Many conferences sell tickets by announcing high-wattage keynote speakers from Fortune 500 companies and sexy tech startups who present bold ideas for the future.
What makes Urban Innovation Exchange (Sept. 24-26 in Detroit) unique is that it's about passionate people working on the ground, doing the creative heavy lifting to make their neighborhoods and cities better.
Their projects aren't big and flashy (in fact, they're the opposite), but their visions are no less bold.
Power House Productions in Detroit and
Tiny Houses in Pittsburgh.
Tiny Diner & Farm in Minneapolis.
Storefronts,
sidewalks,
alleys,
farm plots,
warehouses,
barber shops,
community kitchens,
church basements.
They're small and that's the point.
Over the course of three days in Detroit, we'll learn about 50 innovative small-scale projects from six American cities led by artists, designers, makers, entrepreneurs, and one badass mayor. Their ideas are changing the way we think about urban investment and impact.
For the lineup,
click here. And for a preview, check out these 13 videos:
REVOLVE DETROIT from
Manda Moran on
Vimeo
The Empowerment Plan, Detroit
Joan Vorderbruggen Activates Vacant Spaces from
Forecast Public Art on
Vimeo
Food Revolution Day (Pittsburgh) on
YouTube
The Makers Coalition from
Ken Friberg | Cinematographer on
Vimeo
DC3 Presents: The Alley Project from DETROIT LIVES! on Vimeo
People's Liberty Overview from People's Liberty on Vimeo
Urban Innovation Exchange: Kitchen Connect from
DETROIT LIVES! on
Vimeo
Center for Outdoor Living Design (COLD) 2013 from
KSU CUDC on
Vimeo
Mt. Elliott Makerspace, Detroit
CoSign, Cincinnati
Ride It Sculpture Park, Detroit
First Batch from
First Batch on
Vimeo
And an extra bonus:
Write A House, Detroit
Like what you see?
Register today to join the exchange, and follow along on
Facebook and
Twitter at
@UIXDetroit #UIXDET.
UIX is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and presented in partnership with Detroit Design Festival (Sept. 23-28) and Dlectricity (Sept. 26-27).
Photo Credit: Poster by Roland Tiangco
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