When the county executive took over, the region was facing a massive corruption scandal and a huge economic development project was faltering.

Detroit restauranteur Phil Cooley rents space in his 30,000 square foot building to artists, nonprofits and entrepreneurs at extremely low rates.

Rain or shine, The Mower Gang, a group of self-proclaimed "renegade landscapers," clean up Detroit’s neglected parks on a regular basis.

It's not clear what future the Motor City holds, but the following people will play critical roles in shaping it.

The art project features brightly colored paint and found objects adorning homes in a neighborhood of Detroit that might otherwise seem bleak.

In Santa Rosa, Calif., the electricity powering a lamp may very well come from recycled wastewater.