About Us Data Driven Detroit (D3) provides accessible, high-quality information and analysis to drive decision-making that strengthens communities in Southeast Michigan.
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by Clay Martin – Research Analyst at D3
Today, November 8th 2011, registered voters in Detroit will decide whether or not to approve a revised city charter. Among other things, the new charter is intended to establish a city council by districts, strengthen measures against waste and fraud in city government, require the mayor to attend community meetings, require a feasibility assessment for a Detroit automobile and property insurance system, and promote sustainability initiatives. The changes are controversial enough that two groups, Citizens for Detroit’s Future and the Democratic Open Government Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, have registered with the City Clerk’s office to challenge voters’ eligibility and the conduct of election officials. [1]
Even though the new charter would implement significant changes in local government, the challenge of engaging citizens enough to vote on this local issue is also likely to be significant. We at Data Driven Detroit (D3) have been combing through voter data from the last 10 years and, based on turnout in previous local, non-mayoral elections, are estimating an 8.5% voter turnout on the charter issue. We do hope that the number will be higher on this important issue; however we want to take this as an opportunity to share our data with you as well as the precedents we studied to determine this estimate.
Continue reading Who Votes, Who Doesn’t? Predicting Voter Turnout for Today’s Election
By Rob Linn – GIS Analyst at D3
Last month, in advance of the tax foreclosure auction in Wayne County, Data Driven Detroit (D3) worked to equip Detroit’s community-based organizations and residents with data to make informed decisions. To encourage residents to participate in the auction and to facilitate residents to make neighborhood-specific plans in anticipation of the auction, D3 launched a new free online tool. While tax foreclosure is increasing throughout the Southeast Michigan region, Detroit remains the most affected community. In Detroit, the auction included more than 12,000 properties with a total area larger than Hamtramck, and risked displacing an estimated 13,000 residents. While some properties and neighborhoods will benefit from tax foreclosure, the process often proves very challenging for residents and neighborhoods. Clearly, resident engagement in the tax foreclosure process – as buyers, voters, community decision-makers, and neighbors – is needed to drive a more positive outcome after the auction.
Continue reading Tax Foreclosure : Now a Regional Issue
By: Amy Grodin - Environmental Analyst at D3
In the spring of 2010, Data Driven Detroit (D3) and the Graham Institute for Sustainability at the University of Michigan forged a relationship with the Detroit community in order to invest in the environmental health of the city. The Graham Institute is currently providing $250,000 to fund six major projects, on which D3 is the data partner. The projects were first assessed by Dr. John Callaweart and Katie Lund from the Graham Institute, staff from D3, and community-based advocates and experts. Both D3 and the Graham Institute focused on the community’s interest during the selection process to ensure that the projects chosen would include the best indicators for Detroit and support the long term goal of creating an accurate sustainability index for the city. Don Scavia, Graham Family Professor and Director of the Graham Institute, explained it this way: “This project provides an exceptional opportunity to apply University resources to the broad agenda of sustainable redevelopment in Detroit. University of Michigan Faculty project leads have a deep commitment to Detroit and I believe there will be significant interest in this project.”
Continue reading Detroit : A Model for Urban Sustainable Development
In October, The Detroit News Hub asked Data Driven Detroit (D3) to write a response to Forbes’ list of America’s Most Dangerous Cities since Detroit was listed as Number One. We at D3 did take an issue with that … from a data point of view. When the data was properly analyzed Detroit actually ranks 17th.
Check out our original D3 blog post
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Our version for the Detroit Regional News Hub
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