Detroit, Michigan news and analysis from The Conversation

Highlighting emerging research and expert analysis on issues important to Detroit and Michigan.

Part of a pilot project funded by the Knight Foundation.

Latest news

A polling station is seen with two voting booths with American flags and the word 'vote' on them.

A polling station is seen with two voting booths with American flags and the word 'vote' on them.

These state supreme court races could decide abortion access and trans rights

Rachel Rebouché, The University of Texas at Austin

Detroit and Flint teens are struggling with their mental health – and worried adults around them feel ‘helpless’

Crystal Cederna, Michigan State University

A teen girl puts her hands on her forehead

A teen girl puts her hands on her forehead

Black moms and pregnant women forced out of their homes in metro Detroit face health and safety threats

Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, The Ohio State University

A mother stands behind son.

A mother stands behind son.

I’m a pediatrician in Michigan who created Rx Kids, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty programs – here’s what I’ve learned about how medical schools can improve community health

Mona Hanna, Michigan State University

Two moms play with their babies.

Two moms play with their babies.

Plans to improve Michigan’s K-12 schools depend on how the state funds public education

Jason Burns, Michigan State University and Madeline Mavrogordato, Michigan State University

Teacher sits at desk with students

Teacher sits at desk with students

View of downtown Detroit

View of downtown Detroit

Detroit wants to elevate youth voices in leadership – that means giving them real power

Krista Mehari, Michigan State University

Exterior of Target store and parking lot with cars

Exterior of Target store and parking lot with cars

Detroit has a shortage of national retailers. What can officials do to attract more chains to the city?

Keion Harris, University of Michigan and Stephanie Leiser, University of Michigan

Education

A person wearing sweats and a backward baseball cap holds a pouch against a device mounted on the wall

A person wearing sweats and a backward baseball cap holds a pouch against a device mounted on the wall

We collected data on how 779 Michigan school districts are regulating student cellphones − here are the trends

Justin Heinze, University of Michigan; Brian Jacob, University of Michigan, and Elyse Thulin, University of Michigan School of Public Health

An elementary school classroom stands empty

An elementary school classroom stands empty

More than 50% of Detroit students regularly miss class – and schools alone can’t solve the problem

Jeremy Singer, Wayne State University and Sarah Lenhoff, Wayne State University

Healthy people, healthy communities

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

Data center fights pit social values, democracy and capitalism against each other

Lauren Mullenbach, University of Michigan

Deed fraud can cause vulnerable Detroiters to lose their homes – here’s why it’s hard to catch the thieves

Donovan McCarty, Michigan State University

A Black woman with long dark curls sits on the steps in from of a yellow brick building.

A Black woman with long dark curls sits on the steps in from of a yellow brick building.

Detroit is spending millions on gunshot detection tech – is it an effective tool in the fight against violent crime?

Tian An Wong, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Divya Ramjee, Rochester Institute of Technology

A Black man wearing a police uniform stands behind podium.

A Black man wearing a police uniform stands behind podium.

Signs of economic instability emerge in Oakland County, one of Michigan’s wealthiest

Grigoris Argeros, Eastern Michigan University and Jordyn Gerwig, Eastern Michigan University

Cars drive on street in a downtown district.

Cars drive on street in a downtown district.

Cannabis sales and use are high in Michigan – but federal law means research lags behind

Omayma Alshaarawy, Michigan State University

A lighted display shows cannabis products for sale

A lighted display shows cannabis products for sale

Environment

A silhouetted figure walks along a body of water with a Ferris wheel visible in the distance.

A silhouetted figure walks along a body of water with a Ferris wheel visible in the distance.

Most Americans support conservation – here’s how the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative got politicians from both parties on board too

Mike Shriberg, University of Michigan

Detroit’s water affordability crisis is tied to the uneven distribution of stormwater management costs – a fraught history explains why

Nicole Van Lier, Loyola Marymount University

Man stands next to broken water main.

Man stands next to broken water main.

Heavy rain on snow is testing aging dams across Michigan and Wisconsin – this is the future in a warming world

Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, University of Michigan

A city worker in reflective clothes stands knee-deep in a flooded street.

A city worker in reflective clothes stands knee-deep in a flooded street.

Supreme Court’s Michigan pipeline case is about Native rights and fossil fuels, not just technical legal procedure

Mike Shriberg, University of Michigan

A two-towered suspension bridge spans a waterway.

A two-towered suspension bridge spans a waterway.

PFAS are turning up in the Great Lakes, putting fish and water supplies at risk – here’s how they get there

Christy Remucal, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A view of the Lake Superior shoreline, with pine trees on sharp cliffs and wide expanse of blue water.

A view of the Lake Superior shoreline, with pine trees on sharp cliffs and wide expanse of blue water.

Are you an academic who studies Detroit or MIchigan?

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Arts + Culture

Man prepares coffee

Man prepares coffee

The rise of Yemeni coffeehouses in Dearborn and beyond

Sally Howell, University of Michigan-Dearborn

side angle of crowd shot showing varying ages and races, some dancing, some standing, and others seated on couches in a backyard setting

side angle of crowd shot showing varying ages and races, some dancing, some standing, and others seated on couches in a backyard setting

Techno tourism in Detroit – what do visitors owe the city that created the music?

Carla Vecchiola, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas not only recorded an anthem for the civil rights era – they fought for fair pay and proudly called themselves divas

Austin McCoy, West Virginia University

Three female Motown singers from the 1960s pose for a photo

Three female Motown singers from the 1960s pose for a photo

How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America

Devon Akmon, Michigan State University

A couple speaks to a young man wearing a T-shirt that reads "MuSeUm" in bright green type. They are standing in front of a round table set for a meal. A plant sits in one of the chairs.

A couple speaks to a young man wearing a T-shirt that reads "MuSeUm" in bright green type. They are standing in front of a round table set for a meal. A plant sits in one of the chairs.

The White Stripes join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame − their primal sound reflects Detroit’s industrial roots

Nathan Fleshner, University of Tennessee

Jack White and Meg White of White Stripes perform.

Jack White and Meg White of White Stripes perform.

Motown’s Black women songwriters and producers were the invisible architects behind the pop music juggernaut

Margena A. Christian, University of Illinois Chicago

Woman stands in front of podium

Woman stands in front of podium

Michigan Politics

Detroit’s high property taxes are driving a housing affordability crisis – how can city leaders bring down costs?

Amanda Nothaft, University of Michigan

A young Black woman stands behind podium with an American flag behind her

A young Black woman stands behind podium with an American flag behind her

What Detroit can learn from participatory budgeting processes in NYC, Boston and Brazil

Celina Su, CUNY Graduate Center

A bright-eyed Black woman wearing a light-colored suit sits at a conference table with a laptop in front of her. Aides flank her.

A bright-eyed Black woman wearing a light-colored suit sits at a conference table with a laptop in front of her. Aides flank her.

Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind, new survey of Michigan officials shows

Stephanie Leiser, University of Michigan

A man wearing glasses and a blue sports jacket kneels to remove ballots from a green box reading "BALLOT DROP BOX"

A man wearing glasses and a blue sports jacket kneels to remove ballots from a green box reading "BALLOT DROP BOX"

Nearly half of Detroit seniors spend at least 30% of their income on housing costs − even as real estate values fall

Amanda Nothaft, University of Michigan

Three neat homes are lined up on a snowy street.

Three neat homes are lined up on a snowy street.

Thank you to our local university partners