On the east side, the Lower Eastside Action Plan (which I wrote about a couple of months ago) is harnessing a number of community development organizations and urban agriculture activists to clean up and stabilize neighborhoods and build a food system with local gardeners and farmers.

There is plenty more that needs to happen around here to change the culture and the trajectory of the city. But for a while this spring, I thought I'd dwell on the positive, and take a cue from the smiling new faces I'm seeing in the neighborhood.

Detroit Food Summit: The Detroit Food Policy Council's annual summit, "Powering Up the Local Food System," takes place May 18-19 at the Focus: HOPE Conference Center. Sessions will be held on Children and Food in Schools, Grocery Stores and the Food System, Alternative Markets Visioning, Urban Agriculture Policy, Good Food Good Jobs, and other issues around creating a homegrown food system. More information and registration is available at www.detroitfoodpolicycouncil.net or call 313-833-0396.

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