Woodward Project

[tangerine]

Cooper,

I really like your work. Do you think it would be productive to collaborate? My struggle right now is to turn the idea into action.

Andy

[Cooper]

Cooper,

I really like your work. Do you think it would be productive to collaborate? My struggle right now is to turn the idea into action.

Andy

Certainly. I'll send you a DM.

[casscorridor]

I agree that Detroit's urban core is the heart of the region and ought to see the most and the densest development, but I don't see why that should exclude developing the Woodward corridor. Urbanism is not a zero-sum game. As a region, I think we could sustain several urban corridors connecting to downtown Detroit, including Michigan Avenue out to Dearborn, Jefferson out to the Pointes, and Woodward out to Birmingham.

I think if we ignore the suburbs entirely, it will be at our peril. The truth is that Metro Detroit's assets are scattered across the region. It would be great if all our major corporations were still located downtown, but they're not. We need to work with what we have and find ways to reconnect the region as a whole. Some areas might be too car-oriented to be retrofitted [[I'm thinking M-59), but the inner ring suburbs have walkable downtowns and street grids that are comparable to Detroit. I don't we should let political boundaries obscure that fact.

I agree with what you are saying and I don't think its contrary to my posts. What I was trying to say is that focusing solely on Woodward, and saying the real city is "Woodward" is exactly what you say we shouldn't do... ignore the majority or the region. The "Wooward Plan" is good but saying that Woodward corridor is the real city is problematic. The plan suggests that Woodward corridor contains the most walkable areas in the region. Think about the WALKABLE areas they leave out... Eastern Market, Corktown, Mexicantown, East Dearborn, West Dearborn, and Grosse Pointe are all just as high on the walkablity scale as the Woodward burbs, if not higher. We are hurting ourselves if we elevate Birmingham's few square block area of urbanity at the expense of Detroit's other walkable neighborhoods that happen to not sit on Woodward.

It is great to highlight the assets and attractions along the entire Woodward corridor, there are many. But I honestly think the plan treats places like Ferndale, Royal Oak and Birmingham as more important than they are. Thats why I brought up Dearborn, which is more culturally and economically important with its immigrant neighborhoods and "walkable" commercial districts, major corporate headquarters and cultural attractions such as the Henry Ford and the Arab American National Museum and educational institutions such as UM-Dearborn and HFCC.

Also, Michigan Ave leads toward Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor which are home to EMU and UM respectively. This is much more important than where Woodward leads which is Pontiac. The Airport is also on this side of town. Why ignore all these assets?

I agree Woodward needs to come first, at least in the urban core [[sorry, Oakland Co. will NEVER be considered part of the core), it sets the example. But after that it makes sense to develop other corridors instead of continuing to develop Woodward further and further north. A linear urban core won't work. Like you said, we need Michigan and Jefferson and others. All the spoke roads with rail leading from Downtown to the inner ring Burbs. And commuter rail from Ann Arbor/Ypsi to Downtown and from there to Pontiac and Mt Clemens and other commuter rail corridors connecting exurbs and satellite cities to the urban core of Detroit.

Then there would be absolutely no debate on where the core is, all rail lines lead Downtown. And therefore Downtown will be the most intensely developed. Anywhere where there is rail stations will be developed, including the burbs, but Greater Downtown Detroit is still the center and core, and Woodward in Oakland County just doesn't count and never will no mstter how much you want it to.

[Cooper]

The Woodward Project is not the only plan to urbanize a high-traffic suburban corridor. Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are already collaborating on transforming Washtenaw Avenue, a congested thoroughfare lined with strip malls and big box stores, into a series of dense, walkable areas that bridge the gap between the two cities' downtowns:

Reimagining Washtenaw: http://www.washtenawavenue.org

Concentrate article: http://www.concentratemedia.com/feat...nue%3Fcampaign

[mwilbert]

Woodward in Oakland County just doesn't count and never will no mstter how much you want it to.

You seem very sure about this, but it doesn't make any sense to me. What is magic about 8 mile? Woodward between 8 mile and Cambourne appears more urban and interesting to me than Woodward between 6 and 8. When you consider the level of rot along Woodward north of New Center, I think you could increase the density of the corridor between 8 and 696 more easily than between Grand Blvd and 8.

I strongly believe that the corridor along Woodward is in fact the key urban development zone for the city and also the region, but the idea that the corridor stops abruptly stops being urban at some particular point is not one I can subscribe to, nor the idea that such a point would be immutable.

[ghettopalmetto]

I strongly believe that the corridor along Woodward is in fact the key urban development zone for the city and also the region, but the idea that the corridor stops abruptly stops being urban at some particular point is not one I can subscribe to, nor the idea that such a point would be immutable.

Why not? Cities existed in such a fashion for thousands of years. There isn't any immutable law of city building that requires the streetscape to vomit strip malls and subdivisions at its periphery.

[English]

Why not? Cities existed in such a fashion for thousands of years. There isn't any immutable law of city building that requires the streetscape to vomit strip malls and subdivisions at its periphery.

The bolded statement is my favorite DYes quote this year.

[tangerine]

Well said, Cooper.

[mpow]

Detroit IS a great city.