Wayne State University, Center for Urban Studies Evaluation Research Unit

The Evaluation Research Unit of Wayne State’s Center for Urban Studies provides high quality, professional evaluation and community research, and related organizational development and capacity building services to support the people and organizations striving to better understand, and more effectively address, the pressing social, economic and environmental issues facing Detroit and Southeast Michigan.  ERU emphasizes participatory and action research strategies to foster self-determination and community empowerment, drawing on the director’s experiences over 10 years facilitating participatory community redevelopment initiatives among community-based organizations in Detroit using agricultural projects (e.g. orchards, tree/shrub nurseries and temperate agroforestry gardens) as an organizing tool to expand community participation, increase inter-generational cooperation, strategic planning and leadership skills, partnership building and access to resources in the process of establishing and working to realize a shared community vision.