ICT4Detroit: Examples of Using the Internet and Related ICTs for Detroit's Development

As its leaders and citizens contend with the nation’s largest-ever municipal bankruptcy, the city of Detroit is emerging as a test bed for creative initiatives aimed at reversing the city’s longstanding decline. While the depth and dimensions of Detroit’s challenges may be historically unique, so too is the potential for leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) to support the city’s revitalization. While the most common manifestation of this potential today appears to be websites for information sharing, some initiatives point the way toward more ambitious and higher-impact uses of ICT. For example, the Motor City Mapping project supports collaborative data collection, analysis and blight remediation activity that involves public agencies, local businesses, foundations, as well as ICT-empowered citizens and neighborhood groups.This document is intended to provide an initial step toward understanding the current and potential role of ICT in supporting Detroit’s revitalization efforts. It contains information about nearly 150 organizations and projects focused on one or more aspect of Detroit’s revitalization. The bulk of this information is in the form of minimally-edited excerpts from their web sites. Links to the web sites are included as a means to find additional information on those of interest. The primary method used to identify these organizations was Google web searches using keywords such as “Detroit revitalization,” supplemented by a form of “snowball sampling” that made use of web site references and links to other organizations and initiatives. Though the result is certainly not a complete list of such initiatives, an effort was made to identify at least a few in each major area of revitalization (e.g., blight removal, economic development, education, healthcare, job training, etc.) As we learn of additional ICT projects for Detroit, we plan to add to this evolving document.