Detroit, MI

Built environment, Community safety and policing, Climate and environment | 2025

Documenting the neighborhood impacts of truck traffic hot spots to reduce pollution and increase traffic safety.

Underinvested areas in Detroit’s Districts 4 and 6 are host to heavy industry, utilities, highways, and rail infrastructure. For nearby residential areas, the proximity to industry means increased truck traffic, which leads to increased air pollution and hazardous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision will work with community groups to build detailed maps that identify high truck traffic areas, aiming to reduce negative effects on their neighborhoods.

Residents and community groups will use special cameras that work in tandem with air quality monitors to locate truck traffic hot spots that affect community health. In addition to gathering these original quantitative data, Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision will work with community members to collect stories and perspectives on areas with high truck traffic and their impacts on community safety, the environment, and quality of life.

Community partners, neighborhood block clubs, and community development organizations will use findings from the project to engage the city council and local agencies about ways to address the harmful effects of excessive truck traffic. Easy street modifications could include cameras, air monitors, speed bumps, bollards, and designated truck routes. Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision hopes this project will support neighborhoods taking planning into their own hands to create safer, healthier, and cleaner communities for their families and future generations.