So quick question.... Downtown Development ridding parking lots?

[bust]

No no no I’m sick of parks we have enough of the damn things on the river. I want beautiful classic architecture and density, the river doesn’t need more flat green space. And tear up hart plaza while your at it

I agree with the first part. I know historical charm can't convincingly be manufactured [[ok, except Warsaw) but Savannah offers just one of many possible examples of how commercial density can contribute to a city's riverfront.

But no, no, no the last part. At the risk of sending us further down that tangent, Hart Plaza should be restored, maintained, better programmed, and made much more accessible. Not everyone appreciates it, but it's by far the world's best example of Isamu Noguchi's large scale work. Detroit should capitalize on it. Some of us think it could be great [[finally fix the fountain!). I'm old enough to remember when despite the adverse conditions that surrounded it [[and the fountain never working) it almost was. Its biggest problem [[besides the programming / lack thereof) is foot traffic is discouraged or prevented from all sides. The riverwalk helps, but not as much as it could because the TCF center, the Ren Cen, and those ugly parking lots are pedestrian dead zones that offer nothing to draw people there [[the wintergarden helps just a teeny bit). Replacing the lots with mixed use density including significant retail as Shadow Soarer suggested would help a lot!