At first, the beleaguered city may seem like an odd choice. “Detroit has a very strong image throughout the world as the capital of urban ruins,” says Robert Fishman, an urban historian at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. “It's a kind of symbol of what went wrong with the United States during the years of the urban crisis.”

Indeed, a mention of the city that once stood as the heart of America’s lucrative auto industry now evokes bleak images of deteriorating buildings, vacant schools, and destitute neighborhoods. But associating Detroit solely with urban decay is like thinking in the “past tense,” says Maurice Cox, the city’s director of planning and development.

The Biennale, Cox adds, allows urban planners and designers to pivot the conversation toward how architecture can help the city can move forward. And it puts that conversation on a world stage.

The U.S. Pavilion at the Biennale, which runs through November 27, will showcase visions for the city by 12 architects from across the country working with the University of Michigan to transform underused spaces in ways that could help the city bounce back. The exhibit, titled “Architectural Imagination” and curated by architects Monica Ponce de Leon and Cynthia Davidson, 

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