Usually when one mentions the words “Detroit” and “Renaissance” together, one is referring to Detroit’s Renaissance Center, four 39-story towers which were originally a Ford Motor Company development project in the early 1970′s and are now owned by General Motors. As someone who grew up in nearby Ann Arbor, with its tree-lined streets, PhD-educated cab drivers, and insanely overpriced real estate, I’ve always sadly thought of Detroit in the same way I might think of Beirut: a slightly scary, bombed-out city that I might have to pass through to go elsewhere. At the same time, I’ve always held some hope for the place, in spite of its history of corrupt mayors and urban blight. I’ve always though that if Cleveland can do it, so can Detroit. Which is why the Powerhouse Project excites me. Although a small project initiated by a handful of people, it’s gaining international attention thanks to groups like Amsterdam’s Detroit UnReal Estate Agency. The basic story is that Detroit couple Gina Reichert and Mitch Cope bought a run-down house in northern Hamtramck (let’s start calling it “NoHam”!) for $1900.00 with the intention of building a mini green power grid in the neighborhood. The project has snowballed a little, so they’ve gotten considerable positive press. To learn more, check out this piece at ModeldMedia.com, this NYT Op-Ed piece, or the WFUM Radio segment The Upside Of Foreclosures, which has both a transcript and an audio stream. You can also visit the Powerhouse Project web site. Let’s go, Detroit! With inspired thinking like this, maybe we can avoid the Bushvilles of Sacramento!