The New International Trade Crossing (NITC), a publicly-financed and owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, is being proposed to be built in the near future. The approximately $2 billion dollar project is being financed in part by a $500 million interest-free loan being given to the State of Michigan by Canada. While the bridge is being touted to benefit the State of Michigan as a whole, there are localized effects of the bridge that will in particular affect the residents of one of the poorest and most polluted neighborhoods in the City of Detroit, Delray. What are the challenges these people already face? How will the bridge better or worsen their situation? This talk will focus on our experiences interacting with these residents through a class we taught last year about the social justice and sustainability issues of the bridge. In particular, we will talk about a potential community benefits agreement that may be part of the NITC project.

Speakers:

Laura Sherman, Doctoral Candidate, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute Doctoral Fellow

Darshan Karwat, Doctoral Candidate, Aerospace Engineering,

Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute Doctoral Fellow