Detroit's Citizen Filmmakers Document 'One Day in Detroit'

Following a concept familiar from the 'One Day on Earth' documentary, a legion of citizen filmmakers spent April 26, 2014 documenting the many moments that mark the Detroit experience.

1 minute read

April 27, 2014, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Recently, more than 300 filmmakers, "armed with everything from smartphones to expensive digital equipment," participated in a documentary project called "One Day in Detroit," according to an article by John Monaghan.

"The concept is similar to 'One Day on Earth,' the 2012 documentary that used footage collected from every country on the same day in 2010. Detroit is one of 11 cities shooting today. The Detroit footage will be screened sometime in August and then used as part of a three-part series on cities for National Public Television," writes Moaghan.

The documentary hopes to explore the city of Detroit beyond the well wrought tropes of blight and abandonment. Some of the captured moments from the day of filming include children at a butterfly garden, an artist at work, and a man fishing for sustenance in Riverside Park. 

Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Detroit Free Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

White Waymo autonomous car driving fast down city street with blurred background at night.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars

Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

June 16 - Smart Cities Dive

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

June 16 - Governing

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

June 16 - UNM News