© 2026 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Ann Arbor/Detroit listeners: WUOM is operating at low power, which is impacting our signal. If you're having trouble listening, please try one of these alternative methods. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Recycling Schools

Joel Landy (left) shows Ben Christenson and a band mate around the former Malcolm X Academy building in Detroit. Landy is turning the space into a music venue, with rehearsal space.
Photo by Jennifer Guerra.
Joel Landy (left) shows Ben Christenson and a band mate around the former Malcolm X Academy building in Detroit. Landy is turning the space into a music venue, with rehearsal space.

A lot of Michigan’s big cities are shrinking. People have left the state to find work. Others have moved their families to the suburbs. As Jennifer Guerra reports... that has left a lot of urban school districts with empty school buildings. But instead of tearing the buildings down, some districts want to recycle them.