ENVISIONING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
LTU aims to make district self-sufficient on energy
Southwest Detroit has always been one of Detroit’s most heavily industrialized districts. Now, thanks in part to innovative planning by students at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, the area is aiming to become one of the city’s greenest districts. The LTU students are participating in a project to make southwest Detroit the city’s first net-zero energy community, meaning a district that produces more energy than it actually uses. One idea would wrap the dilapidated Michigan Central Station in solar panels. Other ideas include connecting energy hubs like the station through a series of bike lanes, mass-transit lines and other green infrastructure. The ideas might take years, and probably millions of dollars, to achieve. But, if nothing else, the LTU project emphasizes that no single project would be enough to achieve the goal of energy self-sufficiency, said Constance Bodurow, an LTU professor and director of the southwest Detroit project. “It has to be a comprehensive approach, absolutely,” she said Friday. “We believe that southwest Detroit could supply all of its energy from alternative sources, which is a very exciting notion.” The LTU project recently won a $50,000 grant from the Ford Motor Co. Fund, one of five such grants awarded annually to colleges engaged in projects that support a more environmentally sustainable future. Other grants in recent years have supported a bike-sharing program in Atlanta and the SEED Wayne urban agriculture project at Wayne State University. Michael Schmidt, director of education and community development for the Ford Fund, said the company requires colleges getting the grants to engage students in all aspects of the projects. It’s a way of developing future leaders. “They’re the generation that’s going to have to figure all this stuff out,” Schmidt said. Detroit’s iconic Michigan Central Station could serve as one of the energy hubs. The team suggests cladding it with solar panels, and possibly weaving other technologies such as wind turbines into the site. Beyond producing some alternative energy for the district, the LTU team sees the idea as a catalyst for further experimentation, said Jordan Martin, 24, a recent LTU graduate in urban design. “We want to start that brainwork and then hope that that would spark further growth and opportunities for the people,” Martin said. Other tactics suggested by the team include creating more public transit and more green infrastructure, like the planned extension of the RiverWalk west of downtown. Still other aspects of the project include mapping sites where higher-density, mixed-used development might create a more walkable urban environment. The LTU team is working with the Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative, a coalition of more than a dozen community nonprofit groups. Kathy Wendler, president of the Southwest Detroit Business Association, said the LTU project dovetails with other greening projects under way, like the bicycle lanes and energy-efficient street lights planned along West Vernor. “For a very industrial part of the city, it’s kind of refreshing that we might lead on energy use,” Wendler said this week. The LTU work is being conducted by Studio (Ci), a design lab in the College of Architecture and Design. The studio, headed by Bodurow, is a multidisciplinary team of architects, urban designers, and civil and environmental engineers. • CONTACT JOHN GALLAGHER: 313-222-5173 OR GALLAGHER99 @ FREEPRESS.COM 
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