Urban Tech Xchange Facilitates Real-World Testing to Create Sustainable Urban Solutions
Nearly six months ago the Urban Tech Xchange (UTX) launched in Detroit – an innovative lab hosting a series of startups to advance smart city technologies. UTX is a collaboration between Bedrock, Bosch, Cisco, and KODE Labs and is operated by NextEnergy. The space provides a real-world test facility for the progression of sustainable urban solutions. Kevin Mull, senior director for the Office of Urban Strategy and Innovation at Bedrock, sat down with SBN Detroit to discuss the work being done there. Q: Impetus behind UTX? A: In 2021 Bedrock worked with Bosch, Ford, and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) to launch the Detroit Smart Parking Lab (DSPL) at our Assembly Parking Garage. This lab was specifically designed to accommodate open innovation, allowing startups to quickly and effectively deploy early-stage mobility technologies in a real-world testing environment. The concept has worked so well that we began to think about what’s next… being Detroit’s largest real estate developer, it made sense to try to apply those same methods to developing and deploying technologies for the built environment. The DSPL’s focus is mobility and transportation, which in many ways is dependent upon infrastructure, so the Urban Tech Xchange (UTX) was its natural progression. Q: In what ways does UTX help to foster a more resilient Southeast Michigan? A: I think it brings attention to the region’s entrepreneurial spirit and helps define Detroit as a place for innovation while adding another layer to its creator ecosystem. It also gives us a chance to further collaborate with stakeholders here in Southeast Michigan. Between the DSPL, TechTown, Michigan Central, Centrepolis Accelerator, and others like those, and our universities and colleges, and now UTX, we have an emerging set of platforms for continuing to attract and cultivate new ideas and advance open innovation throughout the state. Q: Why the combination of Bosch, Cisco, Bedrock and KODE Labs? A: Bosch and Bedrock are natural cofounders as they have complementary business concepts. Bosch is a lead innovator in energy and building management, while Bedrock is a city builder whose development projects throughout the central business district range from residential and commercial development to hospitality and retail. Cisco is a globally recognized brand and a huge player in smart infrastructure deployment, while KODE Labs is uniquely positioned as a Detroit-based startup focused on smart building technology that has recently experienced tremendous growth. The four companies together bring all the expertise for supporting a sustainable innovation platform, and importantly, maintain a strong Detroit presence. Q: How will Bedrock data be used to design sustainable solutions? A: This is the first-in-the-world kind of opportunity that’s driven by the uniquely dense portfolio we have in Detroit. We have this construct we are working on called a data lake, which is the aggregation of the data that comes from Bedrock’s 17 million square feet of real estate across Detroit. Its access to this unique operational data, combined with publicly accessible information like that from Census Data and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, provides lab participants with the unique opportunity to tie into a broad real estate ecosystem. We encourage and want anyone who engages with UTX to integrate their data as well, and under the right governance, we can offer this data lake to third-party developers for innovation. Q: In what ways are energy usage and decarbonization being looked at? A: Technologies like those being tested and deployed through the UTX platform allow us to track energy usage in real-time and better understand asset optimization. This provides us with the ability to cut back quickly and efficiently on carbon intensity. For example, heat pumps are a great technology but in certain situations, traditional heating systems might actually create less carbon. Real-world and real-time testing will help reveal this. The more data we get, the better decision-making we have and that can support AI applications as well. So first, it’s about understanding where a building is using energy, then understanding how the building responds to energy usage profiles. Q: Elaborate on how UTX is forming best practices for ensuring equity in urban tech solutions. A: When we set out to develop UTX we engaged several stakeholders such as community organizations, local government, public schools, and other platforms to all weigh in. Our work is fully transparent and there is a lot of communication in terms of where we are applying the technologies. For example, we are currently deploying tech in an area of Detroit to better understand air and noise pollution. We are working side-by-side with the community to make sure businesses and residents understand where we are doing this, how we are doing it, and in what ways the information will be used. Communication is paramount when trying to achieve equity in tech deployment. Q: In what ways does all of this work being done here impact businesses in Southeast Michigan? A: I look at it as a bidirectional flow. By establishing the UTX platform, we are helping to attract the best and brightest to deploy their innovations locally. Conversely, established local businesses have the opportunity to plug into a platform that provides a potential global spotlight. Q: What are some examples of new technology that’s being developed there? A: There are several examples of building automation systems, such as using smart blinds that automatically adjust to provide maximum natural sunlight based on occupancy and interior temperature. What I find very interesting are new systems for tracking and automating accessibility. One such deployment is smart communication between power wheelchairs and elevators. … The elevator is automatically called when the wheelchair arrives! Q: Do you think UTX is a differentiator for Detroit? A: Yes. Again, it puts Detroit on the map as a place that’s committed to, and capable of driving innovations and setting benchmarks and best practices for sustainable urban solutions. UTX is putting a stake in the ground for sustainable tech in an urban environment. 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Greektown Monroe Corridor Redevelopment Priorities Include Sustainability
