Back in 2015, Loveland Technologies, now ReGrid, listened to the scanner from January to July and visited hundreds of fires to survey the impact on property and people. There were 2,938 structure damaging fires surveyed with 58% under suspicious circumstances or arson. The hot spots really stood out to me as areas facing high levels of crime and areas on the fringes of population centers in the city.
The “flight obstruction area” comprises all areas of land or water below the airport referenced imaginary surfaces for each airport. Since its beginning, the Detroit City Airport has continued to gobble up residential space in the name of development, but also safety. In the recent budget presentations, the City Airport Director said they condemned 35 additional residential properties.
The upcoming NFL Draft event is also expected to bring 120 private planes while Detroit Metro Airport (Romulus) expects 290 private planes. A major air traffic influx, but it’s yet to be seen if there will be an influx in investment to become the “premier business airport in the region” as Director, Jason Watt hopes.
This map is part of the Hill Map Collection digitized in partnership with the Reuther Library and Archives as part of the Detroit Atlas Collaboration funded in part by the WSU Union of Part Time Faculty (UPTF) Professional Development Fund.
Join in shaping the future of Detroit! Attend upcoming DON meetings for a virtual kickoff of the city’s Master Plan update. Let’s go forward together. #PlanDetroit
I’ve been digging through my archives and came across a set of maps I made while working for the Detroit Health Department (DHD). It seems a good time to share now that DPSCD is launching health hubs with funding support from the Pistons. School absenteeism is a widespread and known issue among the Detroit school age population. The factors and causes are numerous and variable, but broadly Detroiters face many barriers and that is not news. This map from 2017 highlights some of the more child-focused neighborhoods where both WIC enrollment is high and school absenteeism is high. That is partly due to these being the most dense areas with children. While I worked at DHD we attempted to plan with a lifecourse approach: how can we set you up for health and success from birth to school to old age?
increase in police complaints between 2022 and 2023 (BOPC)
increase in Detroit’s average temperature (Climate Central)
households to lose affordable internet access (FCC)
locations participating in the controversial Project Green Light program. (DPD)
I’m really excited to share that DETROITography was awarded a mini-grant from the sponsors of Open Data Day 2024 sponsors: Jokkolabs Banjul, Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN), Open Knowledge Germany, Datopian and Link Digital.
DETROITography’s focus has always been on small data, neighborhood level data where others focused on the big or institutional data. We’ve always wanted to get Detroiters mapping their own neighborhoods and providing their own voices to the city’s data narrative.
To that end, we are relaunching a CKAN open data portal with the goal of expanding community engagement with data and find-ability of local data.
WHEN: Thursday, March 7th @ 12pm
WHERE: Simons Rooms, WSU Purdy/Kresge Library or Zoom
WHAT: Neighborhood Data Discovery
Join us on Open Data Day 2024 for the relaunch of the DetroitData open data portal – the open data catalog for the Detroit community. Previous efforts in 2013-2016 were focused on filling a gap, but then open data proliferated. We’ve noticed again a drop off in the regular sharing and discovery of the available data.
Come out and explore the DetroitData catalog, ask questions, and register. The open data portal intends to serve as an agnostic, neutral venue for community groups to share their local survey results, local media to share datasets acquired via FOIA request, and open up the opportunity for more Detroit-based people and organizations to influence the city’s data narrative.
RSVP: Event Link
The National Monument Audit by Monument Lab revealed that there are just two “monuments” dedicated to African Americans out of nearly 130 monuments documented.
You could add the new MLK statue at Hart Plaza and the underground railroad feature at the riverfront by Hart Plaza, but still that’s only four. The Martin Luther King Jr. statue was just installed last year and was a left over statue from the Smithsonian. It feels rather absurd that a city that grew to be majority Black or African American has so few monuments dedicated to the people who have made the city what it is today.
Learn more about public art in Detroit where there has been more African American influence on the visual landscape of the city in the Concrete Canvas exhibition at the Detroit Historical Museum.
This simple map of main roads and expressways served as a minimalist route map for the Detroit Edison Co., what would become DTE Energy. The most interesting element is the typed title of the source and publisher of the map “Generation Engineering, Cartography.” DTE had a cartography division into the 1980s and I wonder how much of a bridge that team was from the grandiose maps and plans of Doxiadis commissioned by DTE to the present day mapping of power outages.
This map is part of the Hill Map Collection digitized in partnership with the Reuther Library and Archives as part of the Detroit Atlas Project funded in part by the WSU Union of Part Time Faculty (UPTF) Professional Development Fund.
by: Connor Pierce, Wayne State University (Intro to GIS, Fall 2023)
I believe transit frequency to be one of the best metrics for evaluating the success of a public transportation network. If a system has long wait-times between vehicles, it reduces the reliability of the system for the average rider. If a person is traveling on more than one transit line, the chance of making their transfer becomes increasingly lower as headways become higher. Long waits can manifest a decrease in overall ridership, as they turn away would-be passengers who require a high degree of
reliability for commuting to work or school. I also view frequency as an accessibility issue. Accessible spaces on buses and other non-paratransit vehicles is limited, and if all available spaces are taken, riders should only need to wait a short while for the next vehicle to arrive. Additionally, if a rider needs to exit the bus to take care of a medical issue before resuming their trip, it is important for them to be able to onboard the next vehicle within a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, when evaluating a city’s public transportation system, it is important to know where the high-frequency transit lines are
located and which areas fall within their catchment zones. The map above shows the location of these areas for the City of Detroit.
