Hailing from Denmark, Janine Tuchsen visited Detroit in the Spring of 2013 to meet collaborators and investigate possibility of applying her skills and abilities towards the launching of a community land initiative…

The urban scale
What is the urban scale in a city like Detroit? Where is the public space dedicated to human beings? How can we move and live in a place, which shows us every second, how unimportant and unwanted we are - if we aren´t driving a car? Why do we stay? How can we survive in a place like that? How can we feel content and safe?

And although Detroit is dominated by unused land and abandoned places all over the public landscape, especially these deserted parts of the city have an extraordinary, interesting potential to develop new urban concepts in collaboration with the residents.

The discussion, we had this spring, was dealing with exploring and improving the public space. Residents in the area were motivated and involved in using their urban surroundings in a more active and engaging way. The development of an informal meeting place, an activity and communication platform in the public space was the project’s focus.

The intention was to act as an inspiration for residents and passers-by. By spreading the idea of a meeting platform, they can create a community life and continue.

The urban scale-strategy for Detroit is currently under development, to be continued in summer 2014…