By Joshua Long, Data Program Director and Escarleth Ortega, Program Manager, Data & Marketing
The Downtown Detroit Partnership’s Data Program, in collaboration with the Downtown Detroit Business Improvement Zone, is a strategic initiative which presents accessible information about the growth and health of Downtown and provides a collective understanding of the state of Downtown Detroit.
As part of this strategic goal, the team is pleased to announce the newest tool, the Downtown Detroit Profile, as part of its online data warehouse: the Downtown Detroit Datascape. The Profile offers detailed insights into the current trends shaping Downtown Detroit, highlighting key data on visitor patterns, workforce dynamics, housing market conditions, business activity, and essential quality-of-life factors such as safety and livability.
The Purpose of the Profile
The Profile is designed for property owners, small business owners, and other stakeholders to have a comprehensive view of the Downtown area, and to better inform decisions that support strategic investments and contribute to the area’s sustained growth and vitality.
How to Use the Profile
The data can be used to support grant or loan applications, help Downtown businesses plan staff and resources, encourage investment, support leasing agents and property managers, and more. Most of the data can be downloaded, either as a spreadsheet or image, to include in stakeholders’ reports.
What is included?
In the Downtown Activity section, you will find the number of visitors to recent Downtown events, total Downtown visitors, monthly visitation trends, number of workers, and more.
In the Economy and Business Climate section, we have included information on the number of Downtown jobs, numbers of new sidewalk-level retail establishments, and household spending.
In Quality of Life and Convenience you will find Walkability measures, quantity of parks and open space, BIZ Ambassador clean-up stats, safety figures and more.
In many places within the profile, we have included a comparison of Downtown Detroit to other major downtowns for context. For instance, while the median home rent in Downtown Detroit seems expensive in comparison to the Detroit Metropolitan Area, it is very much in line with other U.S. city centers.
The data are carefully curated sets of metrics that are critical pieces to tell Downtown’s story. For instance, since there is an identified need for new residential units, the Profile includes the current number of units in Downtown Detroit as well as the number of units that are under construction, and projects likely to be developed soon.
The data will be updated either quarterly or annually as information becomes available and will evolve in content and category based on user needs, feedback, and emerging trends. We believe this is a valuable addition to the Downtown Detroit Datascape and hope you agree. Please let us know what you think, and if there were any other information that you would like to share.
