Leveraging its UNESCO City of Design designation, the Detroit Creative Corridor just secured a $1 million grant from the Knight Foundation to develop an inclusive urban development strategy. The economic development and civic engagement strategy will engage residents in shaping the city’s future. The initiative aims to put Detroit on a global stage by creating lessons in urban revitalization that focus on excellence and inclusiveness in design.

With this funding, DC3 will use best practices from the UNESCO network to launch a 10-year campaign that will mobilize the city’s creative industries to strengthen Detroit’s overall economy. DC3 will take the worldwide stage in March at the Saint-Étienne International Design Biennial in Saint-Etienne, France.

DC3 is launching a yearlong planning process to build a 10-year vision for Detroit City of Design, strategies to achieve it, and benchmarks to measure progress. This process is supported with a $150,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation and $100,000 from the William Davidson Foundation. DC3 has selected a consultant team to support the process and will announce more details about how to get involved in the coming weeks.

“The Detroit City of Design campaign will include activities to raise public awareness about the value of design and creative industries, promote an international exchange of designers and ideas; and increase opportunities for Detroit’s creative community,” said Olga Stella, executive director of DC3. “By breaking down silos between communities, business sectors and creative disciplines, we will build a broad and diverse coalition to champion the role of design and creativity in driving equitable and sustainable development in Detroit.”