Southwest : Features

For years, Detroiters had a hard time getting reliable data in a digestible format. But thanks to greater transparency from city government, and the work of a host of other companies and organizations, access to data has never been better. 

In the second installment of our series on solutions to regional issues, we explore how cities and community groups are helping Metro Detroit's immigrants overcome the many challenges they face when coming to America. 

Even as demographics shift and preferences change, most Metro Detroit developers are sticking with a familiar playbook of detached single family homes. But a few intrepid builders are testing the waters with "missing middle" housing.

Metro Detroiters have been living with urban sprawl for more than a generation. Patrick Dunn dives into one of our region's most controversial topics in this first installment of our series on solutions to regional issues. 

In part two of Biking Lake Michigan, writer Mark Wedel tackles some of the political realities surrounding biking in Michigan.

Pashon Murray, co-founder of Detroit Dirt, has visited the White House, been featured in a Ford commercial, and written about in national magazines. All this publicity has been great for her composting business, but it hasn't come without difficulties.

In recent years, there's been a proliferation of art galleries in Detroit. While that's mostly been a positive, it does come with some caveats. 

The resident-driven grant program, Community Connections, has helped fund numerous initiatives focused on uplifting Detroit's youth. 

Former Model D managing editor Walter Wasacz reflects on the changes he's witnessed in the last decade in Detroit, and how to harness the power of P-Funk to inspire your own. 

Slow Roll, a weekly bike ride through a Detroit neighborhood that attracts thousands of riders, is ostensibly a casual affair meant to engender good will between cyclists and residents. But, as Mickey Lyons writes, recent rides have accomplished the exact opposite. 

This year marks an important milestone for Allied Media Conference, a nationally-significant conference that that utilizes media and technology to advance social justice. 10 years ago, AMC relocated to Detroit, a move that ushered in significant changes.

The refleX line will link city and suburbs with express bus service. Some see it as a big step forward for regional transit, others say the money could be better spent elsewhere. 

Community organizers and entrepreneurs have more choice than ever when it comes to asking the public for funding. But is the landscape getting 'crowded'? Nina Ignaczak digs in to find out what's going on in the world of civic crowdfunding in Detroit.

How much can you really clean up and restore waterways that have been subjected to more than a century of intense industrialization and urbanization? In the case of the Rouge and Detroit rivers, there has been definite progress.

More than 50 years before Dutch elm disease, a treacherous caterpillar pest spurred the city to action on an ambitious plan for its street trees.