Found an interesting architectural rendering for the J. L. Hudson's Block

[Scottathew]

Detroit is not Manhattan.

What works in New York today, may not work in Detroit today.

For example, the plaza. What the plaza does is create more street and walking area in a dense space. It people off of highly populated streets.

I just don't think a plaza would work in present day Detroit, even in the CBD. Priority #1 for Detroit's CBD is to create a functional and continuous corridor. New York has all of mid and lower Manhattan. Chicago has Michigan Avenue, State Street, and the surrounding area.

Detroit only has pockets. I work near Campus Martius, which is nice. But if I walk down to the Grand Circus\Stadium area, there is nothing but empty stores and empty sidewalks. Then, when I arrive you see the bars and restaurants that support the stadiums and theaters. Right now we need to get demand for the existing surface area between those two spots, not create additional surface area to fill.

Some folks hinted at having a shops lining Woodward and then have a plaza behind them. This would work as long as this plaza was going to be used as a green space, but I strongly feel that all shops need to be as "on Woodward" as possible.

[stasu1213]

Detroit is not Manhattan.

What works in New York today, may not work in Detroit today.

For example, the plaza. What the plaza does is create more street and walking area in a dense space. It people off of highly populated streets.

I just don't think a plaza would work in present day Detroit, even in the CBD. Priority #1 for Detroit's CBD is to create a functional and continuous corridor. New York has all of mid and lower Manhattan. Chicago has Michigan Avenue, State Street, and the surrounding area.

Detroit only has pockets. I work near Campus Martius, which is nice. But if I walk down to the Grand Circus\Stadium area, there is nothing but empty stores and empty sidewalks. Then, when I arrive you see the bars and restaurants that support the stadiums and theaters. Right now we need to get demand for the existing surface area between those two spots, not create additional surface area to fill.

Some folks hinted at having a shops lining Woodward and then have a plaza behind them. This would work as long as this plaza was going to be used as a green space, but I strongly feel that all shops need to be as "on Woodward" as possible.

I had walked from Campus Martius down Woodward to Woodward and Forest last night. I had forgotten what were in those empty spaces along Woodward past the Fox Theatre around Temple. There were probably were many businesses that lined that area of Woodward that didn't make the walk feel so isolated and lonely. A pedestrian doesn't feel lonely walking up 5th street going toward Rock Center or past it in Manhattan. There are many stores and activities going on that make the walk appears shorter. New York caters to the pedestrian while Detroit caters to the motorist. What ever goes into the former Hudson's site should include retail that line the sidewalk along Woodward. Please; no more parking structures especially on that site. The underground parking is good enough. Leaders and planners need to hurry up and do something about the empty storefronts that align Woodward from the Fisher to Petersboro along Woodward
W