This was done by importing transit stop and route data for the QLine, People Mover, DDOT buses, and SMART buses (in addition to street and city boundary shapefiles) from data.detroitmi.gov. I then, capped the frequency at 20 minutes for peak times to show which routes operate with lower headways. These routes included the People Mover, QLine, and eight DDOT bus lines, including the: #3 Grand River, #4 Woodward, #6 Gratiot, #7 Seven Mile, #9 Jefferson, #10 Greenfield, #16 Dexter, and #17 Eight Mile routes. None of the SMART bus routes have headways of 20 minutes or less. Then, I created a quarter-mile buffer around these transit lines to show which parts of the city
fall within the catchment area of these stops.
The initial map of this post represents the results found in the second map. It includes the total calculated size of the catchment area for frequent transit lines in Detroit compared to the size of underserved areas. The underserved areas of the city make up almost 2.5x the area that is served by frequent transit. I see these shortcomings as a sign that the city should invest in improving the frequency of bus services on existing routes rather than attempting to create new infrastructure for other modes of transportation. If infrastructure improvements are made, they should be to improve bus services in the city (i.e. creating dedicated bus lanes, bus rapid transit upgrades to existing routes, improving bus stop shelters, etc).
During their vote on February 6, the Detroit City Council swiftly selected “Option 6.” It was the last requested council redistricting map option that creates the least amount of change, but meets the bare minimum of the redistricting requirements for population distribution. The most populous, District 1, will still have 8% more people than the least populous District 3. I’m not sure that the council has truly taken on the task of redistricting adequately. The new districts will take effect on January 1, 2026 after new city council members will have been elected based on the new districts in November 2025.
During the January 16th City Council Public Hearing on Council Redistricting, Council President, Mary Sheffield asked the City Planning Commission (CPC) whether they had considered the impact on “neighborhoods” or neighborhood groups that might be split by the new boundaries. Jamie Murphy, CPC staffer, responded that they had not considered that because the city’s neighborhood layer didn’t correspond with what residents felt their neighborhood boundaries were.
Residents of Grixdale Farms came out in force to the public hearing and other meetings to voice their opposition to being removed from District 2. The Lower Eastside Action Plan (LEAP) at Eastside Community Network (ECN) advocated for a boundary that kept their members together. The HOPE Village initiative also submitted a map that would keep their focus area from being split. If you ascribe to the city’s definitions of neighborhoods, there is a lot of significant change. Notably, “The Villages” are split down the middle and Wayne State moves from District 6 to District 5.
Besides an imbalance in population across the districts, there is also an imbalance of voter participation. The political challenge with redistricting is getting physically drawn out of your District. The political opportunity is to get elected with very low turnout like in District 3, 4, and 7. District 4’s expanded boundary provides it a handful of more active voters while District 3 and 7 haven’t gained in similar ways.
“Detroit” places in Detroit, next most is 23 in Southfield (Model D Media)
Homeless families report domestic violence (City of Detroit)
Awarded to the City government for service line replacement in two areas: Midtown (Cultural Center, Medical Center, Midtown) and Barton-McFarland [McFarlane?] (EGLE)
Qline riders in 2023, a 50% increase from 2022 (QLINE)
What is your map from home (title, year, etc.)?
This 1899 Map of the City of Detroit reprint shows paved streets (of various materials), public schools, police stations, street names, and more!
Where did you find/acquire the map?
I purchased this map from a historical map print seller on Etsy.
What made you hang it on your wall? What stood out to you? What details do you enjoy about the map?
I love maps – I’ve been gifted and purchased a few of my own. Detroit is the city that introduced me to my profession of urban planning, the city that I’ve studied most in-depth, and ultimately the city that I wanted to work in.
This particular map stood out to me because of the intersecting colored lines and the bold symbology – it reads like a piece of art. Detroit is my favorite city, so to have a piece of “art” that reflects this City’s history on my wall is special to me.
What in your background has drawn you to maps?
As an urban planner, I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing maps, and now creating maps. Maps are such a powerful medium that tell a unique story of place, how it functions, and how it changes over time.
Downtown Detroit was literally built on the premise of parking lots when the city population was at its peak of over 1.8 million people in the 1950s. This “Shoppers Parking Guide” in 1954 promoted the message, “To Shop Drive Car, To Work Ride DSR.” The pamphlet notes that there is always a parking space available and if you find yourself at a parking lot that is full, simply use the guide to find another parking option. The guide shares the tax benefits of parking Downtown and that Downtown has a “greater and better” concentration of amenities and attractions.
The pamphlet guide and map were produced by Educational Cards Inc. and are clearly hand drawn and hand colored to denote parking lots and parking decks or garages as well as future parking. Detroiters and national pundits alike often shout the ills of dedicating land to parking, but perhaps the real metric is the parking space relative to population?
