EcoZoic Detroit

In recent months Detroit has seen a massive influx of outside journalists and photographers portraying the city as a picture of what happens when Capitalism reaches limits, or at the very least, shifts gears. The foreclosure crisis, the bankruptcy of General Motors, numerous scandals in city government, and high rates of unemployment and underemployment have provided the media with a seemingly perfect picture of America’s post-apocalyptic future.

Conveniently for the media, fifty years of economic decline along with racist and classist political positioning has created actual ruins, dilapidated structures, entire neighborhoods of burnt down homes, and the time for nature to begin reclaiming much of the land. But any Detroiter knows that this did not happen over night.

At the same time, journalists have begun capitalizing on many of the opportunities in the city with a particular focus on the now infamous “one-dollar home,” and especially, the urban gardening movement. Nevertheless, what seems to be lacking from the press is a clear picture of any cohesive vision for Detroit’s future.

It’s apparent that many Detroiters are now aware of issues of food security and are decidedly choosing to become pro-active by participating in the Garden Resource Program and by shopping at and organizing community farmers’ markets. The successes of this ‘movement’ are highly visible all over the city and its continuing evolution (from food delivery trucks, to permaculture study groups, to community potlucks) seems to be creating very real positive impacts for families and individuals. Moreover, as the “green” meme spreads it’s becoming apparent that government officials and business leaders such as John Hantz, CEO of Hantz Farms, who is buying up hundreds of acres of vacant Detroit land in order to create the “world’s largest urban farm,” are eager to take advantage of the triumphs of the movement. Without a cohesive vision for the city, however, its citizenry remains subject to the decisions of those in power, while the achievements of Detroit’s green movement lay vulnerable to corporate co-opting and unnecessary government regulation.

I believe we are living in a time of tremendous opportunity. We are becoming conscious of our own talents and abilities. We are aware of the limits of this unsustainable society and we have at this occasion the chance to reclaim our power as individuals and as a community to heal our direct environments.

Personally, I define a “path” as a process of envisioning my future-self, and then looking backwards to where I’m at now in my life, realizing all of the steps needed in order to get to where I want to be, and simply walking forward without hesitance. If we are able to create such a vision for our city and address the basic needs with a plan of action, we will be able to inadvertently define what we don’t want as a community, and walk forward together to create resilience, self-sufficiency, and abundance. Without a vision, however, we invite exploitation and bureaucracy. The choice really is ours to make.

EcoZoic invites the community to share its vision for Detroit. We encourage you to join the discussion and leave comments.