Detroit to open eight ‘tech bars’

Detroit will offer residents free computer support and repairs in their neighbourhood with the roll out of eight proposed ‘Motor City Tech Bars’.

Residents will be able to bring in broken laptops, phones, or other smart devices to be fixed, free of charge. Appointments will be available, although not required, alongside e-waste recyclable containers at each of the locations.

Two have already opened in public libraries, with six more set to roll out in three phases by June.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first iteration of a municipal tech bar,” Keonda Buford, City of Detroit Digital Equity & Inclusion Manager, told Cities Today. “The need for a service like this became clear when our office began identifying potential sites throughout the City of Detroit to become Certified Tech Hubs.”

While the city was mapping out free tech resources and partners in the area, Buford noticed that residents who already had access to technology still faced challenges when their personal devices experienced issues.

“Most of our partners lacked the necessary IT support teams to assist with these problems, which sparked the idea of creating a resource that would offer free services to help residents repair their devices,” she said.

One tech bar will be located in each district, carefully selecting locations based on their size, the activities held there, and the level of residential foot traffic. In addition to the free device diagnostics and repair, the tech bars will also offer one-on-one personalised help, and digital literacy courses.

Buford added that so far residents have “expressed high satisfaction with the service and support provided by our partners at Human I-T”.

Key metrics of the programme include:

• Total residents enrolled in digital literacy courses
• Total Detroit residents interacted with
• Total residents provided technical support
  • Level 1: basic support and guidance
  • Level 2: personalised guidance
  • Level 3: expert guidance
• Total residents hired and trained.

The programme is currently funded through ARPA (a post-Covid stimulus package) which is expected to be exhausted by June 2025. The city is actively working to secure philanthropic dollars to ensure the long-term sustainability of the programme.

Image: City of Detroit