Author Archives: Alex B. Hill

Map: Where Not to Watch the Ford Fireworks, Detroit

What a day, a long, hot, sad day. Detroit loves to roll out the welcome mat for major events for visitors Downtown, but closed down numerous city parks along the entire roughly 10 miles of Detroit coastline from Riverside Park in Southwest to Mariner Park at the Grosse Pointes border. Detroit limited viewing areas to Spirit Plaza and Hart Plaza downtown while Belle Isle was limited to capacity that could fit into the old Grand Prix paddock parking area. Belle Isle opened at 2pm to cars and hit capacity at 6pm. The space limitation was for vehicles so you could travel anywhere on the island on foot or bike, but I assume more people stuck to the Sunset Point area for viewing.

Meanwhile, the City of Windsor across the river with all riverfront parks open, 34 restaurant patios, ran a free shuttle for people to park at a nearby mall and get to the downtown parks. The city closed off downtown roadways as well for everyone to enjoy the Ford fireworks. The Detroit to Windsor juxtaposition is tough, they aren’t the same cities or population sizes, but the optics are mindbogglingly painful. One Detroiter even noted that they purchase a hotel room in Windsor for the fireworks every year because the experience is so much nicer across the river.

Datasets used:

Parks Amenities 2023 | SEMCOG

Parks Plazas Downtown | DDP

Parks | City of Windsor Open Data Catalogue

Map: Community Human Development Index in Detroit

There have been close to 300 different indices created to measure demographics, health equity, and opportunity over the last decade. Nearly all of those indices rely on Census data, specifically 6 key indicators are used across many indices. The University of Chicago Mansueto Institute has create an index based on the UNDP’s Human Development Index for “communities” across the US and world.

More from UChicago:

“The Community Human Development Index is a way of measuring human development at the community level, with the potential for helping neighborhoods and societies address disadvantage.  The human development index (HDI) is a statistic that represents a composite of educational attainment, life expectancy, and gross income, and is considered the gold standard measure of human development. It was developed by Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen and researchers at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to measure “human capabilities”, the extent to which a person in a specific context can pursue their happiness. It is, in the words of UNDP, a measure of “a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living.” HDI has been used to compare nations, but until the Community Human Development Index, it hasn’t been used to compare cities or local communities, because the statistic had not been calculated at the neighborhood level.”

Map: Utility Debt Burden in Detroit 2022

DTE Energy is again requesting a $450 million rate increase just four months after being approved for a $368 million rate increase.

“DTE is following their usual playbook, incessant and oppressive rate hike requests not grounded in reality, but rather based on the financial aspirations of their corporate shareholders.” – Dana Nessel, Attorney General

The absurdity of DTE rate increases follows a trend since 2015 of increasing rates by $1.1 billion. Yet, there is an even more absurd action taken by the power-hungry energy monopoly, selling debt. Outlier Media found in 2022 that DTE sold $282 million in debt from almost 300,000 customers for just $4.8 million to Jefferson Capital Systems.

Michigan has some of the most lacks rules around wage garnishment for debt collection so companies like Jefferson Capital bulk submit debt cases to the courts and receive default judgements which automatically starts taking funds from someone’s paycheck. Two out of three Detroiters were found to have some kind of debt in collections in 2016 and UM Poverty Solutions found 56% of Detroiters are financially insecure.

The data on this map was scraped from the 36th District Court listings of debt collection cases.

Event: Detroit in 50 Maps at Next Chapter Books

WHEN: Thursday, June 13th @ 6:30PM

WHERE: Next Chapter Books, 16555 E. Warren, Detroit, MI 48224

WHAT: Join us to hear Alex B. Hill discuss all things Detroit and Maps!

We are excited to host Alex, who will present from his popular book, Detroit in 50 Maps. Alex is the Director of Data and Community Research for Detroit at Work, an adjunct professor at Wayne State University and the lead cartographer of DETROITography.

This is a free event, so come and enjoy.

Map: JustAir Air Quality Monitor Network in Detroit

A project idea that has been in the works for just shy of a decade was finally made real by the team at JustAir and the Wayne County government. While I worked at the Detroit Health Department I worked on conceptualizing and then managing an effort to create an air quality sensor network that could provide neighborhood-level updates on air quality. The issue was that EPA and EGLE monitors were too few and far in-between to truly know what your air quality was on the Lower Eastside or Far Westside of the city, especially if you were trying to manage asthma or other respiratory diseases.

