Reader Response: This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design

In the article " A living model of cost-saving sustainable design in Detroit" by Adele Peters (2016), Ronen Dan and his friends started the Motown Movement in Detroit to construct an easy and cost effective solution for sustainable homes in the neighbourhood. The living model recycles  building materials  in abandoned houses and produce renewable resources as well as educates the residents on reducing energy wastage.

The Motown Movement will make use of various modification methods that are easy to understand and adaptable internationally so as to allow it to be implemented globally. Collaborating with their university, they aim to expand this idea globally through a master’s program which educates students on sustainable living and create awareness about sustainability. (Adele Peters - “This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design”)

I believe that the sustainable initiatives through transforming homes to lower cost is a viable plan to improve life of the residents. However, with so many voluntary organisations providing similar initiatives, their plan may not be well received by the public.

From my research, I notice that there are countless sustainable initiatives from government and private organisation in Detroit City. It is unsurprising to see so many voluntary efforts going on in Detroit City as the city’s economy has been declining since the 1960s. All these setbacks have caused Detroit City to have an unemployment rate of 29 percent, one of the highest in the US (James Moreland, 2016).

What Ronen Dan and his friends proposed is a great idea to make homes in Detroit City greener and also more cost efficient. However, it can be a inconvenient for residents who do not drive to visit the model house as Detroit has a rundown public transit system with poor transit access. Detroit is the largest American metropolis without a surface rail transit (Henry Grabar, 2016). Hence, residents without cars staying far away from the model house will have difficulty accessing it. Working families with full time jobs and children to look after may not have the time available for them to visit the model. Through my research, I have found one organisation GreeningDetriot, came up with a web page on tips and ways to retrofit homes to be more sustainable. The tips they provide are easy to follow and products required for retrofitting are listed with provider directories. The initiative from GreeningDetroit provided a platform that is convenient and easy to reach for residents willing to retrofit their homes.

I feel what the Motown Movement can improve on is the accessibility of the project. They can create a virtual tour of the model house online through images taken in the house. These images can be tagged with appropriate information and procedure the residents can follow to retrofit their homes. By using the internet as the medium to educate the public, Motown Movement will be able to educate people across the globe.

To conclude, the Motown Movement is a great initiative to improve  live of residents in Detroit City. Although there are many other organisations with similar initiative available, the Motown Movement will still definitely provide great help to residents who are interested in this initiative. I hope that through all these sustainable efforts, we will soon be able to see a better Detroit City in the near future.

References

Henry Grabar. (2016, June 7). Can America’s Worst Transit System Be Saved? Retrieved from Slate:
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/06/detroit_has_america_s_worst_transit_system_could_the_regional_transit_master.html

James Moreland. (2016, August 13). Can Detroit Is an Example of Everything That Is Wrong with Our Nation. Retrieved from Economy in Crisis:
http://economyincrisis.org/content/detroit-americas-war-torn-city

Adele Peters. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into A Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. Retrieved from Co.Exist: 
https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

Greening Detroit - https://www.greeningdetroit.com/