Wayne State University’s Detroit Orientation Institute will host Detroit 101, a half-day tour and conversation, from 2 to 8 p.m. on April 20. The information-packed afternoon will begin with a bus tour of Detroit neighborhoods and destinations, including Midtown, downtown, the riverfront, West Village, the Heidelberg Project, Eastern Market, the Avenue of Fashion and Palmer Park. Participants will engage in conversation with community leaders along the route, including Ritchie Harrison (Detroit RiverFront Conservancy), Brittany Sanders (Belle Isle Conservancy), Vittoria Katanski (Hatch Detroit) and Kim Tandy (Mayor’s Office, Department of Neighborhoods).
The interactive event will conclude with lunch and a group dialogue — "Your Detroit? My Detroit? OUR Detroit!" — led by Jeri Stroupe, senior project administrator and Detroit Revitalization Fellow in Wayne State University’s Office of Economic Development. Joining the discussion will be Anika Goss-Foster (Detroit Future City), Kurt Metzger (City of Pleasant Ridge) and Shirley Stancato (New Detroit).
Event: Detroit Orientation Institute: Detroit 101
Date: Wednesday, April 20
Time: 2-8 p.m.
Location: TechTown Detroit, 440 Burroughs, Detroit 48202
Cost: $100 by April 8, $120 thereafter
RSVP: http://bit.ly/25mkBAi
Wayne State’s partner on this program is the Detroit Experience Factory, a program of the Downtown Detroit Partnership that uses interactive experiences and innovative resources to connect locals and visitors to Detroit's people, places and projects.
The Detroit Orientation Institute is celebrating its 25th year of programming. The program was founded and launched in 1991 in response to a recommendation in the City of Detroit’s 1987 Strategic Plan, a project led by the business leaders of Detroit Renaissance and informed by Mayor Coleman Young. An event to commemorate the program and its future will take place later this year.
The Detroit Orientation Institute engages business, community, media, nonprofit, political, civic and student leaders in immersive events that illuminate Detroit and foster connections. Participants visit the city’s neighborhoods and key institutions, interacting with change-makers as they dig deep into the region’s history and current landscape. Groups are small and participatory, with long-time leaders and newcomers together exploring contemporary issues and opportunities. For more information, visit doi.wayne.edu.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 380 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 27,000 students.