Why Detroit? Visitors Converge on a City on the Rise

Detroit is welcoming and accessible

“Detroit is a place rich in creative, intellectual and technological capital where space has been made to allow for the growth of niche and innovative business,” said Christopher Stefani, assistant director of the LTU Design Center for Design + Technology and director of DCDT’s Design Incubator. “Even through our recent revitalization, the city and her citizens continue to be accessible and affectionate towards locals and visitors alike.

“We are in many ways the definition of big city meets small town!”

Accessible also means easy to reach. And visiting the Motor City means more than hopping on the highway by car. The city is a major hub for airlines through Detroit Metro Airport. Buses, town cars, Uber and Lyft make it simple to get from points A to B – as does ZipCar. Later this year, the QLine rail system will debut, linking Midtown and downtown Detroit in new ways.

Detroit shows off its community pride

Detroiters have a strong sense of community. Detroit businesses thrive thanks to a cooperative and supportive effort that can be felt from the city’s shops and nonprofits, to major corporations.

“In 2014, U.S. Green Building Council chose Detroit to host Convergence, our meeting of our global community of thought leaders, change agents, dedicated volunteers, partners, members and staff,” said Kate Hurst, vice president, USGBC Community, Conferences & Events. “Detroit’s legacy of innovation, deep community pride and active renaissance was a perfect backdrop to our meeting’s goal: fueling our inspiration and dedication to charting a course for the future of our buildings, cities, and communities. Meeting in Detroit sealed our commitment to the region, and I’m happy to say we just hired our first local staff person in Detroit to advance our work in the region.”

Detroit embraces talent and exudes opportunity

As founder of Logical Owl, Marvin Williams helps business owners capitalize on the opportunities that are available, and growing, in Detroit.

“Business owners are not only coming from Michigan,” said Williams. “I am working with more companies moving here to invest in Detroit from New York, Miami, even Germany. More and more people are realizing the wealth of opportunities in Detroit and the impact they can make in the community. Those opportunities and the people capitalizing on them are what makes this city great.”

Detroit celebrates art, music and culture

What else makes Detroit a fantastic place to visit, live or work? Ask the New York Times and you’ll see Detroit is brimming in arts, culture and food.

Recently designated by UNESCO as a City of Design, Detroit’s rich art and culture is on display. It is a city in the midst of a culinary movement. This is no surprise to Detroiters
who know they’re well-fed. Downtown Detroit can satisfy anyone with a selection of fine established restaurants like London Chop House or Joe Muer Seafood to brand new chef-
centered eateries like Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. It has long been the birthplace of Detroit-style pizza thanks to Buddy’s Pizza and a battlefield for the best Coney Dog.

Yes, Detroit is the home of Motown Records and the city where so many iconic musicians and styles of music got a start. There’s no shortage of music, theater or art to take in when you visit Detroit.