Adaptive Detroit: Design Forum on Reuse + Renovation

ADAPTIVE DETROIT is a one-day forum exploring how Detroit can preserve, reuse, and reimagine its existing buildings. Bringing together architects, developers, policymakers, preservationists, artists, and residents, this event will examine adaptive reuse from multiple perspectives, from the policies and financing that make projects possible to the cultural, environmental, and community value of working with what is already there.

Through presentations, discussions, workshops, and debate, participants will share ideas, examine challenges, and learn from projects already taking shape in Detroit and elsewhere. At the center of the conversation is a simple premise: existing buildings are resources. A former factory, neighborhood landmark, or warehouse that once hosted a techno rave carries material, social, and cultural histories that new construction cannot replicate. Reuse offers an opportunity not only to steward those histories, but to adapt them to meet contemporary needs.

The built environment is responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, half of which result from construction and embodied carbon from buildings and their materials. Working with existing structures is no longer discretionary, but essential. Global design initiatives are beginning to advocate for policies that prioritize reuse over demolition, reflecting a broader recognition of existing buildings as critical resources rather than obstacles to progress.

Detroit's 2025 Adaptive Reuse Ordinance further signals the city’s growing commitment to collective action around reuse. Its complex history of vacancy, disinvestment, and blight demolition uniquely positions the city to confront both the challenges and possibilities of adaptive reuse.

Numerous community-led and locally realized projects demonstrate how existing structures can become shared assets while preserving rich material histories. Together, we are aiming to explore how adaptive reuse can shape a more equitable, sustainable, and socially connected future for Detroit.

Schedule

https://www.adaptivedetroit.org/#schedule

11:00 - 11:30 Foundations for Reuse: Intro + Welcome

11:30 - 12:30 2025 Adaptive Reuse Ordinance

12:30 - 2:00 Lunch

2:00 - 3:15 Policy Strategies + Small Scale Development

3:30 - 4:45 Funding Strategies

5:00 - 6:00 Detroit Case Studies

6:00 - 7:00 Open Discussion & Drinks