In the city of Detroit, decades of discrimination, unrest, and disinvestment have left
scores of vacant and abandoned property and thousands of impoverished residents. This is
clearly apparent in Detroit’s lower eastside, located just inside the city limits and bordered by
affluent suburban Grosse Pointe Park. Here, in the heart of the lower eastside, the Jefferson
East Business Association (JEBA) works to restore economic vitality as a means of revitalizing
the overall conditions of the neighborhood. To aid JEBA in their strategic planning process, we
developed a replicable model of sustainable community redevelopment and delivered a set of
tailored suggestions for the lower eastside.
Our research began with a review of national case studies relevant to six core topic
areas critical to redevelopment: Economic Prosperity, Human Health & Well-Being, Vibrant
Communities, Energy Systems, Material & Resource Flows, and Ecosystem Services. Through
the course of our research, common principles emerged and informed the creation of the sixstep
REPAIR model for sustainable community redevelopment. In this report, we demonstrate
the model through application to the lower eastside, provide our resulting assessment of the
neighborhood, and suggest detailed next steps for JEBA and the community.
While specific guidance is provided for Detroit, the key findings are universal:
First, a data-driven approach is essential in guiding proper resource usage and investment.
Second, there is often a plethora of organizations working for the betterment of hard-hit urban
areas. It is essential that these disparate stakeholders collaborate on a common plan to avoid
redundancy and while accelerating community redevelopment. Stakeholders must rally behind
a strong leader to most effectively assemble crucial resources and increase the likelihood of
success. Third, a truly sustainable community will need to prepare for future challenges through
mitigation and adaptation strategies. These methods must be established to increase resilience
and realize true sustainably. We highlight a process of continual improvement in which metrics
and indicators are regularly checked for both changes in trends and continued relevancy.