Urban Planner Toni Griffin coming to Detroit

**Gsgeorge** · March-18-10, 12:25 PM

This is monumental news for a shrinking Detroit:

One of the country's preeminent urban planners, Toni Griffin, who recently oversaw efforts to revitalize Newark's decaying downtown, is coming to Detroit. Her salary--undisclosed--and her team will be paid for by the venerable Kresge Foundation. Undoubtedly she will be the ultimate coordinator, combining the Parcel Survey, the CDAD recommendations, the AIA recommnedations, the Mayor's goals and community input on reinventing and right-sizing Detroit.

Perhaps most importantly, she is an African-American from Chicago who oversaw efforts to revitalize Harlem decades ago. She can probably connect with the people and bring a more human face to the monstrous task of downsizing Detroit. No one wants to relive the destructions of Poletown or Hastings Street. I think we'll see Toni bring the whole process down to a very human, inclusive, and community-oriented scale.

Detroit News reported on it first here:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...ing-to-Detroit

And the NYT did a kind of bourgie writeup on her here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/re...habi.html?_r=1

**Hypestyles** · March-21-10, 06:03 PM

congratulations, I hope her ideas are progressive and are met with a cooperative spirit from local leadership and the community at large.. Of course, the fact that she's from Chicago and has a relationship with the Kresge Foundation will be harped on by the most reactionary "detroit activist" types...