What To Know And Where To Go In Southeast Michigan
On today's episode, we speak with Casper van Alfen and Joanna van der Leun of the Motown Movement. That's the organization founded by architecture students from the Netherlands that bought an abandoned home in Detroit for $1,000 and have been fixing it up with the help of local nonprofits and with the goal of making it into a model of accessible and affordable …
The nonprofit group Friends of the Rouge needs volunteers to help with the annual cleanup of the Rouge River. This year’s Rouge Rescue event takes place Saturday, May 18. Volunteers are needed to help remove trash and invasive plants, maintain land and water trails and plant native wildflowers. Volunteers at last year’s event cleared the equivalent of 24 pickup trucks …
As we’ve been teasing on social media and our podcast, Daily Detroit is branching out to your teevee set. Last night, our first segment aired on the Detroit Public Television program One Detroit. It’s a visit to the Plymouth headquarters of electric vehicle upstart Rivian, which rocketed out of obscurity when it debuted its eye-catching, zero-emissions SUV and pickup truck …
Detroit’s riverfront just took another major step forward. The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation — in honor of what would be Ralph C. Wilson’s 100th birthday — is making a $50 million grant to redevelop West Riverfront Park. Who gets what: $40 Million will go to the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy (a group that’s been on a roll as of late) and $10 million will go to the …
A new study says the Detroit region ranks 11th out of the top 50 U.S. metropolitan regions for clean-energy jobs. The Clean Jobs Cities ranking comes from the nonprofit organization Environmental Entrepreneurs. It says the Detroit area employs more than 95,000 people in clean, renewable and energy-efficiency jobs. Grand Rapids rounded out the list at number 50, with more …
This is your Daily Detroit News Byte For Wednesday, March 14th, 2018. Three of Detroit’s city-owned golf courses are closing A $250 million dollar fund has been set up for affordable housing I-94 on the east side of the city will be closed this weekend A former golf course over by Seven Mile may find new life as a park and development General Motors is …
Plans are in motion to install a new 1.5 acre garden that will be located in front of the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon between the bandshell and the Whitcomb Conservatory gardens. The garden will be one of collaboration between Oudolf, Belle Isle Conservancy, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The project focused group called the Oudolf Garden Detroit will …
You might not have made it over to Belle Isle State Park since the fall season has started, but if you do, you'll see that a ton of work is happening over by Lake Okonoka. A $5 million restoration project is well underway that will restore the long stagnant lake near the Belle Isle United States Coast Guard Station. When you actually get out there to see the work, …
The “10,000 Up” initiative is putting in motion Detroit’s Forestry division to plant 10,000 trees across the city. The new plantings will replace the more than 10,000 trees that have fallen “victim to wind storms, the emerald ash borer, disease or old age.” According to the city of Detroit, more than 900 trees have already been planted. The “10,000 Up” initiative, which …
I know that I have already written this weekend's City 5, but I found out about another event happening on Saturday night. The Oakland Avenue Urban Farm is hosting an event called Crop Up. It is being curated by Detroit architecture and design studio Akoaki. The Crop up is an exhibition opening party. It is exploring art, agriculture, and the cultivation of the public …
Some parts of Michigan are going to get a little greener thanks to a series of grants from the DTE Energy Foundation. All told, 29 Michigan communities will be receiving a share of the $70,110. Many of those are in the tri-county area. This tree planting grant program is sponsored by the DTE Energy Foundation in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural …
The much anticipated Beacon Park is almost ready to open to the public. The 1.5-acre park located on the west side of downtown Detroit has been under construction since last year. Today comes a time-lapse video of the construction. I've embedded the video above. The new park is located on Grand River and Cass Avenue, between the historic G.A.R. Building and the DTE Energy …
Today comes news that a $2 million grant was given to City of Detroit by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. The grant will be used to fund the design and pre-construction of all uncompleted portions of the Inner Circle Greenway (ICG), including a recently purchased Conrail railroad property, connecting together a 26 mile non-motorized path and greenway. There also will be a …
Detroit's riverfront to the east has undergone an immense transformation and has won numerous awards. Now, if all goes to plan, the West Riverfront Park will become a "world class" destination. If you're not familiar, West Riverfront Park is a 22 acre parcel between Eighth and Rosa Parks Boulevard along the Detroit riverfront, just behind the giant post office there on Fort. …
Two years ago, the city of Detroit launched their Improve Detroit App. According to city officials, over the past two years it has helped to resolve more than 70,000 issues ranging from potholes to illegal dumping and clogged street drains. This week they’ve added new functionality with a series of park-related categories of issues residents can report. They include …
