Online social networks have helped organize political demonstrations, inspired “flash mobs” to perform impromptu street acts and reunited long-lost loves. Can they help save a city?
In a twist on urban revitalization, a small group of Detroiters is galvanizing residents to help lift the declining city out of its economic funk via a Web site and Facebook page.
Declaration Detroit is an online call to action: “We know you love Detroit and want to see it not just survive, but thrive. This is our rallying cry. Welcome to a political movement for a brighter Detroit future.”
Drafted by 20 residents, the manifesto (DetroitDeclaration.com, facebook.com/DeclareDetroit) lays out 12 principles, from promoting sustainability and cultivating creativity to demanding better transportation services and government accountability. Posters are available, too.
Supporters are asked to sign the declaration, and about 2,100 have done so since it went online Jan. 21. More than 20,000 visited the Web site and 8,000-plus have become fans of the Facebook page.
“It’s grown pretty organically,” says Kirsten Ussery, 31, director of communications and marketing for Business Leaders of Michigan, a non-profit economic development group.
“It is not the voice of any one person,” says Nichole Christian, 39, a former journalist who is communications director at Tech Town, a small-business incubator.
“What I see the Detroit manifesto as is that people who are not in a position to lead major institutions are saying, ‘We’re in this, too. We’re going to help,’ ” says Carol Coletta, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities, a national network of urban leaders that promotes city revitalization.
“It says there’s a whole layer of people in Detroit who are committed to Detroit’s future,” she says.
Organizers of Declaration Detroit say their employers are not involved in the movement, which grew largely from chats between friends and neighbors.
“People were talking among…