Alexa Bush

Alexa Bush is dedicated to making Detroit a more equitable and resilient city. She serves as a Program Officer for the Kresge Foundation’s Detroit Program, supporting a grantmaking portfolio investing in public space and arts-centered placemaking to connect sustainable urban development with greater economic equity, centering children and families in economic development initiatives, and growing the city’s capacity to respond to flooding, poor air quality, and extreme heat through infrastructure investment and a multi-sector resilience pilot on Detroit’s east side.

Prior to Kresge, Alexa worked for the city of Detroit for seven years, serving as the Director of the Planning & Development Department (PDD) from January 2025 to March 2026 after being nominated by Mayor Duggan in December 2024 and reappointed by Mayor Sheffield in 2025. She first joined the city in 2015 to help the department rebuild and restructure after exiting municipal bankruptcy. She helped develop and lead the initial planning efforts for the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, helping secure $4M in seed funding from national philanthropy through the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, and developing a framework for more inclusive economic recovery in neighborhoods, co created with residents. She managed planning from engagement through implementation of the Livernois/McNichols plan, with key projects such as Ella Fitzgerald Park, Livernois Streetscape, and small business investments and streetscape improvements on W. McNichols, establishing a deep track record of community, interdepartmental, and public-private partnership. Alexa served for three years as the Design Director of the East Region (Council Districts 3 & 4), hiring and managing the team responsible for the Jefferson/Chalmers, Campau/Davison/Banglatown, E. Warren/Cadieux, and Gratiot/Seven Mile plans, helping guide over $20M in investment into the city’s neighborhoods.

Alexa received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and her Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia and is a licensed Landscape Architect in the State of Michigan. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit, the Landscape Architecture Foundation, and the City Parks Alliance.