A team of University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) master’s students received the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Michigan Association of Planning for their place-based work in Detroit.

Geoffrey Batterbee (MS/MURP ’26) Devin Derr (MLA ’26), Anna Peppet (MS ’26), Mujie Sui (MS/MUD ’26) and Minxuan Zhang (MLA ’26) were recognized for their capstone project, “East Village Catalyst Plan: Building Community-Engaged Resilience in Detroit.” 

The project was done in collaboration with AboutFaceDetroit, a nonprofit organization focused on revitalizing Detroit’s East Village, a historically underserved neighborhood on Detroit’s east side that has experienced significant disinvestment over the years.

AboutFaceDetroit enlisted the help of the SEAS master’s students to create landscape improvements in the East Village that would “enhance the neighborhood’s social character and ecological resilience.”

“The neighborhood is a very urban space, and AboutFaceDetroit wants to beautify it by bringing more green spaces into the community,” said Lisa DuRussel (BS ’02, MLA ’06), advisor to the master’s project and a clinical associate professor of practice and engagement in the Master of Landscape Architecture program at SEAS. “They’re working with residents to transform the East Village into something that is more reflective of what they want their future neighborhood to be.”

For their project, SEAS students created site designs for specific neighborhood locations, a landscape design toolkit to guide future projects, and a catalyst plan to serve as a blueprint for continued neighborhood improvements and community action.

DuRussel said the project was an immersive, “boots-on-the-ground” experience for the students, giving them the opportunity to engage directly with AboutFaceDetroit and East Village community members. Through monthly meetings, virtual workshops and in-person surveys, students gathered input from residents to guide their designs and deliverables.

“When we asked residents what they valued in a neighborhood, it was clear that the community wasn’t just looking for an aesthetic upgrade,” said Zhang. “They were looking for a sense of belonging, safety and a physical environment that contributes to those things. We focused our catalyst plan on creating a village that is not only greener, but more connected and inclusive for everyone.”

Based on residents’ feedback, the students developed a catalyst plan centered on four key goals for enhancing the East Village community: (1) increase access to green spaces, (2) create permanent spaces that support social gathering, (3) promote different ways for people to get around, such as maintaining safe sidewalks for pedestrians and adding more bike racks throughout the community, and (4) improve signage to strengthen the East Village identity.

To help AboutFaceDetroit and the community understand how the goals could be implemented, the students proposed several design strategies for public spaces. One involves transforming the vacant lot next to the local Citgo gas station into an inviting gathering space featuring shade sails for sun protection, different seating options—including benches and picnic tables—and space for food trucks.

“We learned from AboutFaceDetroit that men from the neighborhood often gather outside Citgo in the mornings to socialize, so our solution is to make a space that people can occupy and enjoy,” said Batterbee. “So it changes from a passive space for seating into a really active destination that draws people from the neighborhood to come out, enjoy some good food, meet their neighbors and have a good time.”

Another initiative focuses on East Vernor Highway, a busy roadway in the East Village that is prone to accidents. The students suggested traffic-calming measures to help slow traffic and create a safer environment for pedestrians and bicyclists, including planting trees. As part of the project, students joined AboutFaceDetroit, The Greening of Detroit and community members to plant more than 30 trees along East Vernor Highway and other parts of the East Village, enabling them to put their design ideas into practice.

“This was a really great opportunity to get out and actually do work on the ground so that residents of the East Village could see that this partnership isn’t just about putting things on paper, but about making real changes in the community that benefit them,” said Derr.

The students also created a design toolkit for AboutFaceDetroit and community members to guide the planning of future East Village projects. It’s an easy-to-use resource organized around three common site types—residential yards, public rights of way and vacant lots. The toolkit provides users with ecologically informed design recommendations and resources to help them with their specific project and location.

DuRussel praised the relationship between SEAS and AboutFaceDetroit as a “great example of civic partnership,” and hopes it serves as a model for future master’s projects to build similar community collaborations. “AboutFaceDetroit really embraced the students as part of their team, and it was a truly collaborative experience,” she said. “It’s what a true partnership should be.”