S3:E9 From Detroit with love… David Cowan in conversation with Stephanie Fortunato
Guest
David Cowan
In conversation with
Stephanie Fortunato
In this episode, our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with David Cowan, Chief Public Spaces Officer at the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP). David expands on the work of DDP in developing public spaces that place the wishes and needs of Detroiters at the forefront. The two go on to discuss the numerous attributes that create a successful vibrant public space; from programming to financial models to public safety, DDP considers it all.
Date of Recording
11 August 2023
Date of Publication
31 August 2023
[00:00:00]
[THEME MUSIC]
[00:00:05]
Stephanie Fortunato: Hello and welcome to The Three Bells. This podcast is one of a series brought to you by AEA Consulting and the Global Cultural Districts Network, in which we explore what's happening around the world at those busy and sometimes congested intersections of cultural and urban life.
I'm your host, Stephanie Fortunato, Director of Special Projects for GCDN. I'm speaking to you from the ancestral land of the Narragansett, Pokanoket, Nipmuc, and other Indigenous peoples on which Rhode Island is located. I recognise their enduring connection to this place and I pay my respects to those who have and continue to live here and to all the First Nations people, of the many lands on which we're listening today.
What do you think of when I say New York? Tokyo? Paris? There are some cities you think you know whether you've been there or not. What do you think of when I mentioned Detroit? My first thought used to be cars. The legacy of the automobile industry that shaped the city, the population and built environment alike.
A city that rose to great heights in the 20th century, built prestigious cultural institutions like the Detroit Institute of Arts. Home of the famous Detroit Industry Murals series by Diego Rivera and later Motown. And then in 2013, the City of Detroit declared bankruptcy. Like many, I watched from afar, grimly studying the forces which led the government to make that decision.
And in the years since, cheering on the Detroiters, especially the visionary creatives and civic leaders who believed in the city and helped to remake it. My guest today is one of those loyal Detroit champions. And from our first conversation, he has asked me to rethink everything I thought I knew about Detroit's story.
Sure, the city's history as Motor City and as the birthplace of Motown are important to understanding Detroit today. But take it from him. There's so much more. David Cowan is the Chief Public Spaces Officer at the Downtown Detroit Partnership, one of two new GCDN members from Detroit. And it's my pleasure to welcome him to The Three Bells.
Hello David!
[00:02:13]
David Cowan: Thank you Stephanie, for having me on. Pleasure to be with you.
…
About Our Guest
Michigan native and Chief Public Spaces Officer at the Downtown Detroit Partnership, David Cowan is an intuitive, results-focused Executive, recognized as a strategic leader in nonprofit organizational development, public spaces and placemaking, arts management, signature events, real estate, and destination marketing. +
