Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode Abandoned Places.
Anika Goss is a third generation Detroiter. She says her city's future depends on exchanging concrete for green space—and that transformation will lead to both economic gains and climate resilience.
About Anika Goss
Anika Goss is the CEO of Detroit Future City (DFC), a think-and-do tank focused on land use, sustainability, economic equity and community development in Detroit, Michigan. She leads a team of experts implementing a 50-year guide to decision-making and investment in Detroit. She also led the development of several significant research studies, including "Growing Detroit's African-American Middle Class" in 2019 and "The State of Economic Equity in Detroit" in 2021, as well as a web-based dashboard that tracks economic equity in Detroit and the surrounding region.
Her organization has invested more than $2.5 million toward the acceleration of vacant land revitalization through green infrastructure in Detroit by developing tools and resources, educational programming, research and direct project support of community-led green space projects. This work has developed a network of more than 120 resident leaders and nonprofits equipped and focused on this collaborative effort.
Katrina Watkins is CEO of the Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation, based in the McDougal-Hunt area of Detroit. There she leads urban renewal projects and organizes community programming – at the heart of their work is the new Bailey Park. The corporation has found success through partnerships with organizations like Detroit Future City.
This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Rachel Faulkner White. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.
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