In June, the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership was awarded a $20 million infrastructure grant by the Michigan state legislature to redesign the Monroe Street corridor. The goals of the redesign are to prioritize pedestrians, drive economic development, calm vehicular traffic, green the area, create space to accommodate outside seating for the restaurants and cafes and connect Greektown to surrounding communities as well as the core of downtown. The project also incorporates several sustainability practices layered throughout. Melanie Markowicz, executive director of the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership, spoke to SBN Detroit about what this means to the residents, businesses, visitors, and patrons in the area. Q: How will Greektown use this $20 million grant? A: The Monroe corridor redevelopment is going to be transformative for Greektown, Detroit, and the whole state. Greektown is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. Its roots go back to the 1830s with German immigrants and Greek immigrants settling here throughout history. Today much of Greektown is owned by multigenerational Greek families. There is this intimate feel with the buildings being so close together and this gorgeous architecture. It’s a special place. Monroe Street has the highest pedestrian usage in downtown Detroit with prepandemic numbers reaching up to 19,000 pedestrians per day. Pedestrians outnumber the cars. There is a wealth of restaurants and bars and entertainment. So, with this grant, we have set out to define the future of Monroe Street and pedestrianize it in a formal way. We will reorient vehicular traffic to one lane in the center of the street and create very wide sidewalks lined with trees and amenities. Currently, there is only one block that can facilitate outdoor cafés and seating, and we want the whole corridor to be able to do so. The street will ideally become pedestrian-only on weekends and possibly more often than that. We will create and activate a corridor that truly functions as a beautiful, inviting, connected, and unique public space that incorporates and celebrates its cultural heritage within the design. Q: How do you think this redevelopment will impact the businesses around it? A: I think the impact will be significant. Once done, every business that has wanted an outdoor café will have the ability to have one. Before we began planning, we met with every business owner to understand how their business functions so that we can design it to best suit their needs. When the street is closed to traffic, the center lane will become a pedestrian lane. It will also allow for programming of different kinds. We are building hooks into the ground for tents and designing the space for these activations and festivals. Pedestrianizing the Monroe Corridor has been a long time coming for this neighborhood and we are thrilled to have the support of the state. Q: What are some ways you are incorporating sustainability within this development? A: Sustainability can take a lot of forms from the environment and greening to energy to the materials being used to connectivity within a community. I think there is a sustainability element to how we approached the project, inviting everyone to the table for the conversation from property owners to businesses to residents to city departments. It’s been fully collaborative to ensure that what we develop here has a long lifecycle. There are certainly sustainability elements to seeing shifts in climate change. We are working carefully to add mature trees to provide the area with a tree canopy and control the temperature. We are intentionally using pavers for the entire corridor versus concrete, so they can be removed for utility work and reinstalled versus concrete or other materials going to a landfill. We are exploring infrastructure technologies such as ice melting and EV charging stations. Q: What do you think are the biggest opportunities? A: We are creating this intimate yet connected space in Detroit that has this authentic flair and feel. There is the greening element and the pedestrian element. Greektown is a tourist destination, so these changes will enhance that experience and allow for even more foot traffic. Greektown is a core area of downtown yet it has been largely separated. With this project, we aim to connect the urban fabric including the downtown area, Paradise Valley, and more. Another significant element is that there are all of these other projects in the pipeline around us – and that is intentional. We’ve all been working together. From the Monroe Street corridor to the Randolph Plaza Streetscape project to the restoration of Bedrock properties to the Cadillac Square redevelopment to new public spaces in Paradise Valley – the whole area will change dramatically in the next five years. Q: What are the economic opportunities? A: I think there are huge economic opportunities, especially tied in with these other projects. We have this boom of development in the area and underutilized properties. We anticipate vacant spaces being filled and activated. The businesses will be impacted with more patronage and activation of more outside space. Q: What about the community and cultural impacts? A: We will incorporate the cultural and architectural heritage in everything we do. Many of the property owners are multigenerational Greek families who have been in the community for decades and created this unique niche and it’s critically important to preserve and highlight that. We will continue to utilize and preserve Victorian architecture. We are also being intentional about incorporating public art including murals and more. Q: Is there a job creation aspect involved in this project? A: Yes. Within the construction and project itself, and also, once we can program the whole space in a new way, that will create jobs along the corridor and within the businesses. Q: What is your vision overall for the future of Greektown? A: The beauty of this is that the vision comes from the community itself. That’s what gets me excited. Incorporating and sustaining Greektown’s heritage and improving on that so that the area just continues to get better and become more connected.
