Solar-powered DJ sets, wind turbines, and a do-it-yourself auto repair shop are a few projects sharing in $115,000 worth of grants from Design Core Detroit.
Detroit is the first and only United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) City of Design in the United States and one of 40 cities worldwide recognized for using design to improve people’s lives. Each year, Design Core Detroit, a steward of UNESCO and part of the College for Creative Studies, awards money through its City of Design Program to increase impact by marrying resources with innovative community-led initiatives. Each group received between $5,000 and $20,000 toward its project.
This year’s theme centered on land use and sustainability to address community displacement as well as divestment from dependence on fossil fuels for entertainment, farming, and community engagement.
The Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation was one of seven projects selected this month for the program. It received $5,000 to turn three vacant lots into a native meadow and perennial gardens with wind turbines and solar panels. The lots are adjacent to the Hub, a community resilience center created by the group in 2020.
Amanda Paige, director of programs for the neighborhood development corporation, said the money will be used to purchase and install solar panels and native plants.
“Our overall design is to make that one cohesive space,” said Paige, adding blending in native plants will demonstrate not just beauty and a tidy garden aesthetic, but functionality for people with mobility issues.
The electricity generated from the solar panels and wind turbines will power a refrigerator to provide meals and food for the community, and power outdoor events, equipment, and lighting.
Other projects chosen were:
–JOY Project’s biofueled community kitchen as a part of an emergency response hub for neighbors. The project helps neighbors manage power outages and a lack of steady water supply with the kitchen site also equipped with a water filtration system to catch and reuse rainwater.
–Solar Party Detroit’s conversion of a portion of a former automotive shop into a DJ booth for its solar-powered DJ mission. The women-owned company works to deepen the community’s knowledge of solar energy to help align the music industry with climate solutions.
–Fennigan’s Farms models disaster relief stations to provide areas facing evacuation or emergency with sustainable methods for securing food, lodging and community gathering spaces. The designs use solar power, shipping containers, rainwater catch basins and soil remediation techniques to provide food, water, electricity and housing for up to 50 people per camp, exemplifying solutions applicable to the nationwide food freedom movement.
–McDougall-Hunt Social Off-grid Urban Landscape initiative to turn three vacant lots into a native meadow and perennial gardens with wind turbines and solar panels. The elements contribute to cooling the landscape, generating renewable energy and enhancing the existing programming, housing, food and financial assistance, workforce training and disaster preparedness they offer to Detroiters.
–Canfield Consortium’s innovation hub will be a community-owned coffee shop and meeting space. The site will offer three floors of meeting space and a large outdoor lawn for events, art shows and community gardens. It will serve as the site of Canfield Consortium’s monthly meetings and will operate on a food pantry model for East Canfield neighbors thanks to partnerships with Sanctuary Farms and Goodr.
Urban Acupuncture has plans for a user-friendly app to provide data on flooding, urban heat islands, tree coverage, crime, street lighting and other factors that will assist with community priorities and strategies.
–Motor City Self Auto Repair’s creation of a do-it-yourself space for Detroiters to maintain, repair and restore their vehicles with shared resources like a vehicle lift, oil drain and caddy, and other tools. Motor City Self Auto Repair will give residents and metro Detroiters a safe space for their own auto repair needs, while encouraging self-sufficiency and accessible transportation among neighbors, mechanics and others in the auto industry.
Before receiving funding each group was required to participate in a series of workshops and presentations.
Bonnie Fahoome, co-executive director of Design Core, said the program cultivated a collaborative space for the groups to gather and strategize next steps.
“We are proud to support the longevity of a wide range of projects building community resiliency through innovative and engaging solutions for the specific needs of their neighborhoods,” Fahoome said in a press release. “We are excited that the work of each project, at whatever stage of development it is currently in, will contribute models of off-grid and renewable resources for urban environments facing similar challenges.”
In September, the groups will present at an event during the Detroit Month of Design: a month of art installations, workshops, talks, and parties around the city.
