Detroit Month of Design at Michigan Central
View all eventsSeptember 2025
Michigan Central celebrates Month of Design throughout September, with a dynamic lineup of programming at The Station and Newlab at Michigan Central. We invite you to discover the unique workshops, talks, and opportunities for play. Click to learn more & register.
This September, Michigan Central celebrates Detroit Month of Design with a dynamic lineup of programming that embodies our mission as a tech and cultural hub. We are cultivating an open-platform ecosystem where leaders, thinkers, communities and creators converge to accelerate bold new solutions that will shape our collective future. These events are more than just discussions; they are active collaborations and hands-on explorations. We invite you to discover the unique workshops, talks, and opportunities below and join us in building what’s next.
Swissnex
Workshop: Urban Landscape in Transition
Dates & Times: Thursday, September 4, 2025, 9:00 AM – Saturday, September 6, 2025, 6:00 PM
Location: Newlab Detroit, 2050 15th St, Detroit, MI 48216
A three-day intensive workshop that invites local students to reflect, document, and critically engage with the future of the city through its landscapes. Participants will delve into socio-cultural, historical, and ecosystemic values, addressing pressing questions of urban transformation and resilience. The workshop combines innovative approaches to urban landscape mapping and design with an in-depth exploration of Detroit’s current transition.The workshop is in collaboration with EPFL’s Lab-U, Brightside Collective, the College for Creative Studies, and Swissnex in Boston and New York.
Discussion: Reimagining Urban Futures Through Detroit’s Landscape
Date & Time: Friday, September 5, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Newlab Detroit, 2050 15th St, Detroit, MI 48216
As part of the Urban Landscape in Transition Workshop, this public discussion brings together internationally renowned architects, urbanists, and researchers Paola Viganò (EPFL-LAB U) and Charles Waldheim (Harvard GSD) to explore the urban landscape’s possibilities and challenges within the context of socio-ecological transformation.
rootoftwo
463NCY: Playtesting the Future City
Workshop Dates & Times: September 6 – September 26, 2025
Location: Newlab at Michigan Central, 2050 15th St., Detroit, MI 48216
Help shape the next iteration of a fast-paced, cooperative tabletop game that explores digital rights, data ethics, and the future of cities. In this game, set in a near-future where privacy is a commodity, players become cybernetically enhanced residents working together to disrupt surveillance networks. Game sessions are hands-on, accessible to all, and welcome both seasoned players and curious newcomers.
Michigan Central Art
Futures in Formation: Designing the Imaginative City
Date & Time: Friday, September 19, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: The Station, Detroit
Hosted by Michigan Central Art in collaboration with Design Core Detroit, this daylong forum explores how design, shaped by migration and cultural exchange, reimagines civic engagement. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation, the event will feature insights from global and local artists, designers, and thinkers. The forum translates expansive ideas into tangible opportunities for Detroit’s communities, charting how community-centered approaches can shape visionary futures for the city.
rootoftwo
Collective Resistance and Civic Imagination Through Tabletop Play
Date & Time: September 27, 2025 | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Newlab at Michigan Central, 2050 15th St, Detroit, MI 48216
Explore how analog, social, and cooperative games can become powerful tools for civic engagement, systems literacy, and collective resistance. Moderated by rootoftwo this panel brings together artists and designers to discuss how tabletop formats can raise critical questions about urban governance, mobility, AI, and democracy. The conversation will examine why tabletop games are particularly effective at modeling complex systems and fostering empathy in public policy contexts.