Data Driven Detroit

Detroit Sustainability Indicators Project

The Detroit Sustainability Indicators Project is a collaboration with the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan to gather, assess, and map data on sustainability-related topics and create a sustainability index for Detroit. The sustainability index will drive informed decision-making and promote sustainable redevelopment in Detroit, as well as serve as a model for other cities. Five teams of faculty have contributed research in the areas of air quality, climate change, energy, environmental justice, infrastructure, open space, soil quality, transportation, urban agriculture, vegetation, waste management and water quality.

Data Driven Detroit will make the sustainability data available to the public, and will be incorporated into interactive web tools. Presentations on the findings of the Graham-funded researchers are available on the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute’s website.  Additional sustainability data can also be found on D3′s Detroit Environmental Agenda page.

Beginning in 2013, The Center for Advancing Research and Solutions for Society (CARSS) has funded D3 and the Graham Institute to extend this partnership by conducting a series of workshops focused on using sustainability indicators and other data for community planning. D3 will engage directly with neighborhood organizations, policymakers, and other Detroit stakeholders to design and implement the workshops.