Parking lots usually create a lot of water runoff that has to be then treated by sewage systems. However, the Detroit Zoo has built a new parking lot made out of “permeable pavement,” which reduces storm water runoff and filters pollutants. Permeable pavement allows for the natural absorption of water beneath the surface, prevents excess storm water from damaging sewer …
This latest project in Detroit’s North End ties neighborhood growth along with agriculture. One of the more interesting storylines in Detroit’s transformation has been the rise of urban agriculture. The variety of uses of land across the city — and what is going to happen to them long term — is constantly evolving. Totaling about three acres and nestled in a neighborhood …
Imagine what it would be like to want an apple, a pear, a banana or carrots, peas, or, yes, even broccoli, and there was no place to get them. That’s what more than 1.8 million Michigan residents, including 300,000 children, face every day, according to the Michigan Good Food Fund. They live in lower‐income communities with limited access to the fruits and vegetables they …
According to SEMCOG (The Southeast Michigan Council Of Governments), large parts of Macomb County are a lot less green that they used to be. That's due to, according to the organization, decades of loss from Dutch Elm Disease, the devastation created by the emerald ash borer, and efforts to improve in-ground infrastructure and roadways. Trees have a lot of benefits. They …
DTE Energy has plans to build a solar energy array on 10 acres of vacant public property in a west-side Detroit neighborhood. The array itself would be built on a 20-acre area of city-owned land south of I-96 at Greenfield Road known as O’Shea Playground. The site was decommissioned by the city’s recreation department in 2011 and has since been stripped and damaged by …
Renewable energy is picking up steam in Metro Detroit. Or, in this case, picking up the breeze. The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) will now power its operations with 100% renewable electricity from wind farms. “We continue to look for ways to reduce our ecological footprint and thank ITC for helping us to accomplish that goal,” said DZS Executive Director and CEO Ron …
In 2008, Michigan voters approved an act that legalized the use of medical marijuana in the state. Since then, more than 96,000 people in the State of Michigan have become registered patients, spawning a massive network of growers and caregivers who cultivate and sell medical marijuana, as well as retail locations who sell it, known as dispensaries. Since the bill passed the …
By now, you've probably noticed the billboards around town flaunting beautiful pictures of distant landscapes with the caption, "Shot on iPhone." Well, one of Metro Detroit's own is taking pictures so stunning that she may land herself a billboard deal in the not too distant future. Molly Tamulevich, a big hearted and unapologetic nerd for anthropoids (or bugs for us …
Green, or environmental friendly building techniques, are what's hot nationally and Metro Detroit is no exception. Oak View Hall, Oakland University’s newest 500-bed student housing complex, has been certified an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building. What’s even more exciting is that the building has Gold certification status, the second-highest …
According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, there are about 10 million acres of farmland in Michigan and the state is home to 52,194 farms. As Detroit's landscape has changed with depopulation, urban agriculture has sprung up in lots and fields across the city. Besides simply growing food, these are places to learn, teach, and spend quality …
The rise of urban gardens in historically industrial city may be a shock to many, but they’re happening, and big time. These gardens provide free or at least inexpensive food that is healthy and sustainable as well as educate children and other community members about food production and rehabilitating the local ecosystem. Along with these benefits questions also have come …
DTE Energy announced today a partnership with Domino’s Farms and Ford Motor Company to build and operate the two largest solar arrays in Michigan. DTE has started building a 1.1-megawatt photovoltaic solar array at Domino’s Farms east of Ann Arbor. The array will be completed and operational by the end of the year. The project will include over 4,000 solar panels on property …
Michigan must set attainable energy goals and look towards renewable energy sources to keep energy prices down and avoid widespread outages, said Michigan Governor Rick Snyder in a special message on energy today. The state’s new goal is to get 30 to 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources and reduced waste by 2025. “Decisions we make in the coming years will keep …
The weather is finally getting warmer, and dreams of having fun on the bikes and trails this season are soon starting to become reality. Detroit is getting better for bikes and trails every day. As the Executive Director of the Detroit Greenways Coalition, I thought I'd take the time to share with you a few important bike and trail projects. Let’s start by saying it’s not easy …
Sometimes, it's really easy to help a cause. In this case, just a click. Detroit's Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is in competition with three other cities for a $40,000 Urban Farming Grant from Scott's Miracle Gro. The grant would a fund a Children's Sensory Garden in Detroit's New Center neighborhood. The grant is part of a commitment to garden and green space …
Internationally recognized, Spanish-born and currently residing in New York City, graffiti artists and twin brothers How and Nosm (Raoul and Davide Perre) are coming to Detroit. Work should start, according to the AP, sometime next week on a 186 foot by 40 foot wall on the side of Quicken Loans headquarters in downtown Detroit. It’ll be …
