As the Detroit Community Technology Project (DCTP) celebrates its 10th anniversary, we reflect on a decade of transforming the city through community-driven technology. From empowering residents with the skills to build their own digital infrastructure to advocating for data justice, our work has been centered on creating a more equitable, connected Detroit. This milestone marks not just our achievements, but a commitment to continue empowering communities to take control of their technological futures with a focus on resilience, privacy, and community ownership. Let’s dive into the key accomplishments that have defined our journey.
Key Accomplishments: A Decade of Progress
Digital Stewardship & Partnerships:
- The Digital Stewards Program, launched in 2012, was an effort to actualize our belief that communication is a fundamental human right at the neighborhood-level in Detroit. The program, created by Allied Media Projects and the Open Technology Institute of the New America Foundation, was seeded in communities that had deep roots in community organizing and existing digital literacy programming. Digital Stewards received intensive technology training to cultivate their community’s digital ecosystem with a commitment to the Detroit Digital Justice Principles (DDJC), emphasizing access, participation, common ownership, and healthy communities. These stewards built and prototyped mesh networks in 5 Detroit neighborhoods.
- The program has trained leaders in seven Detroit neighborhoods and across the globe, enabling communities to take control of their tech futures.
- DCTP has led the way in developing, partnering with organizations locally and globally to empower communities to build and maintain their own technology infrastructure.
Building a More Connected Detroit:
- We’ve transformed Detroit’s community internet infrastructure, evolving from shared mesh networks to point-to-point connections, and now expanding fiber infrastructure that is accessible, equitable, and community-driven.
- The Equitable Internet Initiative kicked off in 2016 as a partnership with 3 Detroit neighborhood organizations (NewCC, Church of the Messiah/BLVD Harambee and Grace in Action). The initiative brought community-built wireless gigabit internet, public hotspots and now fiber internet to Detroit.
- These efforts ensure that Detroiters are not just consumers of technology, but creators, builders, and maintainers of our own communications infrastructure.
Data Justice and Advocacy:
- DCTP has been a fierce advocate for Data Justice, leading efforts to challenge surveillance, ensure privacy, and fight against data discrimination.
- Our work alongside the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition (DDJC) has been pivotal in pushing back against harmful technologies like Project Green Light and advocating for ethical, community-controlled data practices.
- Although it was repealed in 2016, we continued to incorporate and practice Net Neutrality, along with privacy and consent, in our client agreements and data practices. We state that we won’t block access to content, throttle traffic, or create fast and slow lanes or prioritize content from our partners or affiliates. We didn't want our communities who for years have dealt with marginalization and oppression to have to deal with it as they access the internet - some of whom were doing so for the first time.
Current Project Spotlight: Fiber and Resilience in Detroit
At the heart of our ongoing work is the expansion of fiber infrastructure in Detroit, designed to bring high-speed, affordable, and community-owned internet to historically underserved neighborhoods. This project is more than just about connectivity; it’s about neighborhood resilience.
- New Curriculum Launch: As part of this initiative, we’re expanding our curriculum to include training in fiber networking and community resiliency. This curriculum will provide the skills necessary for neighborhood residents to manage and sustain their own digital infrastructure, ensuring lasting impact and autonomy.
- Neighborhood Resilience Planning: Through this project, we're not just laying fiber cables — we’re also fostering community planning and local ownership, building resilient, tech-savvy neighborhoods ready to prepare our communities for the challenges of the future.
Featured Resources: Empowering Through Knowledge
We’ve been hard at work creating resources to guide other communities in their tech journeys. These guides and zines feature valuable lessons, tools, and stories from our work:
- Opening Data 2 – This zine explores the implications of open data for marginalized communities, sharing findings from Detroit’s Open Data Portal and other research on privacy, security, and data justice.
- Our Data Bodies: Digital Defense Playbook – A workbook filled with activities to help communities understand data privacy, surveillance, and how to defend against harmful digital practices.
- Community Technology Fieldguide – A living resource for digital stewardship and community tech infrastructure, emphasizing sustainability, participatory design, and digital justice.
- (Re)Building Technology Zine (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) – A collection of tools, stories, and practices that support the growth of the community technology movement, with examples from Detroit and around the world.
Click to access our library of zines, guides, and collaborations.