Fire and blight have left more than a few holes in metro Detroit's neighborhoods. AfterHouse has an idea for a temporary solution: below-ground greenhouses. The organization, inspired by South American farmers who build subterranean 'walipinis' to grow crops year-round, is using a burnt-out house in Detroit as its prototype.
Metro Detroit's city councils and commissions are mostly composed of older citizens. This tends to limit the interests and experiences of those charting their community's future. Metromode's Patrick Dunn went in search of a few municipally-minded Millennials to ask what got them involved and how others of their generation might follow suit.
From Dearborn to New York City and back to metro Detroit, Saladin Ahmed is a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated author who has found just the right balance of family life and creative connection.
Some tweens spend their free time playing XBox and Minecraft while others launch their own start-ups. From business cards to elevator pitches, serial entrepreneur Thanh Tran wants his Kidpreneur program to teach its middle school magnates both the thrill of success and the educational value of failure.
Suburban sprawl has led to a new generation of children being driven to school instead of walking or biking. But with Michigan's Safe Routes to Schools program funding sidewalks and other infrastructure, walking and biking are the new educational path.
To some, fringe theater is a kind of creative canary in the coalmine, a clue as to whether your art scene offers a nurturing environment for performing artists to experiment and explore. So, how does metro Detroit stack up? Metromode's Patrick Dunn checks in with a handful of local companies to get the lay of the land.
Before the lights, camera and action there is the script. And so there must also be the screenwriter. Believe it or not, Metro Detroit has a few of them. And some have managed to forge a successful career in Hollywood while calling the Mitten their home.
Caitlin James went from Peace Corps worker to successful entrepreneur in less than three years. And she's yet to cross her thirtieth birthday. Partnered with her four sisters and mentored by Garden Fresh's George Vutetakis, James has turned DROUGHT Juice into the local food business to watch.
Why do athletes who struggle in the classroom succeed on the playing field? Could it be because the coach is there to guide them every step of the way? What if that same approach was applied to academics? That's what Clintondale's Flipped program did - with remarkable success.
Sometimes it's not about adding to what you've got but making the most of what you have. For nearly a decade the Michigan Suburbs Alliance has helped metro Detroit communities to redevelop their existing assets. Now, the program is being adopted by the MEDC in order to go state-wide, and they're discovering that regional cooperation is a key component for success.
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