Boomtown to Black Bottom, to Bust and Back

CM credit hours for mobile workshops are awarded based on the planned dedicated instructional time. Adjustments to CM hours will not be made after the live event.

This mobile workshop reviews Detroit's beginnings and first plan, then moves into the 1920s, when soaring skyscrapers emerged, a magnificent theater district captivated audiences, and Paradise Valley evolved from a Jewish neighborhood into a thriving Black-owned business district.

Examine how urban renewal and freeway construction devastated thriving Black-owned businesses and residential communities. These actions implemented adopted master plans but displaced families, damaged economic networks, and fractured neighborhoods. Hear from a resident and business owner who witnessed much of this transformation.

Learn about past and current reconstruction efforts, including three major sports and entertainment venues and the transformative I-375 reconstruction project, which was specifically designed to repair damage to Black businesses and neighborhoods. Analyze these changes through the professional lens of the 1948 AIP and 2026 AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and essential questions posed in PAS Memo 110: "Who Benefits? Who is Harmed? Who is Missing?"

See how planning decisions create lasting impacts across generations and communities, and gain insights into creating more equitable urban futures.