Axios Detroit

April 29, 2026
👋 On this day in 2004, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line in Lansing.
- That was the end of America's oldest auto brand: 106 years, per History.com.
🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of rain showers, with a high of 57 and a low of 40.
🎂 Happy birthday to our member Taylar Mical!
Today's newsletter is 1,068 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Study finds big demand for downtown living
An influential nonprofit believes Detroit can grow its lagging downtown population by more than 50% in five years.
Why it matters: Leaders want to promote the city core as once again a place to live, not just visit or work.
- Yes, but: Apartment development also faces financing gaps, policy hurdles and rental prices that don't always match what people can afford.
Driving the news: Downtown has enough housing demand to support 3,600-4,800 new market-rate units and 1,600-2,000 new affordable housing units in the next five years, per a new study commissioned by the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP).
State of play: DDP is targeting a 10,000 city core population, up from the current 6,500.
- The study also found market potential for up to 17,000 total units in greater downtown, including in Corktown, Midtown and elsewhere.
- It's based on Zimmerman/Volk Associates' proprietary target market methodology.


Context: To satisfy this demand, downtown needs a greater diversity of size and pricing — and to work on solutions for cost-prohibitive taxes and property insurance, DDP CEO Eric Larson tells Axios.
- Larson says his nonprofit's role on this issue is in policy advocacy and in promoting downtown as a place to live and build.
By the numbers: Reflecting economic challenges, 72% of households would prefer to live downtown in more affordable for-rent apartments, versus for-sale properties like condos.
- Target residents are majority single or couples without children, and can support a rent price range of $1,400-$3,750 a month.
Zoom out: Detroit's downtown population lags behind other cities. Philadelphia's center city had a population of 55,500 and downtown Cleveland had 27,700, per the DDP, based on 2018-22 census estimates.
- The issue is tied to Detroit's seven decades of population loss.
- Plus, many jobs downtown are held by commuters and fewer than 10% of downtown's buildings were residential as of 2024.
Between the lines: Nearly half of the demand comes from outside Wayne County — a trend crucial for regrowing the city's tax base.
- Another 40% of demand to live downtown comes from inside the city limits.
- Yet, in order for the full city to thrive, neighborhoods outside downtown that have experienced great vacancy must retain and grow their populations, too.
The last word: "The partnership is very focused on making sure that the legacy aspects of our city are never forgotten," Larson says.
Go deeper: Detroit coalition offers cash to boost population
2. City Chatter: Sheffield's first mayoral Mackinac
Welcome back to our regular roundup of city politics and policy news.
🙋 Larson on RenCen: We also asked Larson about the Dan Gilbert/GM RenCen redevelopment, which is still dependent on whether state lawmakers want to provide funding.
- Larson says: "I don't know that there's an alternative, is the bottom line with the Renaissance Center. If they can't get that done, I'm very fearful that we end up with another building that sits vacant and becomes a drain … Trying to figure this out is going to be really important."
🗣️ Back to Mackinac: It feels like just yesterday we were on the island watching mayoral candidates debate. May is nearly here and with it comes the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.
- Organizers just added Mayor Mary Sheffield to the May 26-29 shindig's speaker lineup. Others include former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Mike Pence.
- Sheffield will "reflect on Detroit's momentum," per a statement, and lay out plans for strengthening neighborhoods and positioning Detroit for long-term success.
3. The Grapevine: You heard it here
💰 The state agreed to issue $150 million in bonds to provide Dan Gilbert's Bedrock with upfront money to cover costs at the Book Tower and other downtown projects. The arrangement doesn't add to the projects' public subsidies. (Crain's 🔒)
🗳️ Recall petitions for Oakland County Commission chair Dave Woodward were approved Monday. The effort stems from a recent vote to buy drones for public safety. (Fox 2)
🏀 The Pistons' season is on the line at 7pm tonight in Game 5 against the Orlando Magic at Little Caesars Arena. Prime Video is broadcasting. (Freep)
🎤 The Detroit Youth Poetry Slam, featuring 15 local artists from InsideOut's Citywide Poets after-school program, is May 7 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. (WDET)
4. 🤰 Michigan backs doula care

Doula care has gone from a niche birth option to a Medicaid-covered benefit in more than half of U.S. states.
Why it matters: Research has linked doula support to lower cesarean rates and fewer preterm births.
- And a new review of clinical trials published last week in JAMA Network Open found doula support was most consistently associated with lower maternal anxiety, higher breastfeeding initiation and better postpartum follow-up care.
Zoom in: Michigan's health department began including doula care as a Medicaid benefit in 2023.
- At the same time, the state's chief medical executive issued a standing recommendation that "doula services are medically necessary for all pregnant or postpartum Medicaid recipients."
By the numbers: 26 states and D.C. are actively reimbursing for Medicaid coverage of doula care, according to the National Health Law Program.
A doula is a trained birth support professional who offers emotional and physical support during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. That's not the same as a midwife.
- A doula offers continuous nonmedical support — like delivering affirmations, helping with position changes in labor and advocating for the patient's desires in the hospital.
5. Worthy of your time: Permission to pet
Today is International Guide Dog Day, and we've got reminders on working dog etiquette, as distracting working dogs can be dangerous for their handlers.
Some tips from California-based Guide Dogs for the Blind:
- Don't pet or talk to a working dog without asking the handler first.
- Don't offer food, other distracting treats or toys.
- Don't touch the dog's harness.
- Keep your own pets leashed and at a respectful distance.
- Don't call out directions. It's not necessary, and it can be distracting.
Between the lines: These are good rules if you see a pet dog, too.
Our picks:
👀 Joe is reading about the new vacancy on Ferndale City Council. Applications open until May 5.
🥣 Annalise is returning to the food trends of the 2010s with her renewed excitement about smoothie bowls.
Edited by Tyler Buchanan.
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