Cody Rouge & Warrendale YOUTH-CENTRIC Neighborhood Framework
“You never get many kids my age doing this. They don’t go to see big people in their offices. They’re not famous in the streets but they’re there in the suites.” —Lillie
The Cody Rouge & Warrendale YOUTH-CENTRIC Neighborhood Framework documents a comprehensive community-driven and government-endorsed vision with specific proposed projects for Detroit’s western neighborhoods of Joy Community, Franklin Park, Warrendale, and WACO. This area is home to 36,000 residents, with over 1/3 under the age of 18.
The plan addresses challenges of retrofitting the mid-20th century landscape of wide roadways, aging single-family houses, commercial corridors in need of investment, and underdeveloped parks in order to improve life outcomes for young people and fellow community members of all ages.
The American Planning Association awarded this project its 2023 National Planning Award for Planning Excellence.
To leverage the values of planning for civic education and activation, the planning team connected a core group of young people with a steering committee of 11 community organizations, an interdepartmental working group of nine government and allied agencies, and over 200 students in local public schools. Young people performed the roles of researchers, interviewers, artists, designers, facilitators, tour guides, builders, sounding boards, and decision-makers.
The project applied a strategy of “Planning-Doing” to produce concrete benefits for residents and organizations beginning with the planning process itself. These ranged from opportunities to better understand city government agencies and processes to working with neighborhoods to construct picnic tables that today provide amenities in Community Yards created by resident groups throughout the planning area on publicly-owned vacant land.
Since the plan was published in July 2022, over $15 million of major recommended projects have been completed, including safer street designs, new and improved parks, public art, home repairs, and youth-driven spaces.
“Oftentimes when tuning in the news, we would see a segment talking about new things coming to Detroit, followed by a speech from a government chair, or even the mayor, about how grand it will be and how it will help Detroit. Afterwards, our parents would grumble about how it’s just a scheme to bring new residents in and doesn’t really help the existing ones.
With protests, written letters, phone calls and meetings, older generations fought for a chance to have a real say in what they experience in their communities. This has instilled thoughts in our curious minds, wondering when we will be a part of the decision making, and what that will be like.
Growing up, most of us have had dreams of being heroes and making a difference. Being a part of the Neighborhood Framework and working with the Planning and Development Department has been the start of achieving those dreams for us. Usually it’s hard to get adults to listen, but we think we tried and succeeded anyway.
So now, some of the community’s young residents are getting a say. and the chance to make a difference in our neighborhoods, for young people and the overall community. Though going into the process, we saw everything through rose-tinted lenses, it has been a journey of discovery, joy, frustration, imagination, fury, and connection since then. And now we have a good basis in experience for a discussion about how good the city government does in being a democracy.
Please receive our work with sincere love of Detroit and its Residents.”
—Neighborhood Framework Investigators, Cody Rouge & Warrendale YOUTH-CENTRIC Neighborhood Framework
Learn More
The Cody Rouge & Warrendale YOUTH-CENTRIC Neighborhood Framework
Project Videos
Young Views of Cody Rouge & Warrendale Documenting & imagining the west side with students from eight neighborhood schools
“Detroit neighborhood revitalization plan takes shape with youth input,” Detroit News, 5/19/21
“Youths play key role in Warrendale Cody Rouge revitalization plan,” Model D, 9/17/19
“Passing the Planning Mic to the Next Generation, Today,” Next City, 10/4/18
Award:
American Planning Association 2023 National Planning Award for Planning Excellence
Planning Team:
HECTOR urban design, project lead; Centric Design Studio; Hinge Collective; Marc Norman; Michael Marshall Design; Tiny WPA; The Work Department; University of Orange, Cody Rouge & Warrendale Organizational Steering Committee and Youth Council; with clients City of Detroit Planning & Development Department and Cody Rouge Initiative
Neighborhood Framework Investigators:
Alexcia Stoner, Khadijah Harris, LaKendra Reynolds-Smith, Lillie Reynolds-Smith, Marnesha Davenport, Skylah Pounds, Rodney Bridges, Taylin Hodges, and Yusef Sabour
Organizational Steering Committee:
ACCESS, City of Detroit Department of Neighborhoods District 7, Cody Rouge, Community Action Alliance*, Cody Rouge Faith Alliance, Cody Rouge Youth Council, Franklin Park Neighborhood Association*, Friends of Rouge Park, Joy Community Association*, Joy-Southfield CDC*, Islamic Center of Detroit, Warren Avenue Community Organization*, Warrendale Community Organization*
* Outreach Partners / Public Conversation Hosts
Project Sponsors:
City of Detroit Planning & Development Department
The Cody Rouge Project (DTE Energy, General Motors, Quicken
Loans, and The Skillman Foundation)