DETROIT – Design Core, the College for Creative Studies, and Connect313 are proud to announce the six teams of the 2021 City of Design Challenge. In its first year, the City of Design Challenge is a program that invites designers, residents, policymakers, and other community stakeholders to collaborate on projects that improve the quality of life for city residents.

With funding, professional development, and a wide array of other resources, the 6 selected teams will conceptualize new ways to deliver public services, both physically and digitally, in Detroit’s community spaces in a more flexible, innovative, and resident-centered way.

The 2021 teams include:

18th Street Design-Build Green Tech Hub by Tanya Saldivar-Ali, Luis Ali, Sean Lewis, & Rachel Harb aim to launch a community tech-lab and online design-build resource portal to strengthen Detroit’s Design-Build Ecosystem. Follow them on Instagram here.
Crosstown Connection by DaTrice Clark, Ian Klipa, and Jacob Saphier aims to service Detroit’s Morningside community and aid in closing the digital divide by providing resources for connectivity. Follow them on Instagram here.
Underground Music Academy by Robert “Waajeed” O’Bryant, ill Weaver, and Sterling Toles is a Detroit-based community music hub, which aims to build the future leaders of electronic music through its distinctive educational curriculum and mentorship model, rooted in Detroit’s Black electronic music legacy. Follow them on Instagram here.
Detroit Wind and Water at the Freedom Freedom Growers Farm by Rukiya Colvin, Carlos Nielbock, Myrtle Thompson-Curtis, Paul Draus, and Christopher Pannier propose an innovative integration of technology, including a wind-and-solar microgrid equipped with a WiFi server, in a unique community setting that brings together urban agriculture, placemaking, and civic education. Learn more here.
CRD Community Technology Hub by Amy Fanta, Sanquise Powell, Sandra Turner, George Preston, and Boratha Tan aim to create a collaborative space serving as a library, maker space, and outdoor green space near Chalmers & Seymour on Detroit’s East Side. Learn more here.
Oakland Ave. Development by Patricia Dockery and Lendon Crosby are building a mixed-use real estate development that will feature 10 apartments and five commercial spaces which includes a technology training school to support workforce development in Detroit. Learn more here.
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