Steam Heat, Detroit Thermal, and Powering Greater Downtown Detroit
For more than 100 years, Detroit Thermal has served many of Detroit’s buildings, including GM Renaissance Center, Huntington Place, Fox Theatre, Detroit Medical Center, Ford Field, The Fisher Building, the City of Detroit, and Wayne State University. In 2021, the company enrolled in DTE’s MIGreenPower program. A voluntary renewable energy program, MIGreenPower enables DTE electric customers to attribute a greater percentage of their energy use to Michigan-made wind and solar beyond the 15% DTE already provides. Detroit Thermal’s goal is to gradually increase its MIGreenPower enrollment to attribute 100% of its electric usage to renewable resources by 2030. SBN Detroit spoke to Todd Grzech, Detroit Thermal CEO, to learn more about how both steam heat and the company’s enrollment in the program impacts Detroit. Q: Tell us more about Detroit Thermal. A: Detroit Thermal is the district energy heating system for the city of Detroit. We’ve been delivering clean steam energy to the greater downtown Detroit area and services through an extensive underground network of steam piping for over 100 years. Detroit Thermal was one of the original district energy systems in the country and is a critical piece of Detroit’s energy infrastructure and we currently provide energy services to more than 100 buildings. Q: Is Detroit Thermal considered an alternative utility to DTE? A: Typically, we don’t see ourselves as that. We are more of an alternative to property owners providing their own heat energy, and we utilize DTE electric and natural gas to provide steam heat. Q: What are the benefits of steam over electricity? A: Energy savings and cost savings. From A BTU conversion standpoint per dollar, steam beats electric by a lot. Electric heat is very expensive. An analogy I like to use is the comparison between an incandescent light bulb and an LED. The amount of energy and the process required to turn the electricity to heat is much more complicated than steam heat – and there is waste in that. Another thing with steam from a pressure perspective is that it finds its own lower pressure area so we don’t need mechanics or fans to move the heat. Think of a steam pot when you see the steam moving. Its energy alone transfers the heat. This is not the case with electric heat. Q: Are you serving both older buildings and new builds? A: Yes. In Detroit, older buildings like the Fisher and Cadillac Place are piped for steam and have radiators that are designed for steam heat. Newer buildings are using hot water to create steam. A great example is Bedrock’s new Hudson’s site. It is connected to our underground system. The building is piped to carry hot water throughout. Steam heats the water, and the water moves through the piping to heat the spaces. It’s a closed-loop system in that the same water continues to be heated, then moves through the pipes, which is very efficient. Q: What are the challenges/barriers to entry when it comes to using Detroit Thermal for steam heat? A: The main challenge is geography. Where a building is located in relationship to our underground system. If it’s close to the system, it’s usually relatively easy to connect. If the building is too far away, it might be cost-prohibitive to run a pipe to connect just one building. When it comes to our infrastructure it’s about density. The more buildings that can share a single line the more cost-effective it is. There is a cluster of density in the central business district. The underground piping system does a loop basically from Ford Field to Huntington Place around and back. The Hudson’s site is pretty close to that loop so we just needed to run about 100 feet of piping off of that system to connect it. When you get farther away from the central business district piping might not make sense. On the consumption side, steam heat gets interesting as well. When we look at office buildings where operators are looking to maintain a nice temperature for all workers, steam heat is very effective. On the multifamily and apartment side, it’s desirable to have a unit in each space that can be metered and billed. You can’t do that with steam heat. Q: Is the steam used for heat only, or are there other uses within the buildings and businesses? A: It is used largely for heat but, yes, there are other uses. Some entities use steam for pressure, such as breweries. Russell’s Pharmacy in the Fisher Building uses it for its pharmaceutical processes. Hospitals use it for the sterilization of equipment. Restaurants can use it to clean dishes. Q: In 2021, Detroit Thermal enrolled in DTE’s MIGreenPower program and is gradually increasing its MIGreenPower enrollment to attribute 100% of its electric usage to renewable resources by 2030. The company’s commitment is said to ultimately offset the carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions from over 1,000 passenger vehicles driven for a year. Can you tell me how this works? A: Basically, we pay a premium today to support DTE’s development of solar energy and wind farms. With growth here, these sources become less expensive, and over time dollars are spread further to reach 100% of the electrical supply. Q: Is this an accelerator for Detroit Thermal toward your goals to reduce carbon footprint and or switch to 100% renewable energy? A: Yes, it is in line with our overall goals to reduce our carbon emissions footprint. We are on the path right path to do so as DTE defined the program. Q:How do you think this enrollment and the overall work you are doing make an energy impact on the City of Detroit and the overall region? A: I think, really, all companies in Detroit are working hard toward reducing energy consumption. From an energy consumption perspective, we consider ourselves to be like a co-op. if we are making energy improvements everybody gets the benefit – not only the company that is doing that locally. So, as we
