In response to our May 4 feature, “Collateral damage,” Anika Goss-Foster, the executive director of Detroit Future City, wrote:

On behalf of the 100,000 plus Detroiters whose input informed the Detroit Future City (DFC) Strategic Framework, I must correct the false statements made in relation to the plan and our work.

The DFC Strategic Framework absolutely does not propose the idea of a shrinking city or recommend relocating residents. The DFC Implementation Office’s mission is to put the framework’s recommendations into action through equitable civic participation, planning and land use, and policy that improves quality of life for Detroiters where they live today, while working to realize a 50-year plan for a sustainable Detroit.

Just last month, the DFC Implementation Office released the first comprehensive report on Open Space through engaging over 30 Detroit organizations to develop an approach that starts today, but has a long-term outlook that addresses Detroit’s vast amount of vacant land. We also recently released the Field Guide to Working with Lots, which gives Detroiters a user-friendly guidebook that offers step-by-step instructions and resources to transform vacant land in their neighborhood into various landscapes.

These are just two of the DFC Implementation Office’s portfolio of initiatives that demonstrate how we put the framework’s recommendations into action to address quality of life issues for Detroiters today, while instituting a foundation for long-term, systemic changes to create a sustainable Detroit.