Basketball Courts on Cadillac Square?

[DetroitPlanner]

Campus Martius is fine, but how many plazas do we need? Though I don't know of any studies on the subject, I'd have to believe that there is an ideal population density to plaza ratio, and that downtown Detroit has far exceeded it. Campus Martius, Cadillac Square, Capitol Park, Hart Plaza. When is enough enough?

And fine, they don't abuse concrete as much as they used to. But I think aesthetics are only marginally better.

Yeah what we need are more at grade parking lots instead! Great idea. I will tell the boss.

Aesthetics don't mean a thing unless you can generate some kind of activity there. Otherwise it might as well be a cornfield. At least that is useful.

You might want to consult the works of Roberta Gratz, William H Whyte, and a book called 'The Great Third Place" [[can't recall the author). They provide great insight in how humans interact with space. Even the originator of the mall, Victor Gruen, has written on this topic. He had to research this for Kalamazoo, Houston, and Rochester NY.

[bailey]

Yeah what we need are more at grade parking lots instead! Great idea. I will tell the boss.

Maybe the problem with detroit is that is the only alternative? vacant lots/space can either be a park or a parking lot..

[Mackinaw]

Apparently, unless Shostack backs down the demands they're making [[which they haven't for over a year now)... that building isn't happening.

All signs are pointing to DG making an offer for Compuware soon. once that happens and QL reshuffles and consolidates some of its offices that are shotgunned all around downtown, Meridian could consolidate into a Rock building or into Compuware.

all that has a huge "allegedly" tacked on it... but it's well informed rumors from people who should know. It has a lot to do with waiting to see how long it takes the hedgefunds to devour Compuware after it splits into two companies this fall.

GPPark is only a fiasco if it doesn't work. Every one of the parties on kercheval have been wall to wall people, the market is always full, the next party is July 12, come out and see if it's begin well received.

I'd also gather that closing a large chunk of downtown to traffic affects more people in a month than rerouting kercheval in podunk GPP would in a year.

Fingers crossed for Compuware staying in place. There are a ton of unknowns. I think the Monroe Block project's fate depends a bit more on Meridian's prognosis, however.

Anyway, this whole situation highlights the need for Duggan, Gilbert, and co. to keep going full throttle trying to entice employers downtown. One or two more big ones, and one or two more highly symbolic ones, would change the downtown landscape. A big one would be Chrysler... A symbolic one would be Penske [[a bit odd honestly that Roger continues his existence up in Bloomfield despite all of his other do-gooding). Obviously, there are other candidates too.

[bailey]

Fingers crossed for Compuware staying in place. There are a ton of unknowns. I think the Monroe Block project's fate depends a bit more on Meridian's prognosis, however.

Anyway, this whole situation highlights the need for Duggan, Gilbert, and co. to keep going full throttle trying to entice employers downtown. One or two more big ones, and one or two more highly symbolic ones, would change the downtown landscape. A big one would be Chrysler... A symbolic one would be Penske [[a bit odd honestly that Roger continues his existence up in Bloomfield despite all of his other do-gooding). Obviously, there are other candidates too.

absolutely agree. I don't get that one. Also, I don't see Chrysler doing any major move from AHills. Too much invested in that white elephant out there.

[stasu1213]

Cadillac Square would make a good pedestrian mall. The street doesn't run a long way but only a block or two. I had felt that the skating rink should had been in Cadillac Square years ago. I like Gilbert's idea of making it multipurpose. I am wondering how would Woodward look from Campus Martius to Adam. Will it have a semi open mall look saving the train that would run through that part. Would DDOT have it's stops replace on the part or will the stops be north of Adam? Washing Blvd pedestrian mall was a failure for it was way ahead of it's time. Businesses were closing on the blvd as well as Woodward after Hudson's closed. I see that Subway sandwich shop and the hosiery shop had relocated to the back of the First National Bldg. Does anyone has insight to what is going to go in those spots. I know that Papa Joes had opted out.