This map is part of the Hill Map Collection digitized in partnership with the Reuther Library and Archives as part of the Detroit Atlas Project funded in part by the WSU Union of Part Time Faculty (UPTF) Professional Development Fund.
recent Legislative Policy Division of the City Planning Commission (CPC), serving City Council, reports there are 60 scrap yards in the city – a significant difference from the 95 reported by BSEED in June 2023 or the 110 number listed by EGLE in August 2023
median income went up in Detroit per new U.S. Census Bureau data, but rent costs are increasing at a higher rate (U.S. Census Bureau)
updated Tree Equity Score for Detroit from American Forests and the Detroit Tree Equity Partnership, which falls into their moderate category for desired tree canopy coverage. They find 24% of block groups have a score less than 75 and need more tree equity
lowest number of homicides in 50 years in 2023, Detroit also has the lowest population numbers in 50 years. Overall the homicide rate per 100,000 people dropped from 50 in 2022 to 41 in 2023. Typically, the “justifiable homicide” rate is also quite high with 24 in 2022, but per the city’s open data there were just 5 justifiable homicides in 2023. (FOX 2)
Population in Detroit is often talked about as losses, which has been a long-term trend that has not reversed under the current mayor. As a majority Black city, the losses are among Detroit’s Black middle class and families who seek better schools and safer neighborhoods. White population isn’t discussed as much, but presents some significant influences on population dynamic.
The white population increased by 115% within the city’s 7.2 sq mi Greater Downtown area, even though it decreased by 12% citywide since 2000.
The City of Detroit has made a handy interactive tool to compare proposed options for City Council redistricting. I’m still confused why “Election Precincts 2023” are listed when the only known update was made in 2022 before the midterm election without any record of approval by the Detroit Election Commission (DEC). The last time I know the DEC met was in August 2022 and it lasted all of 20 minutes. The Detroit Documenters covered the October 23, 2023 meeting and it seems that election security was the primary topic, but the meeting was a similar mess to what I saw in August 2022.
When were 2022 election precinct changes reviewed and approved? When were 2023 precinct updates made? Both the city council redistricting and the redistricting of statewide offices show how important and unaccounted these small precinct changes are for the people’s political representation.
I’m sharing this map from my book, Detroit in 50 Maps, because I’ve seen a lot of the old maps shared recently from 2010 and 2000. I also keep getting requests to update those maps. On this map in particular one dot equals 25 people and data come from the 2020 Decennial Census.
Not too much has changed from the earlier maps except for the significant population losses. The border of Detroit can still be easily picked out without needing the boundary line drawn. Some notable difference from the 2020 Census data is the increased Downriver migration of Latino populations as noted in my mapping of taco places with Tostada Magazine as well as the continued growth of the Bangladeshi community in Hamtramck and bordering areas within Detroit.
An important limitation of the Census data is that race and ethnicity are not well defined for all groups. For Southeast Michigan, that means that the Middle East/ North African populations are grouped into the “white” racial category. The other limitation is that much of Detroit is categorized as “hard to count” meaning the Census is the best data, but we might not have the best representation of everyone in Detroit.
In honor of the 155th anniversary of the first bicycle ride on Detroit’s streets in 1868 I’m going to finally post this historic gem of a map that somehow I have never posted in the 10 years of cataloging Detroit maps. The map’s title points out the critical map detail: the color-coded pavement types, ranging from unpaved to wood to brick to asphalt.
Even though the League of American Wheelmen had formed over a decade earlier, this map was published in the peak of the Good Roads movement, when cities across America were responding to demands for better rights-of-way for bicyclists by paving their roadways. While most of Detroit’s streets were paved with wood, its large radial avenues and other high-traffic roads had been upgraded to granite or asphalt by 1896. Along with the numerous freight railway lines (the Dequindre Cut shows up as a railroad line that it was at the time), other streetcar lines are noted for bicyclists’ convenience.
coffee spots across the city from full caffeination shops to hybrid inside existing businesses (JB’s Bites/DETROITography)
dollar store blight tickets to Dollar Tree/Family Dollar (Bridge Detroit)
neighborhoods selected for “community” solar (Planet Detroit)
community fridges as part of mutual aid in the city (2022 Detroit Food Metrics Report)
Bridge Detroit reporter, Jena Brooker, did some incredible open data digging to find that Dollar Tree, owned by Family Dollar, was cited with 2,400 blight tickets since 2020. Dollar store moratoriums have been put in place in more than 50 cities. Nationwide, dollar stores are known to have higher rates of crime, lower quality products, and have a negative effect on suppressing new grocery stores.
This map is part of the City of Detroit Climate Strategy informed by the Climate Equity Advisory Council. The goal of this map is to visualize climate vulnerability factors at the census tract scale. From the site:
Mapping climate vulnerability is important because the impacts of heat, flooding, and air quality are not felt equally across the city. Some areas and populations are more likely to be harmed by climate hazards than others, and visualizing what areas are most impacted can help in decision-making.
DETROITography 