Reggie Duerst

As I reread through my first DCERP blog post, I find myself to be pleasantly surprised. Sure, I could have gone into more detail about expectations or hopes, but overall my former predictions have transformed into key takeaways — a couple of which I’ve already written about! My definition of community has stayed relatively the […]

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about changes. I’ve finished the first draft of my “report” on Clark Park, so now I’m making revisions. I’m also thinking through ways to adjust my presentation for the showcase. And, importantly, I’m preparing to majorly change my daily routine: to say “goodbye for now” to my desk at

At Week 7, it’s hard to separate parts of DCERP. In fact, planning for the Showcase has shown me that all of these themes — community, leadership, Detroit identity, wholistic planning and organizing, research, my site, and so much more — will only continue to criss-cross and converge with time. That’s why the prompt regarding

20 Things I’m Thankful for in DCERP Thus Far (in no clear order): 1. Introductions and welcomes at Clark Park2. Greenspace in the city a. (including:) dorm courtyards for soccer and chit chat b. basketball courts out and about c. some cool, cool urban farms d. bikeability3. When people tell me a story (extra points

I may be naive, but I didn’t expect to be reaching out to people so frequently — and in such a variety of forms — this summer. Today, for instance, I attended one Zoom meeting, picked up between 4 and 7 phone calls, and sent and received over 10 emails. Such back-and-forth can be overwhelming

One thing that has surprised me after reading the Detroit sections of “How to Kill a City” is just how quickly gentrification occurs. Yes, it is often built on years of systemically-racist laws and regulations, and yes, it consists of constant development pushing and pulling for city “improvements,” changing a neighborhood piece by piece. But

Detroit is big. And it also can be small. It’s difficult to categorize. Somehow, the city is both expansive and reachable, unknown and familiar. One takeaway from the first few weeks which I didn’t expect to have was how different the neighborhoods of Detroit are. Writing this feels a bit naive — I’ve been to other

Clark Park is named for John P. Clark, who deeded roughly 23 acres to the City at the end of the 19th Century for a community space. It sits between Clark Avenue and Scotten Street, Vernor Highway and the Fisher Freeway. The past two weeks have introduced me to much more than a name or