ABOUT
The City of Design Challenge is one of our key programs that invites designers, residents, policymakers and others to collaborate around ideas that make life better for more people in Detroit and cities everywhere.
To help narrow the scope of each year's challenge and refine the call for teams, residents, activists, community leaders and stakeholders are invited to share input on their communities' priorities and opportunities.
As stewards of Detroit's UNESCO City of Design designation, Design Core Detroit recruits interdisciplinary teams of diverse artists, designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, residents, organizers, and activists to pitch their ideas for addressing that year's challenge. Selected teams are provided program training, support and funding, to further develop their ideas in ways that best serve their target neighborhood.
Learn more about a recent City of Design Challenge from 2021 participant Sydney Mantua.
For years, Detroiters have worked to adapt to many unexpected circumstances. This is not new for our community, which has experienced many shocks over time – whether environmental, health, social, or economic. Detroiters have proven their resiliency, innovation and perseverance through it all.
Design Core is launching a new City of Design Challenge to explore ways to increase community connections and unify residents in times of disruption. City of Design Challenges put the needs of existing residents at the center of innovative strategies for their neighborhoods’ future. This Challenge will explore resident driven ideas for unifying communities and building neighborhood resiliency throughout the city.
The 2023 Detroit City of Challenge is led by Design Core Detroit, in partnership with Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) and CultureSource, and made possible with financial support from the Hudson-Webber Foundation.
DESIGN CORE ANNOUNCES THE SELECTION OF SEVEN TEAMS FOR THE 2023 DETROIT CITY OF DESIGN CHALLENGE
The 2023 Finalists include:
For more information read the 2023 Challenge Brief, Community Advisory Council information, or check out our FAQs. To be notified of future 2023 Challenge announcements, sign up here.
QUESTIONS?
Contact us at challenge@designcore.org
Caitlin Murphy currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of the Live6 Alliance. She is a graduate of the Masters in Community Development program at the University of Detroit Mercy and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan’s Penny Stamps School of Art and Design. She has participated in numerous leadership development programs and fellowships including ULI’s Larson Leadership Program and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses to name a couple.
Ben Will is a Black singer/songwriter, poet, spoken word artist, community organizer, cultural curator, and actor native to Detroit, MI. As an ambassador with the US Department of State, (or the coolest dude in the room at any diplomatic function), Ben recently partnered with the US Embassy Belgium for a musical mental health tour as lead singer of The Ben Will Band. As a poet, Ben was lauded as the 2022 Motown Mic Spoken Word Artist of the Year, a 2022 Poetry Foundation Equity in Verse recipient, and opened for New York Times bestselling author Rupi Kaur. Ben serves as executive director of Motor City Sings, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization using music to remove stigma from suicide prevention for Black Detroiters. Outside of his art and activism, Ben is also the single father of a disgruntled domestic shorthair cat: Sir Brixton Black Lives Matter Alexander Cattington Williams Theee First.
Brandi Keeler, a lifelong Detroiter and multi-passionate creative, uses design-thinking to unlock the potential of individuals and organizations for meaningful change. She believes that visualization, creativity, and belonging are essential for building healthier communities and societies. With over 15 years of experience as an art director, designer, creative consultant, and brand manager, she is most passionate about mission-based projects for non-profits and change-makers. As a Designer/Researcher at Civilla, she listens, learns, ideates, and designs to support public institutions in serving marginalized folx facing unemployment. Brandi is a disabled queer mom, a hobby aerialist, and a very proud CCS alum.
Michelle Matthews learned how to drive a backhoe before she learned how to drive a car. Her father’s teachings and ups and downs as an entrepreneur inspired her career in real estate development. A self-proclaimed “community development comrade” Michelle believes that strong neighborhoods are driven by the people who call them home. She is a fierce advocate for BIPOC developers in the City of Detroit, fueled by her work at Capital Impact Partners on the Equitable Development Initiative.
