Meet Jeanette Pierce of City Institute

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanette Pierce. Them and their team share their story with us below:

In 2006, Jeanette Pierce co-founded a grassroots nonprofit that used tours to take locals and visitors beyond the headlines to educate them about Detroit’s history, culture, and community. That organization evolved into the Detroit Experience Factory (DXF) which uses immersive storytelling to connect locals and visitors to Detroit’s people, places, and projects. Almost 150,000 people have taken tours since 2006 to learn about Detroit’s assets, small businesses, historic neighborhoods, city planning and development policies, and innovative solutions to the challenges the city faces. Most of these tour attendees actually live in Detroit and Southeastern Michigan. Although they knew much about the city, there is always so much more to learn about where you live. This knowledge gained had a positive impact on the guests and the region as more people supported small businesses, public institutions, community projects, and nonprofits they learned about. 

As organizations and cities sought customized intensive engagements to learn, innovate and problem-solve, the City Institute concept was incubated inside of DXF with Jeanette creating a set of services that went beyond those offered by DXF. Jeanette has worked with clients such as Harvard Loeb Institute, State of Oregon, City of Akron, City of Graz, Salesforce Executive Leadership, Challenge Detroit Fellows, and Detroit Revitalization Fellows to build experiences that leveraged her knowledge and relationships to share lessons learned from Detroit. 

As Detroit continues to grow and evolve so do its needs. Finding clarity during the crises of 2020, Jeanette saw a need for a deeper understanding of Detroit focusing on how we got to where we are today and how we can work towards becoming a thriving and equitable city. The need to remind the world that Detroit’s people, places, and projects exist has given way to the importance of reminding the world that Detroit (and Detroiters) have always been here doing the work. The only way to equitably engage in Detroit is to understand the bigger picture – to understand Detroit in context. 

In 2021, Jeanette officially launched the City Institute to focus on providing that deeper contextual understanding; connecting the dots between the past and present, and providing the tools to better equip people to shape its future. While Jeanette’s heart is always in Detroit, she realized that the lessons learned there can be shared with communities across the country and the globe. That’s why the City Institute’s services expand beyond Detroit to help other cities learn how to tell their stories in order to attract and retain talent, engage and inspire residents, promote small businesses, and build thriving and equitable communities. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have had our share of ups and downs over the last 17 years but we always continue by working together with our community and lifting each other up. The pandemic was of course difficult but it helped us learn to do Virtual Tours which are actually pretty awesome and, in some ways, better than in person. 

At the end of the day, what keeps us going is that we believe that Detroit is big enough to matter in the world and small enough where you can matter in it. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about City Institute?
City Institute shares lessons learned to inspire individuals, organizations, and cities to innovate for a better future for all. CI meets this need through learning journeys, city experience consulting, speaking engagements, and workshops. Our diverse set of guides live in Detroit and share their personal experience along with the facts and figures. 

Learning Journeys 

In-depth experiences that focus on Detroit as a classroom including site visits, panel discussions, and case studies 

City Experience Program 

Consulting with other cities to help them craft interactive experiences that connect locals and newcomers to what makes each city unique 

Speaking Engagements 

Presentations to share Detroit’s story at events and conferences around the world 

Private Tours 

Private tour experiences offer a deeper understanding of Detroit through contextual storytelling focusing on the people, places, and projects that make up Detroit’s diverse landscape 

“When more people are informed and engaged in shaping a place’s future, there is a much better chance of that city becoming an equitable and thriving place for all.” 

— Jeanette Pierce – President, City Institute 

Detroit more than any other city has been defined in the minds of much of the world by the headlines, the memes, and the videos they’ve seen from afar. Or by the sporting events, concerts and museums they’ve visited briefly. The world thinks they know Detroit but it’s impossible to know a place without going beyond the headlines, stereotypes, and brief encounters. 

None of those things explain Detroit. None of them offer a true understanding of how Detroit got to where it is today, what’s happening now, and where it’s headed in the future. 

Context is important because people, places, and projects don’t exist in a vacuum. Knowing that a young chef purchased an abandoned building and opened an award-winning restaurant is only part of the story. Why was the building abandoned in the first place? Who lives in the neighborhood the restaurant is in? How does this one story fit into the larger story of the city? Knowing the answers to these questions helps connect the dots. Helps connect the past with the present. Land-use policies with social justice issues. The story with the context. 

Context isn’t only important for outsiders and newcomers. Longtime Detroit residents have the most to gain from learning more about their city. From assets like parks, events, and neighborhood businesses to the history behind the city’s challenges, both big and small. Knowing more about the past can help us understand the present and become better equipped to engage in the future. 

Any big plans?
Excited to work with cities to help them tell their stories and create experiential learning journeys and tours to help their residents and stakeholders better understand the assets, history, and challenges of their community. We’ve launched programs in Michigan in Pontiac, Dearborn, and Berkeley and have provided advice and training for Chicago, Portland, Las Vegas, and Graz, Austria. 

Looking forward to sharing lessons learned with more cities locally and around the globe. 

Pricing:

• Public Tours: Free to $50 person
• Private Tours: Custom to each group based on the size of the group, length of the tour, and what is included

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecityinstitute.com
• Instagram: @cityinstitute_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecityinstitute
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cityinstitute_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLpe_muIggBPlR3NaTR7cjA
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/cityinstitute_