DFC Economic Growth Priority to Employ More Detroiters
Detroit Future City (DFC) Implementation Office’s economic growth priority is to employ more Detroiters. It is fundamental to achieve a sustainable future and an improved quality of life in Detroit. While the DFC Implementation Office does not directly create jobs, it works collaboratively with an array of partners to inform decision-making, provide crucial tools, and identify new ways to strengthen the city’s overall business environment.
Background
While Detroit has been globally recognized for its economic decline and depopulation over the last half of the 20th century, it is becoming better known for the remarkable economic resurgence that’s been generating since the recession of 2008. Detroit’s economy is being driven by entrepreneurialism and innovation with a growing presence of smaller scale enterprises. This reveals a transformational city that is rapidly leveraging its entrepreneurial spirit, anchor institutions, and industrial heritage to foster opportunities for new industries to develop and prosper.
Detroit Future City (DFC) is positioned in the center of this transformation - we provide the focus and strategy to help define value to businesses and residents to be here, identify how to use Detroit’s infrastructure thoughtfully to support economic growth, and advocate for equality in employment opportunities.
With 50 percent of Detroiters out of the active labor force, over 20 square miles of vacant land and unreliable city services, DFC recognizes that strategic actions, which connect policy and place, will have the greatest impact. To facilitate these strategic actions, the DFC Implementation Office works to fulfill the growth potential of employment districts that are identified in the DFC Strategic Framework by executing a number of relevant implementation strategies and projects.
DFC Implementation Office Economic Growth Projects
Below are a few examples of the pilot projects on which we’ve collaborated. They outline a range of activity that continues to evolve.
Other Economic Development Initiatives in the City
In addition to the DFC Implementation Office’s collaborative efforts, it’s important to also highlight the critical work being done separately by our partners across the city. These initiatives complement our objectives and align with the DFC Strategic Framework.
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DFC Tribute to Women Leaders
The Detroit Future City (DFC) Implementation Office, in partnership with University of Michigan-Dearborn, hosted an event connecting 21Detroit women leaders with college student to share stories of advancement and commitment to revitalizing Detroit.
The students interviewed the women leaders to understand what it means to lead as a woman in Detroit. The leaders explained how the unique connection women have with the city encourages collaboration not just among genders but generations, community members, and amongst newcomers and local experts. The most prominent response from the group of women is that women’s experience is imperative in Detroit moving forward.
The Detroit women who participated include Khalilah Gaston, Vanguard Community Center; Sandra Turner-Handy, Michigan Environmental Council; Sandra Yu, Strategic Initiatives; Linda Smith, USNAP-BAC; Deborah Fisher, Focus Hope; Sarida Scott, CDAD; Olga Stella, DEGC; Katy Locker, Knight Foundation; Carrie Lewand Monroe, Detroit Land Bank; Rebecca Salminen Witt; Greening of Detroit, Shamyle Dobbs; Michigan Community Resources and Christianne Smith, Urbanize PR.
Detroit Future City thanks these 21 women for not only participating in the project but being active in moving Detroit forward. The road to revitalizing Detroit isn’t an easy one but these women have taken on the task with great enthusiasm. For that DFC hopes that more women leaders in Detroit are inspired into action by their example.
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