20 Years of Tours: What This Milestone Means
Twenty years ago, Jeanette Pierce started leading tours because she believed when people better understand where they live and work, they engage with it differently.
They invest differently.
They participate differently.
They build relationships differently.
And often, they choose to stay.
What started as a way to help people experience Detroit beyond headlines and assumptions has grown into two decades of tours, immersive learning experiences, conversations, and relationships that have helped more than 160,000 people better understand the city and the communities that shape it.
More than a celebration of the past, this year’s #20YearsofTours milestone underscores something we have believed for 20 years: stronger and more equitable cities are built when people deeply understand the communities around them.
Understanding Detroit Is a Practice
Detroit is a city that demands context.
Its history, neighborhoods, industries, challenges, creativity, resilience, and contradictions cannot be understood through a single narrative. Over the last 20 years, City Institute’s work has focused on helping people engage with the city in a deeper and more nuanced way.
Sometimes that looks like introducing a newcomer to the stories behind the streets they drive every day. Other times, it means helping longtime residents see a familiar neighborhood from a different perspective.
For employers and institutions, it has meant helping employees feel more connected to the city they now call home. For visitors, it has meant moving beyond stereotypes and taking lessons learned from Detroit back to their own communities. For residents, it has meant strengthening pride, curiosity, and engagement.
Understanding Detroit is not a destination, but an ongoing practice of learning, listening, and engaging with the community on a deeper level.
The Ripple Effects of Connection
Over the years, we have seen firsthand what happens when people feel connected to place.
We have seen employees decide to stay in Detroit because they finally felt rooted here. We have seen organizations use tours and learning journeys to build stronger teams and engage more meaningfully with the communities around them. We have seen small businesses gain visibility and support through thousands of tour participants walking through their doors.
These experiences create ripple effects. When people better understand where they live and work, they are more likely to invest in it, advocate for it, and contribute to its future.
This milestone belongs to the thousands of people who have shaped City Institute over the last 20 years: tour participants, community leaders, small business owners, neighborhood storytellers, partners, collaborators, and residents. The work has always been collective. Every conversation, every tour stop, and every shared story has helped build a deeper and more nuanced understanding of Detroit.
That shared understanding, and the community that has helped create it, is what we are celebrating.
Looking Ahead
As we launch #20YearsofTours campaign, we are also thinking about the future.
Cities everywhere are asking important questions:
How do we help people feel connected to place?
How do we attract and retain talent?
How do we create more engaged residents and stronger communities?
How do we tell more honest and complete stories about our cities?
For 20 years, City Institute has explored those questions through the people and places shaping Detroit.
The next chapter of this work will continue expanding those conversations, building new partnerships, and helping more people understand the places they call home.
Understanding a place is foundational to strong communities, meaningful engagement, and lasting connection. Twenty years of this work has only reinforced that belief.
