Name: A new vision for rebuilding Detroit
Uploaded: 2013-12-16T15:58:42Z
Duration: 11 min 35 s
Description: Once the powerhouse of America's industrial might, Detroit is more recently known in the popular imagination as a fabulous ruin, crumbling and bankrupt. But city planner Toni Griffin asks us to look again -- and to imagine an entrepreneurial future for the city's 700,000 residents.

Once the powerhouse of America's industrial might, Detroit is more recently known in the popular imagination as a fabulous ruin, crumbling and bankrupt. But city planner Toni Griffin asks us to look again -- and to imagine an entrepreneurial future for the city's 700,000 residents.

A new vision for rebuilding Detroit

Detroit, once a symbol of American industry, lost 60 percent of its population over sixty years, leaving behind 80,000 vacant homes and 100,000 empty lots. As the city wrestled with bankruptcy and decline, community voices demanded both justice and opportunity for those who remained. Instead of simply restoring old neighborhoods or embracing urban agriculture alone, a new vision emerged: channeling vacant space into hubs for entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive growth. Detroit’s story offers hope that reinvention can honor both history and the dreams of future generations.