Can the Arts Save Struggling Cities?

Something is stirring in Detroit. Here, in a city that in the past decade alone lost a quarter of its already dwindling population, plans are in the works to revive the manufacturing economy—at least on a small scale. The Detroit FAB Lab taps into the vibe of “maker” labs and hackerspaces around the globe. Its creators envision an incubator for artists, artisans, and entrepreneurs. Members will have access to equipment for woodworking, metalworking, digital fabrication, and media, as well as business coaching and networking.

“Detroit has always been a place where things have been made,” says Alex Feldman, one of the project's creators, who works on economic development strategies with the company U3 Ventures. “That tradition is still alive here. But it's starting to shift in a small way to a more [artistic] culture of manufacturing and creation.”

The FAB Lab, a part of Wayne State University's TechTown initiative, recently won a planning grant from ArtPlace America, a collaboration of charitable foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and federal agencies. The funding is designed not just to feed starving artists or prop up grand old arts institutions. Under the banner of “creative placemaking,” these grants aim to inject new life into local economies.