Growing the Urban Ecosystem in Detroit, Michigan

Many views of the future are seen as bleak and devoid of the life where once stood beauty and abundance. However, the Living Cities Design Competition challenges these views and calls for a vision of the future that inspires hope, biodiversity, and a healthy interaction between human and natural systems. We chose to redesign the city of Detroit, Michigan to be a living city by the year 2035. As the earth scientist on an interdisciplinary team, I acted as an ecological consultant. By developing the urban ecosystem of Detroit, a number of social, economical, and environmental problems can be solved. Green infrastructure such as urban forests and ecological corridors should be implemented to lessen our impact on the environment. Urban agriculture should be developed in order to provide the community with healthy, sustainable, and local food as well as reviving the local economy. Protopia aims to provide a sustainable vision of the future in which the city replicates a natural ecosystem