in a hit and run accident, Mama Shu felt driven to create Avalon Village, a sustainable, multi-block eco-development, in her hometown of Highland Park.

Carrie Morris

Carrie Morris has brought her vision and passion for theatre and puppetry to the Detroit/Hamtramck neighborhood known as Bangaltown, where the CMAP house on Carpenter exists as a venue, studio, park, and community space.

Amanda Alexander

Detroit Justice Center

The nonprofit provides traditional community legal services to underserved Detroiters. It also supports other organizations in this effort and promotes "just city" initiatives with the ultimate goal of creating a more equitable Detroit.

Sponsored By

Copyright © Issue Media Group. All rights reserved.