In Detroit we called it D-REACT, but only implemented an asthma medication monitoring project where the greatest outcome was pediatrician education about asthma medications necessary and covered by Medicaid. We also were able to implement the Air Quality Sensor Learning Collaborative, now convened by the Ecology Center who has been able to train and support numerous community organizations with low-cost, air quality sensors.

I’m so excited for the JustAir efforts and look forward to seeing this network have big impacts in Detroit and across Wayne County.

Map: Movement Detroit Venues 2024

The Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) now known as Movement Detroit brings tens of thousands of people from around the world to the birthplace of techno. Many people think of the music festival as a limited series of performance stages in Hart Plaza downtown, but the festival sparks events, parties, and other interactions across the city.

This map would be impossible without the excellent compiling by @gin.ebony, hat tip to Violet Ikonomova for sharing the linked Google Sheet of all 845 events with 696 performers. Outside of Hart Plaza the top locations are:

  1. Marble Bar (62)
  2. Spot Lite (54)
  3. Tangent Gallery (54)
  4. TV Lounge (50)
  5. City Club (49)
  6. Lincoln Factory (47)
  7. Motor City Wine (46)

This map and data update wouldn’t be complete without pouring one out for Temple Bar, a staple of the Detroit music and nightlife scene. Before Movement Detroit a sinkhole formed in the road out front and the following day, the roof of Temple Bar caved in. As far as I know the first night of performers at Temple Bar had to be canceled, hopefully others were able to relocate their shows.

Detroit is the birthplace of techno. We are the heart of the Motown sound. The city is a bastion of jazz, R&B, soul, rock and roll, and hip hop. You can’t have music without Detroit.

Find the cleaned dataset on DetroitData.org

Event: Jane’s Walk with Cities Reimagined in Downtown Detroit

WHEN: Wednesday, June 5th at 4:30PM

WHERE: Andiamo Detroit Riverfront, 400 Renaissance Center

WHAT: Join a fun and informative walk through the city with Cities Reimagined and Detroit native Kelsey Hubbell. This walk is a great opportunity to explore Detroit through the lens of urbanist hero Jane Jacobs, and learn about how we can make our cities better places to live. Whether you’re an urban enthusiast or just looking for a casual stroll, this walk is for you!

RSVP: Eventbrite

Detroit Coffee Map 2024

Tracking and mapping coffee shops is becoming an annual activity. The demand to know where to get caffeinated is so high and the turnover has a breakneck pace. Regardless, Detroit now has 100 spots to find coffee!

Since last year there have been 11 closures including 3 Starbucks locations and 3 more Tim Hortons (after 6 others previously closed), 2 locations on a break (Detroit Sip and Encarnacion). Closures included the hyped Haraz Coffee opening in Midtown. Building issues seemed to be what pushed them to move on, but another specialty Yemeni coffee shop is already staffing up. New York based, Moka & Co. is prepping the space and now hiring. The Midtown Starbucks site is being picked up by Qargo Coffee which has a number of locations in Florida, Texas, and California.

There are 18 new coffee shops, including unique offerings like Moon Dog Cafe, startup brick-and-mortar at Mission Cafe (coffee only on Wednesdays), the rebirth of the former Avalon International Breads as a second Kitab location, or blending books and coffee at Eastside Roasterz adjacent to Next Chapter Books. In the chain coffee category Dunkin has recently exploded and added multiple locations. The Detroit Coffee Club is also an exciting new addition where pop-up espresso coffee is offered at non-cafe locations like Dyno Climbing Gym, Beaverland Farms, and Two Birds.

One of the most important questions I’m always asked about these coffee locations is how early and how late are they open. If you are an early bird, there are 27 options open by 6AM and another 25 open by 7AM. By 8AM over 75% of all coffee locations are open and serving hot coffee.

Coffee spots are harder to find if you want your coffee late into the evening. Most locations close either at 3PM or 8PM. By 6PM, 60% of coffee locations are closed and by 8PM over 80% are closed. There are only two coffee spots open until midnight and two open until 2AM.

Future coffee spots that I’m are watching include Detroit Rosa’s second location in the Water Square Hotel, Sepia Coffee Project’s brick-and-mortar in Highland Park, and Haraz Coffee’s Corktown location opening.

