The eyes and minds of urban America were on Detroit this coming week, as more than 600 people representing 156 cities across 27 countries attend CityLab’s annual global cities summit to discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by life in the modern metropolis.

CityLab Detroit brought together thought leaders, mayors, city planners, entrepreneurs, artists and activists, as well as uncommon Detroiters who are working tirelessly in their communities to make them a better place to live.

One Detroit Associate Producer, Will Glover, spoke with CityLab co-founder and editor-at-large, Richard Florida about:

How Detroit’s Suburbs Need to Reconcile with its Urban Core

Importance of Keeping the Detroit’s Waterfront Public

Development Investment

CityLab Detroit had an impressive roster of major national speakers, including GM’s Mary Barra, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Times columnist David Brooks, author and The Atlantic’s national correspondent James Fallow, Quicken Loans’ Dan Gilbert, and Hannah Beachler (production designer for “Black Panther”). CityLab Detroit is a leading global cities summit organized by the Aspen Institute, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. This is the first time the sixth annual event will take place in a heartland city. Prior summits were hosted by Paris, Miami, London, Los Angeles, and New York.

Its choice of Detroit made perfect sense. This is a city widely seen as undergoing a remarkable rebound – after suffering through the largest bankruptcy in American history.

There are gleaming new buildings in the core city, but you don’t have to travel far to find neighborhoods whose residents aren’t enjoying the economic resurgence but are dealing with longstanding inequities and social problems.
Detroit, as we say at DPTV, is the most important city in America, a crucible for long-simmering urban issues. CityLab’s presence in Detroit attests to that.

For more on CityLab Detroit, visit their website >

For more One Detroit coverage featured on CityLab, check out the links below: