PRESERVATION DETROIT’S
50TH ANNIVERSARY LECTURE SERIES

Jane Jacobs and the Detroit Economy

Join us to learn about the influence of Detroit's early industrial history on the writing of celebrated urbanist Jane Jacobs. Best known for her seminal book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs spent her later years writing about economics as the salient force shaping the rise and decline of cities. In this lecture, Idrees will make the case that her study of Detroit's rapid industrial development and subsequent economic collapse were central to developing her theory of urban economic development.

Idrees Mutahr is a planner at the City of Detroit General Services Department where he leads the city's greenways strategy. Prior to his time at the city, he worked in transit advocacy focused on supporting ballot initiatives and policy change at the local and regional level. He is an alumni of the Challenge Detroit fellowship program and a graduate of Wayne State University.

Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Lecture begins at 6pm

Vesper Books and Wine
5001 Grand River Ave
Detroit, MI