Check out these locations collected on DetroitData.org

Map: Pharmacy Locations in Detroit 2017 vs. 2024

I had a great time collaborating with Laura Herberg, civic reporter for Outlier Media, on examining the change in chain pharmacy locations in the city. I’ve mostly tracked pharmacies and convenience stores like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens as they are often a secondary food retail access point preferred by Detroiters. Many of these locations have converted over the last decade into dollar stores, which have their own issues and generally suppress grocery opportunities.

Check out the slider below to compare 2017 locations with 2024 locations.

On Outlier Media:

Detroitography put together maps for Outlier Media that show current and closed locations. While the number of CVS and Rite Aid stores declined, the number of Walgreens locations increased after the chain opened a small, pharmacy-only shop on Woodward Avenue and three pharmacies inside hospitals.

Event: Jane Jacobs and the Detroit Economy + Jane’s Walk

WHEN: Saturday, May 4th at 3pm + walk at 4pm

WHERE: Book Suey, Hamtramck

WHAT: Book Suey is excited to host a talk by urban planner and commentator Idrees Mutahr on how the Detroit economy influenced the thinking and writing of celebrated urbanist Jane Jacobs. The presentation will be followed by a “Jane’s Walk” around Hamtramck to explore these ideas in the real world.

RSVP: Eventbrite

Map: NatureScore in Detroit 2024

Detroit has made substantial investments into its parks, secured funding for a city loop greenway, and fostered partnerships to improve amenities. This map shows off a number of neighborhoods where access to greenspace is plentiful, but nearby cities like Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Downtown Detroit are lacking. Northwest Detroit is a the main standout in Detroit where improvements could be made. The Lodge cuts through some very densely populated neighborhoods and most parks in the area are relatively small.

More from article:

Using satellite imagery and data on dozens of factors — including air and noise pollution, park space, open water and tree canopy — NatureQuant has distilled the elements of health-supporting nature into a single variable called NatureScore. Aggregated to the level of Census tracts — roughly the size of a neighborhood — the data provide a high-resolution image of where nature is abundant and where it is lacking across the United States.

Map: City of Detroit Employee Disclosures by ZIP Code 2022

When the Detroit Free Press published their extensive PDF list of FOIAed disclosure statements from City of Detroit senior employees, Directors, Deputy Directors, Chiefs, and similar senior roles, I was fascinated by how little information was included in those disclosures as well as the wide range of regional home addresses.

I present here and close the case for regional transit. The residence furthest South was in Dayton, OH (or Parkland, FL if you count second properties), the furthest North was in Grand Blanc, MI, and the furthest West was in Eaton Rapids, MI. If this is the spread where executive leadership comes from then just imagine where the full roster of staff resides.

In total 41% of senior staff live in the City of Detroit, clustered in the University District, Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest area.

Find a spreadsheet of the data on DetroitData.org

Detroit By The Numbers: March 2024 Data Roundup

5,525

homes where official owner was deceased (Michigan Public)

11 million

DDOT riders in 2023 (DDOT)

9%

Detroit home owners are uninsured (Consumer Federation of America)

400 workers

Stellantis let hundreds go in mass firing event (FOX 2)

Event: Transit Fantasy Support Group with YPT Detroit

Detroiters and non-Detroiters alike will never stop fantasizing about having a robust and connected rapid transit system. These transit fantasy maps are often trailed by comments of “what’s the point” or “we’re never gunna have that,” but why stop dreaming? and planning? and connecting?

WHEN: Tuesday, April 30th at 6pm

WHERE: North End Taproom, 111 S. Main, Royal Oak

WHAT: Meet others who fantasize about regional transit, look at cool maps, make your own map of the people mover expansion!

RSVP: Google Form

Map: Where Fires Happen in Detroit 2015

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.

Map: Flight Obstruction Area Detroit City Airport 1968

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.

Map: Detroit School Absences and WIC Enrollment 2016

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?

Event: Open Data Day 2024

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

Map: African American Monument Disparities in Detroit

The National Monument Audit by Monument Lab revealed that there are just two “monuments” dedicated to African Americans out of nearly 130 monuments documented.

  • Joe Louis Fist
  • Martin Luther King Jr. scuplture

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.