PostDate:
Anyone reading the articles in Forbes, Fast Company, and the local Detroit Free Press about the tech scene in Detroit can’t but get the impression that the tech startup scene is booming. Business incubators and accelerators like TechTown (where I work), Bizdom and tech training institutes such as Grand Circus are all part of a collective effort to nurture the creation and growth of tech startups. There is much hope that these new businesses will create jobs and help the city diversify and grow its struggling economy. However, in a city with a 38% poverty rate (as reported by the US Census) and a broken public school system, we have to ask ourselves: will the opportunities that tech provides be able to improve the lives of the average Detroit resident? Can the revitalization that is happening in Downtown and Midtown also benefit the neighborhoods? Or, will it just be a bubble? What can we learn from both the advances and the mistakes of other cities like San Francisco, Boston, and New York about what to do (or not) to be better inclusive of the entire community?
I’ll be sharing a few articles on this topic over the next few posts. Here’s the first one from NPR on how tech in San Francisco is actually driving a wedge in communities - http://n.pr/1czgBOo.
I’d also like to hear from you about what you think. Send me a tweet @sheujane.
