Moses Timlin transplanted to Flint six years ago. After growing up in the South Side of Chicago, Moses went to the University of Illinois Chicago where he got his bachelor’s degree in history and master’s in urban planning and public policy.  

His love for urban planning is what ultimately landed him in Flint. Through his college’s alumni network, Moses saw a job posting for the Genesee County Land Bank Authority (Land Bank). When Moses came to Flint for that interview, he didn’t fall in love with the bricks or the arches. He was drawn in by the fact that it reminded him of his hometown. He knew that, in Flint, he could be part of positive change. So, he took that role at the Land Bank, where he worked for three and a half years before finding his current role at Uptown Reinvestment Corporation (URC).  

Today, Moses is the development coordinator at URC, where he works on real estate development projects that aim to improve downtown Flint and surrounding neighborhoods. In this role, Moses helps make project management decisions around developing and rehabilitating properties in the city for residential and commercial use. And that work is challenging when aligning the limited existing resources with the significant costs associated with real estate development. He coordinates with city planners, neighborhood organizations, and other local nonprofits to ensure that the work that URC does benefits the citizens of Flint quality of life.  

As a resident himself, Moses spends his day working, living, and playing in Flint & Genesee.  

Morning 

Most days, Moses comes to work 15 minutes early to get a cafe caramel from the Coffee Beanery on Saginaw Street, located right across from his office. After that, his mornings revolve around a myriad of things such as working with the City of Flint to get approvals, securing funding for projects, or doing a walkthrough of one of URC’s developments, such as Factory Two. While there, he collaborates with the building tenants and builders to assess the property to see what updates it might need and what funding the organization can identify and secure to do those updates. 

Lunch 

When it comes to lunch, Moses loves walking down to the Flint Farmers’ Market to eat at Steady Eddy’s Cafe at the Market or heading out with the rest of office to Dom’s Diner on Corunna Road – a place he hooked his coworkers on.  

Evening 

After work, Moses spends time with his wife and daughter. Some nights he plays basketball at the University of Michigan-Flint Recreation Center with a group of locals. When he has time, he also attends local neighborhood association meetings, planning meetings like the monthly North Flint Food Market update, or coalition meetings like the Flint Residents for Stronger Neighborhoods. He participates not only as an urban planner but, more importantly, as a citizen of Flint. 

To get out on the town, Moses and his wife go with friends to explore downtown and do pub crawls at places like the Torch, Spectacular Spudz, Queens’ Provisions, and the Arrowhead Vets Club on Water Street. Or they’ll head out to Soggy Bottom Bar and hang out with friends in the Carriage Town neighborhood to discuss all things related to Flint’s history and urban planning.  

Weekends 

On the weekends, Moses is busy being a part of the community. He’ll attend monthly meetings such as the Flint Neighborhoods United meeting held at the Flint Public Library in the Flint Cultural Center. Or he’ll help his neighbors in the College Cultural neighborhood with his pull saw to cut down rogue branches or help elderly neighbors with yard work. In the summer, he will prioritize attending events like Porchfest and Alley Fest, which his friends organize.   

Whatever he is doing, Moses is focused on building the community around him, and he feels like he can do that living in Flint. Each day, he’s trying to take small steps toward making progress with his community of friends in Flint.  

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