Woodbridge : Features

Essayist Keith Owens says Detroit needs to polish off its 'international gold standard' as a music city and re-emerge as a creative powerhouse to rival Memphis and New Orleans, at the very least. Let's start by helping to keep local talent in the city, he says. 

We're excited to partner again with the Revitalization and Business Conference on Dec. 6. Presented by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, "IdeaLab" is a fast-paced, two-hour session with a stellar line-up of Detroit innovators.

Living without a car has never been easy in Detroit. But with Zipcar’s recent launch of a fleet of 40 vehicles across the city, the car-free dream just got a little easier. Nina Ignaczak looks at how the program works, Marvin Shaouni shows us visual proof.

This year's riders surpassed last year's total by 500. Proceeds from the Tour and other biking events held by the non-profit organization support the planning and implementation of greenways across the City of Detroit. Nina Ignaczak recaps.

A dozen years after forming, the Tour de Troit has evolved from a small, leisurely group ride into an annual juggernaut attracting over 5,000 cyclists. Nina Ignaczak recaps the history and looks ahead as the organization forms a nonprofit to fund greenways.

Move over Marshall Mathers, respect to the memory of J Dilla, there is a new crop of Detroit artists and designers inspired by hip hop culture. Veronica Grandison follows the flow to meet the innovators making it happen now. 

U.S.-born residents join with immigrants and refugees in a spirit of unity across Michigan and the rest of the country for National Welcoming Week. Christine Sauvé of Welcoming Michigan teams up with Global Detroit for this report.

Literally a foot-to-the-pedal, dirt-inside-the-fingernails organization that helps keep playgrounds and other green spaces cut in Detroit, the Mower Gang is garnering national attention for its good work. DETROIT LIVES! produced the video. 

How many places do you have? If you're not sure, here's a recommendation: three. In this special report, we'll discover small businesses throughout Michigan that serve as "third places" for their communities, and are growing because of it. 

Public safety initiatives have been helping decrease crime numbers in greater downtown since 2009. New strategies are gaining buy-in by stakeholders in more Detroit neighborhoods. Jon Zemke reports from up the street in Woodbridge.

Law students from Brooklyn, Harvard, Virginia and Michigan schools get valuable training in a variety of civil rights issues at the Detroit office of the ACLU. They also get to know the city while they're here. Amy Kuras reports.

Celebrated animator Gary Schwartz, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker now living in Woodbridge, is one animated fellow. Tom Murray caught up with him before Schwartz left for London, where his work will be featured at the 2012 Paralympics Games in August.