Week Three: Out and About

In the two and a half weeks I’ve been with Detroit Future City, I learned that the office is pretty understaffed. Everyone there is incredibly smart, dedicated, and more than capable, but I have begun to notice the long hours everyone puts in. The ten people who make up the Detroit Future City implementation office definitely put in work every single day.

Partially because the office is so small but the workload is so large, Detroit Future City often works in coordination with other community organizations that are well-established and have a deep connection to communities. This helps Detroit Future City cooperate with organizations that have experience in similar fields, extra resources to pool together, and the respect of the communities.

As a new member of Detroit Future City, I have been sitting in on many meetings with community development organizations, city officials, and other community stakeholders. I have contributed almost nothing to these meetings, but they’re my favorite part of the job so far because I learn so much. Everyone we meet is so knowledgeable in their respective field, and just listening to them talk is just like a class taught by an expert.

But perhaps the best way of getting out and understanding the communities we are working with is to simply go outside and walk the neighborhoods. And that is exactly what I did last Friday. Along with two other interns, we set out to spend the entire day walking through Woodbridge, North Corktown, Brush Park, and North End. Our mission was simply to make observations about open space we see in the neighborhoods, but it also allowed us to gain a more nuanced understanding of the open space situation in Detroit.

We learned that open space really can – and should – be an asset to each community. From community gardens and public art displays, some neighborhoods utilized open space in way that improved them by adding something special and unique to their community. On the other hand, we saw some lots in other neighborhoods that would likely be viewed as liabilities, vacant land, or blight. But with the beautiful uses of open space still fresh in my mind, I couldn’t help but see it as potential.

The sense of optimism and potential, I think, is what fuels the late nights everyone at Detroit Future City – and undoubtedly at all the community organizations we work with too. This also put into perspective all the meetings I’ve been going to. All the conversations about seemingly minor details and people absolutely adamant about specific details finally made sense to me. Everyone saw the potential and therefore had the passion and poise to stand strong for what their community wanted and needed.

That was the best day I’ve had so far. But I wouldn’t be shocked if next week that is no longer the case.