I realize that the Ann Arbor DDA’s uniformly mocked “Ambassador” program is likely going to die on the vine, given the overwhelming backlash that we saw last week, but I refuse to just let it go. This is the first spark of life I’ve seen in Ann Arbor in a long, long time, and I’m […]
Tag Archives: Block by Block
The fight intensifies over Ann Arbor’s proposed “ambassador” program
“Does Ann Arbor’s downtown belong to the people of Ann Arbor, or to the City’s most influential and vocal business owners?” It’s a question that’s been asked quite a bit this past week, in the wake of news surfacing about an Ann Arbor DDA plan to further the “mallification” of downtown by hiring a small […]
Posted in Ann Arbor, Local Business, Marketing, Uncategorized Also tagged Ann Arbor Ambassador Program, Ann Arbor Chronicle, Ann Arbor DDA, authenticity, community building, DDA, flyers, homelessness, Jean Henry, Joan Lowenstein, mallification, Mark Hodesh, our fragile downtown business ecosystem, posters, Stephen Kunselman, street people 73 Comments
How do we deal with the homeless in Ann Arbor? Easy, hire greeters on Segways to shoo them away… Introducing Ann Arbor’s new “Ambassador” program
A few days ago, in a post about the increasing number of economic refugees making their way from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, I noted a new program being considered by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) that would put a small army of paid “ambassadors” on the streets of tree town, opening doors for […]