Building Thriving‑Class Neighborhoods with Life Remodeled

Today I'm at the table at TechTown with Life Remodeled president and CEO Diallo Smith, along with Norris Howard. We get into how this Detroit‑based nonprofit is transforming vacant school buildings into "opportunity hubs" that connect entire families to education, jobs, and essential services in their own neighborhoods. Diallo walks us through the rebirth of Durfee Intermediate as the Durfee Innovation Society on the West Side, now home to more than 30 nonprofits and social impact partners, and shares how neighbors themselves shaped which programs moved in. We also talk about Life Remodeled's next big project on the East Side at the former Dominican / Winan Academy campus, including a 700‑seat theater and a planned 26,000‑square‑foot tech education addition with room for everything from esports to advanced training. Along the way, we get into why the future of the Detroit region is fundamentally tied to the future of Detroit's neighborhoods, what thousands of volunteers accomplish in the Six Day Project each year, and why investing in arts, culture, and opportunity on our blocks is really about rebuilding the heart of this region. More: Don't forget to

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Building Thriving‑Class Neighborhoods with Life Remodeled is an episode from Daily Detroit by Daily Detroit.

This episode is 14:06 long.

This episode was published on Apr 7, 2026.

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