Lauren A. Hood is a writer, city planner and community developer with a focus on the imaginative capacities of the arts. In 2021, she founded the Institute for AfroUrbanism (IAU), a research organization for strategic development focused on the ideation and enrichment of Black communities. Working at the intersection of African ancestry, Afrofuturism and civic change, the IAU seeks to identify the foundational social, structural and spiritual conditions necessary in order for Black folks to thrive. As a community consultant and equity facilitator, she holds space for otherwise difficult conversations that allow practitioners and citizen stakeholders to understand and value each other's contributions while working toward shared transformational goals. Hood’s work as a writer, mediator, public speaker and consultant employs strategies of storytelling, placekeeping and relational address to conceive of a community’s past harms, present needs and future possibilities. An avid daydreamer and manifestor who finds inspiration in nature, Hood’s practice focuses on the powers of imagination and intention to spiritually enrich civic life.
Career Milestones
2022 – Panelist, “Designing Resilient Community and Neighborhoods,” Sustainable Urban Design Summit, Detroit.
2022 – Presented “AfroUrbanism: A culture centric approach to better Black futures” at The Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit Conference, University of Detroit Mercy.
2022 – Interviewed by Detroit Is It in discussion of The IAU’s work at the intersection of Black aspiration and civic change.
2022 – Interviewed on the podcast THREESIXTYCITY, discussing AfroUrbanism for thriving Black communities.
2022 – Profiled by Crain’s Detroit Business, introducing the concept of AfroUrbanism and the framework for the Black Thriving Index research project.
2022 – Interviewed by Chuck Stokes on WXYZ Detroit discussing Michigan’s national rank in regards to Black community development.
2021 – Organized and hosted the IAU’s first Black Thriving Global Expedition, an international excursion and exchange between Black community organizers in Paris and Detroit. The Paris expedition was covered by Michigan Chronicle and the Authentically Detroit podcast.
2021 - Panelist on “Equity in the Built Environment” at Urban Land Institute (ULI), St. Louis.
2021 - Opening plenary speaker at the Environmental Design Research Association - EDRA Detroit, discussing the legacy of racism and its compromise of public domain of urban spaces alongside Sharon Egretta Sutton.
2021 – Founded the Institute for AfroUrbanism (IAU), a Detroit-based think-tank that develops and delivers research and instructional programming toward the purpose of seeing Black people thrive.
2020 – Keynote speaker on AfroUrbanism & REPAIRations at the American Institute of Architects Detroit (AIAD).
2020 – Published an article outlining “The Case for AfroUrbanism” in the Congress for the New Urbanism’s journal Public Square.
2020–present – Board of Trustees, Advisory & Advocacy Council Member, C. H. Wright Museum of African American History.
2020 – Recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)’s Charles Blessing Award
2020 - Interviewed on Michigan Radio’s All Things Considered discussing Black Detroiters’ role in development plans to create a more vibrant, equitable city.
2020 - Project manager, East Warren Cadieux Neighborhood Development Plan
2020 - Vanguard Fellow, BMe Community Leadership Program.
2019 – Consulted and provided cultural context expertise for The Wayne Framework, Wayne State University’s Master Plan, Detroit.
2019–present – Chairperson, City of Detroit Planning Commission.
2018 – Consulted and provided cultural context expertise for City of Detroit’s Sustainability Action Agenda.
2017 – Led Panel Discussions on Preserving Black Space and Equity as Policy with Maya Wiley for Urban Consulate Detroit.
2017 – Fellow, Young American Leaders Program, Harvard Business School
2017 – Leadership Fellow, Detroit Regional Chamber’s XXXIX Class.
2017 – Included in Crain’s Detroit Business roundup of Michigan Change Makers.
2017–2019 – Commissioner, City of Detroit Planning Commission.
2016 – Organized Dinner & Dialogue events connecting Detroiters at Urban Consulate’s Council for the New Urbanism and Legacy Cities Conference.
2016 – Interviewed by NPR’s Michigan Radio as an expert encouraging cross-cultural conversation on racism and unconscious bias.
2016 – Panelist on Urban Exchange, Urban Consulate New Orleans.
2016 – Study Member, Aspen Institute’s Center for Urban Innovation.2016 – Panelist, Detroit Regional Chamber’s Urban Policy Conference.
2016 – Ethical Redevelopment Fellow, PlaceLab Chicago.
2015–present – Advisory Council Member, Urban Consulate Detroit.
2015–2017 – Appointed Founding Director of the Live6 Alliance, a nonprofit economic development organization working to enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity in Northwest Detroit.
2014–2016 – Board Member, Detroit Historic District Commission, a City Council-appointed panel ensuring the preservation of historically and culturally significant areas in the City of Detroit.
2014 – Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) Fellow, Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University.
2014 – Profiled by The Huffington Post as a critical perspective on gentrification in “New Detroit”.
2013–2016 – Board Member, Preservation Detroit, the city’s oldest and largest preservation organization.
2012 – Founded Deep Dive Detroit, an organization that aims to create a safe space for uncomfortable conversations between disparate groups. Served as lead Facilitator and Community Development Strategist until 2021.
2010–2013 – Appointed Project Manager of Community & Economic Development in Highland Park, Michigan. Initiatives included demolition, housing rehabilitation, public works, and business attraction, as well as the allocation of HUD program block grants.
2012 – Master of Community Development, University of Detroit Mercy.
2003 – Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Detroit Mercy