Matt Naimi of Dreamtroit and the Lincoln Street Art Park

What if the key to building community in a city is throwing a great party?

In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Detroit’s self-described “garbage man,” Matt Naimi, whose recycling center unexpectedly became one of the city’s most vibrant civic spaces. What began as Recycle Here!evolved into the Lincoln Street Art Park and eventually Dreamtroit, a mixed-use community for artists, makers, and neighbors.

Matt shares how saying yes to artists, removing money from gatherings, and keeping the doors open to everyone can transform overlooked spaces into places where people connect. Sometimes the most powerful urban strategy is also the simplest: create a place where people want to show up.

Closer is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social—and why that may be the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.