© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

#MotorCityDrive: Is Detroit's Economic Engine Roaring Back To Life?

By Michel Martin
Published May 21, 2015 at 6:03 AM EDT
Murals on display across the street from the Red Bull House of Art gallery in Detroit, Mich. After the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, Detroit hopes outsiders will focus on the city's potential, not the history of conflict and crisis that has cut its population in half since 1960.
Joshua Lott
/
AFP/Getty Images
Murals on display across the street from the Red Bull House of Art gallery in Detroit, Mich. After the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, Detroit hopes outsiders will focus on the city's potential, not the history of conflict and crisis that has cut its population in half since 1960.

For generations of Americans, Detroit was the place where people made things: powerful cars, amazing architecture, beautiful music. But now Detroit is entering a new chapter. After months of often tense and difficult negotiations, Detroit is now formally out of bankruptcy. Millions of dollars of contributions from private foundations and corporations helped the city preserve its acclaimed art collection. A new generation of artists and entrepreneurs, doers and makers is calling Detroit home. So we'd like to ask, what's next? What will drive Detroit's future now? Will it be art, industry, technology — even agriculture?

Thursday night, in collaboration with member station WDET, I will be in Detroit to hear and share stories about the past, present and future of Detroit with a particular focus on the creative forces that are fueling Detroit's economy. We will ask if there are lessons the city's past and present might offer other cities as they try to entice new residents and create a brighter future for the people who live there now.

You can listen to our live audio stream and join us on Twitter and Facebook at tonight at 7 ET using #MotorCityDrive.

Editor's Note: If you are listening to the live-stream or taking part in the Twitter and Facebook chats, please take a moment to tell us about your experience. We learn from you, your feedback is important to us.

Joining us on Twitter are:

Margarita Barry @IAmYoungAmerica, founder and publisher, I Am Young America

Matt Chung @mattChung, artist, educator, communicator at @WeKnowDetroit

Hajj Flemings @HajjFlemings, Detroit entrepreneur

Angela Flournoy @AngelaFlournoy, author, The Turner House

Don Gonyea @DonGonyea, NPR correspondent, formerly Detroit bureau

Ingrid Lafleur @Ingridlafleur, art lover, Wanderlust Art tours

J. Carlisle Larsen @jcarlislelarsen, @WDET producer & reporter

Mike Moceri @mocerimike, CEO of Manulith, a 3D printing and design company

Jerome Vaughn @JVdet, @WDET news director

NPR's Davar Ardalan and Frederica Boswell will moderate from the live event using @NPRMichel.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
NPR Top Stories
Michel Martin
Michel Martin is the weekend host of All Things Considered, where she draws on her deep reporting and interviewing experience to dig in to the week's news. Outside the studio, she has also hosted "Michel Martin: Going There," an ambitious live event series in collaboration with Member Stations.
See stories by Michel Martin

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Donate
Related Content