The City of Detroit announced today that it has received $1.02 million in new investment and an additional three-year commitment through Reimagining the Civic Commons.

As one of the first five demonstration cities in the initial phase of the grant, Detroit’s work has emerged as a national example of the importance of inclusive economic recovery in neighborhoods, as well as the value of investing in public space through projects like those in the Fitzgerald neighborhood and in the larger Strategic Neighborhood Fund investments that are advancing similar work in nine additional districts across the city.

n the past four years, the City of Detroit, in partnership with Invest Detroit, the Live6 Alliance, the Greening of Detroit, the Detroit Collaborative Design Center at the University of Detroit Mercy and a number of committed block clubs and residents, have made major accomplishments including:

“The current crisis has shown how critical public spaces are to the health and well-being of the community,” said Arthur Jemison, Group Executive for Planning, Housing and Development.

“Through this initiative, Detroit has invested in equitable neighborhood revitalization by enhancing our parks, streets, commercial corridors and residential communities around a vision driven by the community and in partnership with its leaders and institutions.”

With the additional funding, the team will be able to continue this work, including the activation and development of public spaces, further investment into workforce development opportunities, and support for resident-driven stewardship and programming.