Cinthya was born in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco in México. She is a long-time resident of Southwest Detroit. She obtained a B. S. in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing from Wayne State University and a Master of Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy. Throughout her undergraduate studies she devoted a lot of time to volunteering and deepened her passion for community work. Her efforts have centered on arts and culture, environmental and multiculturalism projects and initiatives. She has worked in various non-profits in the city serving families and children, inspiring people to reach their goals through mentorship and advocacy. She develops and nurtures partnerships creating networks connecting people to resources. She currently serves as the VP of the Hubbard Richard Resident Association.
Cinthya’s interests include: exploring new restaurants in the city, libraries, architecture, writing, contemplating life near a beach or body of water.
Alex B. Hill is a Research Director supporting efforts in data literacy, counter-mapping, and research justice across Michigan. His work highlights the intersections of power, privilege, and race in regards to health equity, access to basic services, and the social and political determinants of health. He is Project Director of the Detroit Food Map Initiative, which has been mapping food access locations in Detroit since 2011. Alex launched DETROITography (detroitography.com) in 2013 to bring together Detroit cartographers, urbanists, and communities. He teaches in urban studies, public health, geography and data visualization. Alex is the author and cartographer of the books, Detroit in 50 Maps (2021) and Great Lakes in 50 Maps (forthcoming) from Belt Publishing.
Jessica currently serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives & Special Projects for Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD). Her focus is collaborative projects that advance the community development sector and support neighborhood-centered, equitable growth. A Detroit native, Jessica’s passion for community development arose from her belief in the social, economic, social, and political impact of community ownership and control of resources. She is inspired by the passionate residents she has the opportunity to work with. Outside of work, Jessica serves on Teen HYPE’s board of directors, is actively involved in the West Village Association, and volunteers as an ESL instructor.
Yelena Ramautar currently serves as the Director of Member Services and Community Engagement for Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD). In this role, Yelena’s work is focused on engaging members in all CDAD’s work. This includes planning and leading their bi-monthly membership meetings, member only meetings, caucus meetings, community engagement learning communities and Community Development (CD) Week. Prior to joining the team at CDAD, Yelena was the Special Projects and Partnership Coordinator for Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem James Tate. She also worked for a Wayne County Commissioner and for Schoolcraft College. She was a community organizer for O’Hair Park Community Association for six years. As a community organizer, Yelena developed a deep passion and commitment to community organizing, engagement and development. She believes every resident in the City of Detroit deserves to have their voice heard and they must be a part of the development of their city. She now serves as the board secretary for the O’Hair Park Community Association. She believes in the resilience of the people of Detroit and looks forward to positive community growth.
Throughout the summer of 2021, we hosted a series of lunchtime conversations, demos, Q&As, and other programming on design, community tech, and (almost) everything in between. We heard from a diverse array of experts, made new connections, and learned something new!
2021 DESIGN CHALLENGE SHOWCASE
Throughout the summer of 2021, we challenged teams to deliver public services in a more flexible, innovative, and resident-centered way with our Community Tech Hubs theme.
Successful concepts focused on improving the experiences of residents and offered greater access to public services in community spaces.
Design Core, Connect313, and College for Creative Studies hosted the 2021 Challenge Showcase, family-friendly cinema-style event to celebrate the people and projects participating in the program.
Video by Alex Brisbey
Joshua Budiongan is an architect, community designer and project manager at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC), where he works on neighborhood resiliency, community planning and design projects in communities across Detroit. In addition to this local work, Josh is an advocate for anti-racist design justice in the built environment and within the construction and design professions, among other communities and networks. Josh works on the board of directors for the Association for Community Design and is a core organizer with the Design As Protest Collective and Dark Matter University. Outside of community design, architecture and design justice advocacy, Josh is a musician, record collector and enjoys cycling and being in touch with nature.
