Although attracting retail brands remains a struggle for Detroit, UM researchers write on how city leaders can take on multiple approaches to address this issue.
The Conversation
The Conversation is a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good. We publish trustworthy and informative articles written by academic experts for the general public and edited by our team of journalists.
Posted inGuest Commentary, Political and Public Policy Information
Detroit wants to elevate youth voices in leadership – that means giving them real power
Youth violence prevention researcher writes “there are many ways to fail at youth partnerships. I have learned that the hard way.”
Posted inPolice & Public Safety
When a police officer is shot, how they get to the hospital depends on the city – and Philadelphia stands apart
In many U.S. cities there is a striking contrast between how injured police officers and injured civilians are taken to hospitals.
Posted inHousing
Deed fraud can cause vulnerable Detroiters to lose their homes – here’s why it’s hard to catch the thieves
In Detroit, deed fraud may be particularly prevalent because so many housing deals are made in cash and many properties owe back taxes.
Posted inEnvironment
Who is allowed to walk on the beach? It depends on where you live
Indiana, Michigan and New York have uniformly recognized the legal right to walk on Great Lakes beaches at the low-water mark.
Posted inPolice & Public Safety
Detroit is spending millions on gunshot detection tech – is it an effective tool in the fight against violent crime?
Divya Ramjee and Tian An Wong are part of a team of researchers who studied the effectiveness of gunshot detection technology in Detroit during its first two years.
Posted inArts & Culture, Guest Commentary
Motown’s Black women songwriters and producers were invisible architects behind pop music juggernaut
While women mostly worked in administrative roles at Motown, there still weren’t any female full-time, in-house songwriters and producers. Like the rest of the music industry back then, Motown’s internal structure was patriarchal.
Posted inHousing, Political and Public Policy Information
Detroit’s high property taxes are driving a housing affordability crisis – how can city leaders bring down costs?
Detroiters paid the highest effective property tax rate among major cities in the United States at 3.02% in 2024, according to a study from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Posted inGuest Commentary, Health and Welfare, Political and Public Policy Information
New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire
Under the stricter new rules, all retailers accepting SNAP as payment must sell at least seven kinds of food in each of those four categories.
Posted inHealth and Welfare, Political and Public Policy Information
Detroit’s water affordability crisis is tied to the uneven distribution of stormwater management costs – a fraught history explains why
Utility bills are the primary source of revenue for public water and wastewater systems. Yet both the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, or DWSD, and GLWA are caught in what utility experts call an affordability gap.