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Mobile Workshop Submission

Inclusive Planning for Social Change

Detroit's Civic Commons: Building Trust Through Equitable Redevelopment

Saturday, April 25, 2026

10:30 AM - 5:00 PM CT

Location: Mobile Workshop Departure Area

CM: 4

Ticket Price: $95

Lead Mobile Workshop Coordinator(s)

Alexa Bush

Advisor
City of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan

Mobile Workshop Guide(s)

KT

Kim Tandy
CM

Caitlin Murphy

Live6 Alliance
JR

Jermaine Ruffin

Invest Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Bridget Marquis (she/her/hers)

Director
Reimagining the Civic Commons |U3 Advisors
Boston, Massachusetts

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 presentation addresses Detroit's economic recovery. Topics include:

Contending with municipal bankruptcy;

Disinvestment driven by federal policy and the Great Recession in a majority Black neighborhood;

Rebuilding trust and civic capacity;

Overcoming a scarcity mindset;

Building multi-sector partnerships to leverage limited resources and use unique funding sources; and

Building a metrics framework to track outcomes and accountability.

Visit a commercial corridor that was experiencing a high level of commercial vacancy, a large number of residential homes in public ownership after tax and mortgage foreclosure, a street designed for cars at the expense of pedestrian safety, and scarce public spaces.

Find out how a team took a holistic approach to real estate development, the public realm, and quality of life improvements needed to strengthen a distressed market and enhance opportunities for public life. Presenters cover projects, partnerships, approaches to funding, community and civic engagement, and measurement tools.Visit an economic redevelopment project in a majority Black neighborhood that has improved public spaces, supported Black-owned entrepreneurs and developers, and strengthened a challenged housing market without creating displacement. It is an important project that demonstrates how intentional investment can rebuild Black wealth, economic opportunity, and trust.

Learning Objectives:

Understand how multi-sector collaboration can create equitable economic recovery through intentional partnerships and strategy.
Use a new measurement framework that focuses on building trust among residents, local government, and nonprofit partners as an important tool in inclusive economic development.
Explain how a multi-asset approach to economic development in less-dense neighborhoods improves outcomes by simultaneously considering housing, public space, streets, and commercial and real estate investment and policy.