Joshua Edmonds works within the City of Detroit’s Technology and Innovation Department developing a citywide digital inclusion strategy. He leads the Connect313 initiative, working with a coalition of partners to connect Detroiters to the digital world and the opportunities it brings. His role was a partnership between the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions initiative and the City of Detroit. Prior to joining the team, Edmonds reported to the Chief of Digital Innovation at The Cleveland Foundation, where he leveraged philanthropic investments and public private partnerships to help bridge Northeast Ohio’s digital divide.
Ani Grigorian is a geriatric social worker turned accessibility consultant focused on improving how we move throughout and interact with our environment as we age and our ability changes throughout our lives. Aside from operating her own consulting firm, Ani leads Detroit Disability Power’s Disability Access Consulting program. She is a resident and home owner in Detroit’s Virginia Park Community.
Qumisha Goss or Q, is a librarian at the Detroit Public Library specializing in Technology and Library Instruction, A Microsoft Civic Technology Fellow, as well as the Digital Literacy Subject Matter expert for Connect 313. She holds undergraduate degrees in History and Classical Studies and a Masters degree in Library and Information science. Q is a self-taught Pythonista and certified raspberry pi educator. Q is passionate about education, community building and demystifying technology.
Shamichael Hallman is the Senior Library Manager of the historic Cossitt Library in Memphis, TN. As a part of the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, Cossitt Library is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation, and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2021. Located in the heart of downtown Memphis, Cossitt Library is being designed to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the community, and will include co-working/workshop areas, recording studios, and performance art spaces. His 2020 TEDx talk explores the ways libraries can work to create opportunities for shared experiences among people from different backgrounds.
Alter Jackson is a digital creative producer for Hook, a creative production agency with offices in Detroit, Ann Arbor, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He spends his day-to-day working working with global brands to execute multi-channel ad campaigns, marketing websites and digital experiences. He holds an undergraduate degree from Brown University in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations — an interdisciplinary program that allowed him to study engineering, sustainable design, and sociology. As a native Detroiter, he wants to help close the digital divide and design sustainable ways to reinvigorate his community.
Maria Luisa Rossi serves as Chair for the Systems Design MFA program at College for Creative Studies, where she brings her entrepreneurial, globally-focused, and empathetic cultural approaches to the next generation of designers. She focuses on the seamless capacity to deal with the tangible and intangible aspects of people experiences. She has taught Brand Identity and Communication at the leading Fashion and Marketing Institute Polimoda; design critical thinking at the Industrial and Communication Design school ISIA, Polimoda, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Syracuse University.
Ackeem Salmon is an Art Teacher at the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences and founder of the non-profit C-Project Detroit. He received his BFA from the College for Creative Studies, and in his professional practice, he is an art director, photographer, multimedia artist, educator, and life-long learner. Ackeem is an advocate of the arts and arts entrepreneurship.
Kaylan Waterman is a lifelong Detroiter and proud West Sider. She is currently the Operations Manager and Residency Program Manager at Assemble Sound. Kaylan is an active community organizer, specifically focused on her neighborhood in the north New Center and Piety Hill areas. In 2020, Kaylan founded The Sharing Table, a pop-up food-sharing program on Seward Avenue. She also founded the Seward Block Club, which focuses on neighborhood beautification, safety, and the celebration of Seward’s cultural identity. Kaylan is also a musician and cultural curator and loves to spend time in Detroit’s beautiful parks!
Cézanne Charles and John Marshall
rootoftwo is a research- and practice-driven design studio, co-directed by Cézanne Charles and John Marshall based in Detroit and Ann Arbor. rootoftwo’s creative work raises questions about ubiquitous computing through tangible interaction with objects and environments.
Their work also explores the consequences of under-imagined futures and facilitates people to imagine and shape collective actions for more just transformations. rootoftwo has been recognized with an AIA Michigan Honor Award 2016 Rules of the Road (with DAUB); SXSW Place by Design Finalist (2016) and Knight Arts Challenge Awards (2015 + 2014).
Their work has been featured in Wired, FastCompany, Dezeen, Metropolis Magazine, Fresh Art International, Architectural Review, Architectural Record, and The Guardian.
VIEW THEIR WEBSITE
