We envision a stronger Detroit.
Strong Towns Detroit is a non-profit working to build stronger, resilient, and prosperous neighborhoods in Detroit and the greater metro area.
Our mission
We seek a Detroit that is a vibrant, safe and walkable city with an abundance of economic opportunity and amenities for all citizens.
What we do
We believe that change happens when neighbors come together.
We aim to improve our communities by taking small actions. What problem do we see? How can we work together to solve it?
We strengthen neighborhoods by performing neighborhood projects, piloting safer street concepts, working with other neighborhood organizations, advocating local leaders, and organizing meetups and events.
Problem snapshot
2,268
fatal and serious crashes
According to SEMCOG, southeast Michigan had 369 traffic fatalities and 1,899 seriously injured in 2023.
40%
of downtown is parking
Downtown Detroit is 40% parking — that’s the most valuable land in the region being squandered.
65% of the city
is zoned to make affordable housing hard to build
The current restrictive zoning (R1 & R2) makes it difficult to build housing for everyday Detroiters
357 miles
of bike lanes in southeast Michigan
Bike lanes allow for safe connections to parks, libraries, schools, and businesses.
What we advocate for
Poor street design leads to automobile accidents, induces demand that creates congestion, and discourages other road users from utilizing public space. Instead, whenever a street needs to be redone, the project is looked at holistically for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users alike.
Developers currently need to adhere to strict zoning regulations, forcing developers to either go through lengthy and expensive processes to change zoning, or build less productive developments that contribute less housing and produce less revenue for the city. This slows down the development process and turns developers away from Detroit.
We seek to curtail the primary mechanism of local wealth destruction and municipal insolvency: the continued expansion of Michigan’s highways and related auto-based transportation systems.
Parking minimums force developers to build more parking than they require — increasing the cost of development while also having a huge opportunity cost. The taxable value of the land is near nothing compared to if a structure was built. This cuts into our municipalities revenue, while spreading amenities further apart, forcing us into cars and increasing infrastructure costs.
We advocate for ending parking mandates and subsidies to free up vast swaths of land that can be used more productively.
Alternative mobility options not only provide people with more options for transportation, it is also a cost-effective way to move more people, reduce noise, reduce pollution, improves safety, reduces congestion, and encourages more activity. Simultaneously, it grants mobility opportunities to the disabled, elderly, low-income, and young.
We support transit investments and expansions of mobility networks.
The true extent of deferred maintenance and replacement cost obligations for infrastructure is not accounted for in a city’s financial reports. Municipal financial statements must be prepared with the local citizen in mind, not a Wall Street analyst or bond investor.
We call for more clear financial statements that illustrate long term financial outlooks.
Get involved
Anyone is welcome to join! Signup to learn about upcoming events, meetups, and community outreach sessions.
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