Tell us about what neighborhood you live in and what makes it unique.

I live in Capitol Park, one of the most quickly developing pockets of Downtown Detroit. The landscape of my eight-minute walk to work each morning has changed throughout the year, as new storefronts and forms of transit (the M1 Rail AND MoGo bike share!) have helped increase the life of and access to streets downtown. It’s exciting to feel the pulse of the city every day.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit during your fellowship year?

As a newcomer to the city (and region overall), I can’t imagine a better way to become a Detroiter than spending a year as a Fellow with Challenge Detroit. I began orienting myself to the city before I moved, reading books and watching documentaries about the city’s cultural, political, economic, and spatial histories. Throughout this year, this commitment to learning has meant listening to these personal histories from Detroiters new and old and immersing myself in the literal and figurative spaces of the city. I’ve learned how to better listen, how to better think, how to share, how to collaborate, how to contribute, and how to grow here every day.

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.

I am a design professional at Hamilton Anderson Associates, an Architecture, Landscape, and Interior Design firm with a 20+ year history in Detroit. Our office is located in Harmonie Park, part of Downtown Detroit’s commemorative Paradise Valley district. Throughout the year, I’ve been exposed to all phases of design on diverse projects in Detroit. I’ve worked on teams to help execute construction documents for a new residence hall at Wayne State University, rendered interior images for office build outs, field-surveyed buildings for renovation and development across the city, and contributed to the architectural and landscape designs of projects like the Motown Museum expansion and our own office addition.

What kind of impact do you hope to have with your host company and within the city?

I love that so much of my work at Hamilton Anderson involves neighborhoods and organizations that I’ve been exposed to through Challenge Detroit. Architects and designers play an essential role in the development of Detroit’s physical and social landscapes, and it is my hope and belief that I can contribute to the creation of more equitable, just spaces for Detroit natives and newcomers to come together.

What are you most looking forward to this summer in Detroit?

My long summer days and nights in Detroit have been filled with impromptu sunset bike rides, nights spent on patios, and sunny poolside Saturdays. Summer has brought a renewed spirit to the city that I appreciate even more for its relationship with the shifting energies and moods that accompany seasonal change. My favorite part of Detroit summer, though, has been getting away from the city to explore more of Michigan. I’ve been up to Traverse City, Harbor Springs, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Mackinac Island already, with hopes of a few more road trips to come.

What do you envision for Detroit 10 years from now?

Ultimately, I envision a Detroit built by and for Detroiters. Detroit feels especially unique because of its malleability; entrepreneurs, designers, activists, dreamers can give to this city in ways that meaningfully impact the immediate community. I commend and uphold the equitable approach that many developers and city leaders are stressing, and I remain optimistic that the growth we see so prominently in a few pockets of the city today will contribute to strengthening the physical and social infrastructures of neighborhoods across the city in the future.

To learn more about Natalie’s experiences in Detroit this year check out her spotlight video below.