Art and culture are powerful tools for city building. Pictured here is a laneway in downtown Detroit that is known as "The Belt." It is called this because of its location in the city's former garment district, but today, it has been redefined as a cultural alley. In it, and deep within unmarked basements, you'll find venues like Deluxx Fluxx, which call themselves a nightclub art house. (You're going to want to click through to their website and get a feel for the place.)

This alley isn't brand new. It was conceptualized by the art gallery Library Street Collective a few years after it was founded in 2012. But I think it remains an excellent example of at least two things. One, Detroit is cool. It really has been going through a cultural renaissance. (You should also know that Detroit is the birthplace of techno.) And two, The Belt remains a perfect example of what is possible with our underutilized urban spaces.

Virtually every city has alleys exactly like this one. But too few are doing something as cool with them.

Image: The Belt & Deluxx Fluxx