Ashley Aidenbaum

Ashley Aidenbaum is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan, where she studied Cultural Anthropology and History.  Her areas of special interest were Cold War culture and suburbanization in postwar America.  At Michigan, she found her flair for historical writing, and her independent research project was published in the Michigan Journal of History.  Ashley interned at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) until joining the Urban Revitalization Division in the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) this year.  Ashley works for the Cool Cities program, where she is helping to plan the Creative Cities Summit to take place in Detroit this October.  In her free time, Ashley enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her family.

Contact Information:
Ashley Aidenbaum
phone | 517.241.8991
email | aidenbauma@michigan.gov
linkedin | http://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymarie
twitter | http://twitter.com/ashleymariea

Monday

May 26, 2008

I am a “millennial.”

I’ve done nothing to earn my influence.

Membership to this generation leads my coworkers and collaborators to constantly ask:  “You are a millennial, what do you want?  What do you think?”
 
Cities must compete for our minds and money; we expect an accommodating, personalized experience whether we are shopping, surfing the web, or searching for a home.

I won’t speak for my generation in the remainder of my blog.  Still, I do feel that my observations and perspective are consistent with a broader population of urban-inclined young adults who have failed to find convenience or quality of life in the suburban spaces in which they were raised.

This pervading discontentment with the suburban landscape guided my study of postwar cultural history in college, and eventually brought me to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, where I work on Cool Cities in the Urban Revitalization Division.  My experience here has helped define my thinking and refine my language around the importance of creating a sense of place in Michigan communities and promoting improved quality of life, and I will try to theme the entries to follow accordingly.

Check back tomorrow to hear Ashley’s thoughts on spontaneity.

Tuesday

May 27, 2008

I don’t want to know what’s next.

Spontaneity is undeniably a lifestyle requirement for me.  I want to walk in a densely built, densely populated downtown and stroll from store to store or bar to bar; bumping into people and places.  You can’t stroll in a car, and you certainly don’t want to bump into anything while driving! 

There are so many things about a strong urban core that facilitate spontaneity: 24-hour businesses, vibrant public spaces, and a dense built environment with a diverse population to fill it.  I want to meet up with a few friends for dinner, and see where the night takes us as we walk from place to place. 

In my beloved town of Ferndale, we might catch a jazz act at Club Bart, or check out the art at AJ’s café.  We might hop over to the Emory for drinks and patronize their fabulous jukebox.  I want to stumble into music, art, strangers and friends.

I want to lose track of time.

I want to have so many choices of people and places that my experiences transcend temporal concerns—especially on a Saturday night!  My sense is that this is just as important to many empty nesters as it is to young professionals.  We are childless and unbound. 

Access to spontaneity is one of a few themes connecting to quality of life that I’ll be discussing in my blog this week.  I hope you’ll check in tomorrow, and please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.

Check back tomorrow to hear Ashley’s thoughts on other people’s preferences.

Wednesday

May 28, 2008

I’ve noticed an interesting dynamic between those who are urban-inclined and those who are not.

I see a crowded downtown street as a community in itself; full of life and intrigue.  But to others—particularly the suburban-inclined—I get the sense that they like a lot of space between themselves and their neighbors.  Yard space.  Car space.  And forget about street sounds.

Dealing with other people’s preferences…

Dealing with other people’s preferences is an inherent feature of living in a dense, bustling downtown.  I remember walking through the streets of Ann Arbor as a student and smiling wildly as a bike breezed by, a gentleman played guitar against the sidewalk, or a young woman briskly walked with the enthusiastic company of her cell phone companion.  It’s entertaining! 

In part it circles back to this value of spontaneity I highlighted in yesterday’s entry.  I adore the friendly anonymity of a downtown like Ann Arbor—familiar strangers, passing smiles, and the persistent possibility of conversation or even friendship. 

Having great physical space between your home and your neighbors, or a strip mall shopping experience in which you exit your car and enter a storefront without interacting with others is not convenient to me—it’s boring. 

It’s isolating.

Check back tomorrow to hear Ashley’s thoughts on why Ferndale works for her.

Thursday

May 29, 2008

I love Ferndale.

When I stroll through downtown on a sunny Saturday and look around at the shops and people on the street, I just know I couldn’t be any other place but Ferndale.  There is a quirkiness about our retail, restaurants, homes, and even our people; a willingness to be silly and imperfect.

I love seeing handmade shop signs and menus—anything that makes for a unique or unexpected experience.  I crave the unusual omelets at the Fly Trap, and love checking out the newest local art at Java Hutt.  When I walk down Nine Mile, I am struck with a wonderful impression of specificity.  I know that on a walk with my dog or on the way back from the gym, I’ll surely stumble into an interesting conversation with someone on the street.

You just feel like you’re in Ferndale.

Ferndale is a real place that celebrates its diversity, and is known for welcoming a range of people with a range of lifestyles.  My neighbors vary in age, stage of life, family style, and heritage.  

A friend recently remarked to me that most of Michigan is a wonderful place to live as a part of a traditional family household (parent or child), but a terrible place to live as a single twenty-something. 

Ferndale seems to work for people of all ages.  As a young professional with an insatiable appetite for cerebral and sensory stimulation, I require diversity and specificity in my built, economic, and social environment.

Ferndale delivers on this demand, and that’s why it works for me.

Check back tomorrow to hear Ashley’s thoughts on Detroit’s hidden treasures.

Friday

May 29, 2008

I recently attended a discussion forum in which a young man offered a useful observation; he said: 

Everything good about Detroit is a secret.

That statement resonated so fully with me that I have allowed it to marinate in my mind for months. The secrecy of great art and music spaces, restaurants and bars, revitalization projects, and small community collectives is part of what makes Detroit such a special place, but this great mystery also makes it very challenging for outsiders to navigate.  Downtowns like Detroit have so much to offer no matter what you are looking for.  Personally, I love when my Detroiter friends help me find new adventures like the Detroit Roller Derby at the Masonic or a concert at Campus Martius Park.

But sometimes you really need a map and a guide to help you find these urban treasures.

You may have heard about an organization called Inside Detroit, which offers customized, “insider” tours tailored to your ideal urban experience.  Whether its architecture, art, or a particular food and bar scene, these guides lead outings that can help demystify downtown Detroit.

*Check out this Model D article on Inside Detroit

Specialized tours are a fabulous way to reframe your downtown to visitors and residents alike.  They can showcase your city’s assets to newcomers, and help bolster pride among residents.  The recent walking tours at the Brownfields Conference in Detroit were a tremendous hit with visitors from within the state and around the nation.  Here at MSHDA we are exploring a variety of tour options for the Creative Cities Summit in October.  It is a fantastic way to demonstrate progress and highlight the best or most interesting parts of Michigan cities.  Moreover, they serve to improve the quality of life in places like Detroit by offering a true urban experience and shared sense of discovery.

*Some other Detroit tour groups:
Preservation Wayne
Detroit Orientation Institute (DOI)
Detroit Historical Society

Thanks for checking out my blog!  Again, please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.

Check back on Monday to hear from Caroline Webber Kennedy, manager of field operations for the League.