“C o m m o n  G r o u n d” 

Residents in Detroit see the city’s future as part of a long-term process of renewal, having a deep understanding of the city’s material and social conditions. Yet, in recent history the city’s definition of progress has been measured by the amount of material demolished. Under the objective of blight removal, the eradication of 20,000 structures under Mike Duggan's mayorship has done little to provide housing solutions for the residents that have been displaced, adding to a history of Detroit demolition being synonymous with segregation and division.

Alternatively, this studio aimed to repair, renew and add new material and systems that promote the care of existing environments and people, with an eye towards future change. By combining strategies of adaptive reuse and new construction, the studio proposed housing projects that increased the living possibilities for families that have been historically underserved within the city. Seeking Common Ground across scales, we used housing as a tool and vessel through which we can establish relationships with each other rather than distinguish ourselves from one another. When housing models shift from the individual to the collective, it takes on a social role.

Scale down, and architecture engages the overlooked, acts nimbly and reuses before demolishing. Scale up, and architecture listens, questions, and creates disruption in our engrained systems.