Osborn wasn’t a new neighborhood to me, I had met one of its community leaders, Quincy Jones, while working on the agenda for the Detroit Policy Conference. The theme of the conference was making Detroits neighborhoods strong, and Osborn wit help of their neighborhood and business association were doing just that. However Osborn still existed and exists as a “fringe” area to some. Far outside the reaches of Corktown and Midtown, without the growing “hipness” of the Avenue of Fashion, and lacking the population density and resident stability of Grandmont Rosedale. Osborn doesn’t have destination businesses or places, their focus isn’t being the next hot neighborhood or hipster mecca, they simply want to create a more livable community through better housing stock, and a healthier business district. They want to accomplish this by working with the companies that in some cases have long abandoned that area. Foundations and philanthropic efforts have produced some great initiatives for them thus far. The cohorts they run for neighborhood based entrepreneurs teach things like writing a business plan, understanding taxes, and the legality of owning your own business. They are invaluable to would be or current business owners who otherwise would not have access to this information, not because it doesn’t exist but because there’s nobody to tell them about it or willing to provide it. However as great as these programs are they can’t do everything. Once these businesses need financing, business loans, or customers with discretionary income, there simply needs to be other entities involved. That’s where the banks come in. Institutions like 5^th Third, Bank of America, and Chase have been hugely engaged in the Detroit community on issues of financial literacy and access to capital, but often times that interest and investment takes place in the greater downtown area, or stronger neighborhoods like University District or Southwest Detroit.

The stakeholders of Osborn are incredibly passionate and so it’s clear in talking with people like Paul Garrison and Quincy Jones that the right leadership is there. After sitting in on and helping to organize several community meetings it’s clear the neighborhood has a strong core of champions and change makers. That’s the reason I chose this area to be my focus and it absolutely doesn’t end with this project. I’m lucky enough to have a job where my wok in Osborn doesn’t have to end, and it undoubtedly will not. I’m going to spend more time than ever there, helping to make those connections, and tell the communities story to those who may not hear it otherwise. As simple as it sounds, all you have to do to understand the passion and vibrancy in this neighborhood is to come see it for yourself. And it’s ok if your al little apprehensive about visiting for yourself, I’d be more than happy to show you around.