Detroit has the best Urban plazas in the US

Parks and Recreation magazine named Detroit to have the best Urban plazas in the US. Source comes from, a story about Denver's winnings,

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The July 2009 edition of Parks and Recreation, the official publication of the National Recreation and Parks Association, has named Denver as Best Trail Parks in the United States. The honor comes during National Parks and Recreation month.

“If a city is a great tourist destination, you want its parks to be a part of that,� says Peter Harnik, director of the Trust for Public Land’s Center for City Park Excellence in the article. “Parks have so many components, and people love parks for so many different reasons. From natural ambiance to recreational opportunities to the unexpected things that just happen there when strangers interact.�

Denver has one of the biggest biking, hiking and jogging trail systems in the nation, a network of 100 miles of paved, off-road trails that cross the City. The paved bike trails connect to hundreds of additional miles of dirt trails, many of which head up into the mountains and offer mountain biking adventures and scenic views.

In addition to Denver being named Best Trail Parks, other winners were:

• Best Destination Parks – Chicago, IL
• Best Dog Parks – Seattle, WA
• Best Arts and Entertainment Parks – New York City
• Best Natural Area Parks – Philadelphia, PA
• Best Urban Plazas – Detroit, MI
• Best Water Park – San Antonio, TX

People interested in exploring Denver’s bike trail system can download a free hike and bike trail map here or at www.denvergov.org/parksandrec.

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http://www.denvergov.org/DenverGovHo...n/Default.aspx

Maybe that's because most U.S. cities don't see any point in demolishing their historic downtowns to create concrete basins and "green spaces"? ;)

What constitutes an urban plaza? Where would one be in Detroit?

How about Hart Plaza and Campus Martius?

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Originally Posted by Ghetto_butterfly

How about Hart Plaza and Campus Martius?

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OK, now that you mention it....

actual blurb from article:

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BEST URBAN PLAZAS
DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Okay, so it’s easy to kick a city when it’s
down. After years of flagging domestic
auto sales, rising unemployment rates,
crumbling infrastructure, and urban
blight, Detroit looked like a town on its
last leg. Enter a tremendous civic project:
Campus Martius.
Ironic that a city virtually synonymous
with the automobile would create
a public project around the concept of
the pedestrian? Perhaps, but “truly great
cities are constantly reinventing themselves,� says Bob Gregory, president of
Detroit 300 Conservancy, part of the
public-private partnership with the city
of Detroit that was responsible for
bringing Campus Martius to life. “Historically,
the space had six roads intersecting
it—a traffic nightmare. Now, it’s
exactly the opposite.�
Meaning that nowadays it’s people,
not automobiles, pouring into this
green central hub. They come to skate
at the ice rink, grab a bite to eat at the
Park Café, people-watch, listen to live
music, and enjoy city life.
Until the 1970s, Detroit’s downtown
was very pedestrian friendly, built upon
Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s spoke-andwheel
model. But all of that went out
the door as business started declining in
the center city and citizens began fleeing
to the surrounding suburbs.
Still, there survived the memory of a
thriving downtown Detroit teeming
with the activity of busy restaurants and
shops. By serving as a focal point for
the city, Campus Martius has helped to
bring that sense of vitality back to the
Motor City.
“Campus Martius has been very well
received, specifically by the younger
demographic,� says Gregory. “From the
moment it opened, it created a positive
image of the city that has been great for
the residents and the region. It’s an

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ambassador for the city of Detroit.�

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source:

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http://nrpablog.typepad.com/prnow/july09/great%20cities.pdf

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A nice little essay. The author is right about CMP; its main duty 20 years ago was routing traffic through downtown. It's much nicer now, and closer to the spirit of Augustus Woodward's plan for downtown -- or what little remains of that.

Downtown actually does have a good layout of parks. You've got Hart Plaza and Campus Martius, but you also have Times Square, Capitol Park, Harmonie Park, and Grand Circus Park. Most of the buildings either face a park or a boulevard.

Now, most of the buildings are vacant and there's barely any people walking around, so I probably wouldn't put Detroit on that list, but I think downtown is in a good position as far as parks go.

How exactly is an urban plaza defined? I think CMP is great, and a step in the right direction for the city of Detroit, but I wouldn't call it the greatest in the country. Top 10, definitely, but CMP better than Rockefeller Center, Union Square, etc.? Or are those places defined differently?

Let us not forget the glorious Riverwalk!