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Join us for a film screening Thursday, September 15, 2011 Register for the Detroit Event NOW... Or Watch it Stream Live using the media player below Reimagining the Region: Building a New Detroit Metropolis will bring together public officials, policy makers, clergy, and community members for a dynamic dialogue on how regional strategies for transportation, economic development and governance are key to revitalizing the region.
Stephen Henderson, an editor for the Detroit Free Press and host of Detroit Public Television's American Black Journal will moderate a panel discussion and dialogue with the audience, which will be filmed and streamed live by Detroit Public TV.
Conan Smith, Executive Director of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, which is also co-sponsoring the event, said, "Suburban communities were created to drive segregation in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. These (New Metropolis) films speak about strategies to overcome this⎯important stuff for us. Overcoming segregation to realize its promise, as seen in The New Metropolis framework – that is the hope of this experience." View the Detroit Event Flyer... Moderator
Panelists
This forum is part of The New Metropolis national civic engagement dialogue series on revitalizing America’s older communities. It is made possible through the generous support of the Ford and Surdna foundations. |
Want to watch Reimagining the Region as it happens live? 
Other Organizations Live Streaming the Event DPTV to broadcast The New Metropolis on Sept. 5th Website Resources |
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Communities just like yours are using the films to make changes in their regions for a better future. Read their stories and watch film clips of their events by selecting a city. |
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"Detroit has been deteriorating for over 40 years because of disinvestment," said Ponsella Hardaway, Executive Director of Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES), one of the sponsors of the event. "The suburbs had been secure, but over the last 15 years they’ve been experiencing the same decline as the urban core. There's also been a lot of competition between municipalities. I hope this event starts to break down the barriers so that all communities, suburban and urban, can cooperate rather then compete. But the question: is how do we cooperate? It's more than EMS and police. This event gives community leaders the opportunity to come together and discuss how to do this."
Award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice will launch the evening dialogue with some clips from her recent documentary, The New Metropolis, which highlights issues facing America's first suburbs to examine U.S. land use and transportation policy. "The film series is called The New Metropolis because old policies which separated cities and suburbs are no longer in our economic self-interest," said Torrice. "We need a new vision for our regions in the future." 
"Detroit is the home of the original idea of the suburbs. The highway system here, which is more complex and over-developed than any place in the country, made it possible since the 1950s for people to leave the city. So, we have more decaying infrastructure, especially in the inner-ring suburbs because they’re older," said Henderson.
Stephen Henderson will moderate the discussion. He is a Detroit native and the host of DPTV’s American Black Journal and editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Also a frequent contributor to Flashpoint on WDIV, his work has earned more than a dozen national journalism awards. 
Rev. John Hice is the Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Royal Oak. He is a member of the Metropolitan Detroit Pastor Leadership, which initiated MetroBridges, a ministry for building relationships between faith communities and neighborhoods in Detroit. He is also actively involved in transportation reform. 
Dr. Karen Majewski, Mayor, City of Hamtramck, MI, is serving her second term as mayor and in addition to sitting on the board of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, is vice president of the Michigan Municipal League.
Melanie Piana is a Ferndale City Councilwoman and a member of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance. She is also the leader of the Redevelopment Ready Communities, a program affiliated with the Michigan Suburbs Alliance.
Dr. john powell is Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University. An internationally recognized expert, Professor powell’s extensive written work includes analysis of structural racism, racial justice and regionalism, concentrated poverty and urban sprawl, and poverty and democracy.
State Representative Jim Townsend is serving his first term in the 26th House District. He is Co-Chair of the bipartisan SE Michigan Legislative Caucus, which is focusing on collaborating economic development, municipal services, water quality, and transportation. 
Visit The New Metropolis website on September 15th at 7 p.m. to watch the event.
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