On Monday, June 15, Mayor Mary Sheffield released the full data gathered through the Rise Higher Detroit community engagement initiative and unveiled the Rise Higher Detroit Community Framework, a set of concrete recommendations to help the Administration deliver on what Detroit residents care about most.
“We said from the beginning that this Administration would govern alongside the people of Detroit, and this framework is proof of that commitment,” said Mayor Mary Sheffield. “We reached people all over the city, listened to what they said they needed most and turned those voices into a framework for action. This framework reflects the lived experiences, priorities and vision of the people who call this city home, and it will help guide the work ahead as we continue building a Detroit that rises higher for everyone.”
Bringing in Community Voices to Shape Priorities
The Rise Higher Detroit survey collected over 8,000 responses from residents in all 39 Detroit zip codes. With demographic representation that closely mirrors the city’s population across key dimensions including age, income, and race/ethnicity, and nearly half of responses collected through direct door-to-door canvassing, it captured a powerful cross-section of Detroit voices to inform Mayor Sheffield’s transition and Administration priorities.
Rise Higher Detroit partnered with Detroit Action, Eastside Community Network, and MI Poder, who canvassed door-to-door and in grocery stores, recreation centers, gas stations, churches and other community spaces. The survey was offered digitally and on paper in five languages — English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, and French — to ensure every resident had a meaningful opportunity to participate.
In addition to the survey, more than 1,200 residents joined five Community Conversations held across the city, sitting directly at tables with City department heads and senior Administration officials to discuss city challenges and weigh in on potential solutions. Organized around specific topic areas, these conversations gave department leaders actionable, community-driven input they could take back to their teams immediately.
For many participants, it was their first time engaging directly with members of a city Administration who came ready to listen and ready to act.
Nearly 300 community leaders generously volunteered their time and expertise to the Rise Higher Detroit transition, and their contributions helped define the Administration’s early success. Once assembled, committee members got straight to work, developing recommendations that directly shaped Mayor Sheffield’s 100-day action plan. Detroiters have seen and felt that work over the past several months, as the Mayor delivered early wins in healthcare and human services, affordable housing, transportation, and more. Committee members also drove the translation of the Rise Higher community engagement effort into the concrete policy and programmatic recommendations at the heart of the Community Framework, designing the survey, interpreting results and working side-by-side with City staff to develop bold, achievable recommendations that brought this framework to life.
The survey findings are publicly available through an interactive dashboard, giving all Detroiters access to a comprehensive snapshot of resident priorities. Because the survey reached a broad and representative cross-section of residents from every ZIP code, the data provides insight into both citywide priorities and the unique perspectives of different neighborhoods, age groups and demographic communities. The dashboard is also a tool for accountability — a public record of what Detroiters said they needed, against which the Administration’s progress can be measured over time.
“This data is our north star,” said David Bowser, Chief of Staff. “Every decision we make, every program we launch, every dollar we invest — we will measure it against what Detroiters told us matters most to them. This dashboard keeps us honest and keeps us focused on delivering real results for the people of this city.”
This historic engagement effort was made possible through the generous support of community and philanthropic partners whose contributions are recognized in the Community Framework. These partners share a deep commitment to ensuring that Detroiters — especially those who have historically been left out of civic decision-making — have a meaningful voice in shaping the city’s future.
The Rise Higher Detroit Community Framework
The Community Framework is a set of concrete recommendations to help this Administration deliver on what Detroit residents care about most. It was built from two sources: the largest community engagement effort in the City’s history, and the knowledge and experience of community leaders who served on the Transition Committee. Together, these inputs shaped a bold roadmap to create, expand, and strengthen programs and policies across key areas — from Economic and Workforce Development and Safe and Just Communities to Education and Youth Opportunities — in pursuit of a Detroit that works for all.
The Mayor directed each committee to develop recommendations consistent with her vision and campaign platform: grounded in what is achievable, yet ambitious in scope. Together, these recommendations give the Administration a concrete roadmap — one that is both practically actionable and anchored in the moral center of community voice. The framework represents Mayor Sheffield’s commitment to listening and acting, organizing around six priorities that emerged directly from Detroiters:
- Thriving Neighborhoods: Expanding access to youth programs, affordable housing repairs, vibrant public spaces, healthy food and essential city services in every neighborhood.
- Safe and Just Communities: Expanding mental health resources, strengthening youth education and offering job and skills training for at-risk youth
- Reliable Transportation and Sustainable Infrastructure: Modernizing Detroit’s transit system and protecting residents from flooding and failing infrastructure.
- Equitable Economic and Workforce Development: Creating career pathways to family-sustaining jobs and supporting small businesses so they can start, stay and grow in Detroit.
- Robust Education and Youth Opportunities: Expanding out-of-school programs and access to paid opportunities and improving mental health support for youth.
- Open and Accessible Government: Improving customer service, increasing transparency and ensuring the highest ethical standards from City government.
Sheffield Administration in Action
The voices of Detroiters have already moved this Administration to action. Even before the Community Framework was formally released, the input gathered through Rise Higher Detroit shaped Mayor Sheffield’s decisions and priorities. The following initiatives — launched during the Mayor’s first 100 days — reflect direct alignment with what residents said they needed most:
- Launching the Rx Kids program in Detroit, which has already enrolled more than 1,400 families and distributed more than $2.3 million to support mothers and babies.
- Creating the Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services to better connect residents with housing, homelessness prevention and other critical support services.
- Directing the installation of at least 3,000 new residential streetlights to improve neighborhood safety and quality of life.
- Launching efforts to streamline permitting for home repairs and accelerate the construction of new housing across Detroit neighborhoods.
- Expanding investments in affordable housing through increased contributions to the city’s Affordable Housing Development and Preservation Trust Fund.
- Establishing an Office of Senior Affairs and expanding resources to support Detroit’s older adults.
- Raising the minimum wage for full-time City of Detroit employees to a living wage, benefiting approximately 900 workers.
View Results and Full Report – detroitmi.gov/government/mayors-office/rise-higher-detroit-survey.
