The Egalitarian Metropolis Symposium
MARCH 7-18, 2023
SESSION 1: FROM A DIVIDED TO AN INCLUSIVE METROPOLIS
Location: A. Alfred Taubman Wing Commons, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Time: 11:30am-1:30pm, lunch included
This session asks what we can learn from a deeper look into Detroit’s racial and economic successions—if it is possible to find in these divisions a basis for a more positive outcome in the future. Can 21st-century Detroit overcome its recent divisions and find a new way towards the egalitarian metropolis?
Presenters:
Robert Fishman, Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Larissa Larsen, Chair of Urban and Regional Planning and Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Anika Goss, Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Future City
In conversation with:
Jamon Jordan, City Historian for the City of Detroit
June Manning Thomas, Mary Frances Berry Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Urban Planning and Centennial Professor Emerita of Urban and Regional Planning, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Moderated by:
Craig Wilkins, Associate Professor of Architecture, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
SESSION 2: CONFRONTING THE PRODUCTION OF DECLINE
Location: Amphitheatre, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm, reception to immediately follow
This session reexamines the forces involved in creating Detroit’s economic and urban decline as it has evolved over the last half-century. What power does “the production of decline” hold over the city and what are the ways it can be challenged to reimagine the city’s future?
Presenters:
Alexa Eisenberg, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Poverty Solutions, University of Michigan
Matt Lassiter, Professor of History and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Department of History, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan
Monica Lewis-Patrick, President and Chief Executive Officer, We the People of Detroit
In conversation with:
Lauren Hood, Founder, Institute for AfroUrbanism
Moderated by:
Rita Chin, Professor of History, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan
SESSION 3: FROM THE PRODUCTION OF DECLINE TO THE PRODUCTION OF EQUITY
Location: University of Michigan Detroit Center
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Time: 12:00pm – 3:00pm, lunch (optional) followed by 1:00pm – 3:00pm session
This session concentrates on the issue of affordable housing as an opportunity for Detroit, without the predatory lending, unfair tax assessments, and other impediments to a long-term commitment to living in the city. Can the transformation of Detroit’s under-resourced neighborhoods move the region towards a more egalitarian metropolis?
Presenters:
Sarah Carlson, Housing & Neighborhood Stabilization Manager, Detroit Land Bank Authority
David Walker, Design Director, City of Detroit, City Planning
Trina Shanks, Director, School of Social Work and Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan
In conversation with:
Sandra B. Henriquez, Executive Director, Detroit Housing Commission
Phyllis Edwards, CEO, Building Better: Aging in Place When There is No Place
Margaret Dewar, Professor Emerita of Urban and Regional Planning, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Moderated by:
Sharon Haar, FAIA, NOMA, Professor of Architecture, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
SESSION 4: TOWARDS A CULTURE OF INCLUSION
Location: ArcPrep – Michigan Research Studio, Detroit
Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Time: 12:00pm – 3:00pm, lunch (optional) followed by 1:00pm – 3:00pm session
This session interrogates how place and memory can create an inclusive city culture. How can design and design education help build and sustain this inclusivity? What is the role of memory in this process?
Presenters:
Yojairo Lomeli, Director of University of Michigan Architecture Prep (ArcPrep) and Lecturer, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Anya Sirota, Associate Dean for Academic Initiatives and Associate Professor of Architecture, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
David Porter, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan
María Arquero de Alarcón, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
In conversation with:
Ryan Myers-Johnson, Director and Founder, Sidewalk Detroit
Torri Smith, Lecturer, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Moderated by:
Harley Etienne, Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning, Knowlton School, The Ohio State University
SESSION 5: CLOSING CONVERSATION
Location: Art & Architecture Auditorium, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
Time: 2:00pm – 4:30pm, reception to immediately follow
This closing session reflects on the Detroit School of Urbanism with Angela Dillard, Robert Fishman, Margaret Dewar, and June Manning Thomas. Joined by former students as respondents, the conversation will hinge on the question: Where do we go from here?