Community action/Detroit
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Detroit.
News
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Recent Canadian wildfires are record-breaking – and will threaten US air quality for days, Eric Holthaus, theguardian.com (May 30, 2025)
- Michigan accuses big oil of being ‘cartel’ that fuels climate crisis and high energy costs, theguardian.com (Feb 05, 2026) — In first-of-its-kind complaint, state accused four fossil fuel majors and US oil lobbying group of climate disinformation
- New grant program asks residents to ‘throw shade,’ foster climate resiliency in Flint, flintbeat.com (Aug 02, 2023)
- Over 80% of All US Voters Support Ending Dark Money’s Grip on Democracy, commondreams.org (Jun 04, 2026)
- Eva v Goliath: the 20-year-old climate activist taking on Trump and the fossil fuel industry, theguardian.com (May 20, 2026)
- Meet the Americans who choose to live without a car in the US: ‘It takes some doing’, theguardian.com (May 08, 2026)
- Collaborative Finance (CoFi): rethinking finance for the commons, growingcommons.substack.com (Jun 07, 2026) — What finance looks like when communities build and govern it themselves, Michel Rauchs
- Radical change can lead to a fairer and greener world, says new report, positive.news (Jun 04, 2026) — A major new study argues that rising living standards, shorter working hours and a liveable climate are not competing dreams, but parts of the same future – if the world is willing to tackle extreme inequality
- Dutch kids declared the world’s happiest (again). Here’s why, positive.news (Jun 02, 2026) — Dutch children are consistently ranked the happiest kids in the developed world. What is the Netherlands getting right? And does the humble bike have something to do with it?
Networks and sustainability intiatives
[edit | edit source]International events
[edit | edit source]Global or International events
July 2026 — Plastic Free July, plasticfreejuly.org- Jul 04, 2026 (Sat) — International Day of Cooperatives (CoopsDay), 1st Saturday of July. The celebration aims to showcase co-operatives’ role in building ‘inclusive, resilient, and sustainable communities’, coopsday.coop
- Jul 18, 2026 (Sat) — Mandela Day, global celebration 18 July annually, to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. A call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to take time to reflect on Mandela's values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities, mandeladay.com
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Each week 3 different short videos from across the world.
Community networks, Community action/Philippines, Arts, sport and culture / ...This week's featured UK videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
Detroit video
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Community involvement
[edit | edit source]- Lower Eastside Action Plan, Detroit. Community-driven project designed to engage people in a process to transform vacant land and property into uses that improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and surrounding areas. LEAP on facebook
- Pedal to Porch
- Detroit SeeClickFix, for reporting community issues to the city
Food activism
[edit | edit source]City Commons, cooperative of Detroit farms - Detroit Black Community Food Security Network - Detroit Dirt, compost company working to turn forgotten parcels of land in Detroit into urban farms that not only feed, but revitalize community - Detroit Food Policy Council - Earthworks Urban Farm
Community resources
[edit | edit source]- Citizens data initiative: DetroitData, Collaborate, compile, and share open data for effective community-based decision making in Detroit.
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
[edit | edit source]Sharing
[edit | edit source]Maps: Detroit Solidarity Economy v2
Sustainable transport
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The QLINE is a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) streetcar system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 2017, it connects Downtown Detroit with Midtown and New Center, running along Woodward Avenue for its entire route. It is supplemented by the Detroit People Mover, which serves as a circulator route in downtown Detroit, and also connects to the DDOT and SMART bus routes as part of a comprehensive network of transportation in metropolitan Detroit.
Cycling activism
[edit | edit source]- Detroit Greenways Coalition, Advocating for better bicycling and trails since 2007
- Slow Roll Detroit
- Let's ride, Detroit, MoGo, Metro Detroit's non-profit bike-share organization
Detroit is flat with an extensive road network and a number of recreational and competitive opportunities for cycling. The city has invested in greenways and bike lanes and other bicycle-friendly infrastructure. Bike rental is available from the riverfront and tours of the city's architecture can be booked.
The city has a cycling heritage, and first embraced cycling during the "golden age" of the 1890s.
Cycling Maps
- SEMCOG publishes various walking and cycling maps including the Southeast Michigan Regional Map for the region around Detroit.
- OpenStreetMap offers a cycling map view for the city and elsewhere.
- Google Maps also offers a cycling map view for the city and elsewhere.
- The Detroit Greenways Coalition has an on-line Detroit Bike+Parking Map, which is the Google cycling map overlaid with bike parking locations. W
Open spaces
[edit | edit source]Detroit RiverFront Conservancy
Trees, woodland and forest
[edit | edit source]The Greening of Detroit is a 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental organization whose mission is to inspire the sustainable growth of a healthy urban community through trees, green spaces, healthy living, education, training and job opportunities. The Greening serves communities in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck, Michigan.
News archive
[edit | edit source]- Eco-friendly 'green' district launched in Detroit, Jun 7, 2017...@detroitnews
- Detroit Imagines a Citizen-Led Smart City, May 31, 2017...citylab.com
- Public, not private, interests now rule riverfront plan, Mar 11, 2017...@freep
- Re-imagining the Civic Commons: A 21st Century Vision for Detroit, Feb 15, 2017...civiccommons.us
- Detroit's new LED streetlight network is illuminating the city while cutting its emissions, Jan 25, 2017...fastcoexist.com
- The Detroit Collective That Fuses Cycling and Storytelling, Dec 2, 2016...citylab.com
- America's first sustainable urban agrihood is growing in Detroit, Dec 1, 2016...@CurbedDetroit
- Detroit Vacant Lots Make Room for Green Stormwater Design, Jun 9, 2016...Next City
- Banding Together to Build a Better CSA, November 10, 2015...resilience.org
- Why bike commuting is taking off in the nation's car capital, October 27, 2015...FastCoExist
- Saying Goodbye to Grace Lee Boggs, October 6, 2015...YES! Magazine
- Open-source Mapping Supports Social Justice Work in Detroit, September 16, 2015...Shareable
- How This Woman Is Helping Revitalize Detroit, One Garden At A Time, June 4, 2015...huffingtonpost.com
- Can soup change the world? March 13, 2015...BBC News
- A brief introduction to Detroit's civic tech ecosystem, September 30, 2014...modeldmedia.com
- Detroit: Citizen-led growth, May 1, 2014..NewStart
- World's largest urban farm planned for the city of Detroit, Hantz Farms, April 2, 2009
About Detroit
[edit | edit source]In the 2010s, several initiatives were taken by Detroit's citizens and new inhabitants to improve the cityscape by renovating and revitalising neighbourhoods. Such include the Motor City Blight Busters W and various urban gardening movements. W
Planning and development in Detroit includes efforts aimed at enhancing Detroit's economy and quality of life. In 1970, the private group "Detroit Renaissance" began to facilitate development in the city, while its successor, Business Leaders for Michigan, has continued to facilitate development into the 21st century. Projects have included new commercial facilities, revitalization of neighborhoods, hospitality infrastructure, and improvements to recreational and public facilities, such as the QLine. W
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2017–2025). "Community action/Detroit". Appropedia. Retrieved June 24, 2026. |