Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans founder and Chairman presented the case for Opportunity Detroit on March 28, 2013 at Hockeytown’s City Theatre. Opportunity Detroit is a brand and an initiative to vitalize downtown Detroit.
The mission of Opportunity Detroit is collaboration plus coordination plus passion equals transformation. With this formula the hope is to achieve creativity and energy to produce the best ideas. The local stakeholders of Opportunity Detroit are: Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, City of Detroit, Ilitch Holdings, M1-Rail, and Rock Financial.
The two consultant groups, TerreMark Partners, Inc. and Gibbs Urban Planning Group, presented to over 400 guests with standing room only. The guests got an overview of place making strategies for public spaces in downtown Detroit. TerreMark Partners specialize in identification and development of retail destinations throughout the U.S. merchandising, leasing, and market services. Gibbs Urban Planning Group provides urban intelligence and has worked with over 400 new cities and towns. Together they use corridor transit-oriented development strategy and structure to provide cohesive guidance on how to develop downtown Detroit.
The critical success factors of Opportunity Detroit are: public private partnerships, critical mass of real estate, executable strategies, sense of urgency, creation of density, and connectivity. Fred Kent, founder of Project for Public Spaces clarified the classification of time in regards to Opportunity Detroit as three weeks, short term and two years, long term. He further made the case for architecture getting society involved through meaning different things to different people.
Opportunity Detroit-Woodward consists of 6 districts: Lower Woodward District, Campus Martius Cadillac Square Monroe District, Woodward Avenue District, Grand Circus Park District, Library District, and Capital Park District. Part of the place-making strategy is not to drive the process but resolve issues of capacity and recommend a mix of national, regional, and local retail. Kent views Woodward as an esplanade which is walkable. He presents the concept that streets are made for people not for vehicles only.
Each of the districts has its own theme and serves as small destinations that connect to each other. It is the hope of Opportunity Detroit to harness the intimacy of Capital Park District and slate it as an artist destination. Foot traffic is the goal of the Woodward District by making it the core urban shopping avenue. While downtown consists of more than these six districts Opportunity Detroit plans to connect The Campus Martius Cadillac Square Monroe District to Greektown. M-1 Rail is important to provide transportation to downtown destinations. However, Opportunity Detroit did not forget that downtown Detroit is part of the Motor City and the Library District plans to house parking garages with backdrops of art to serve the place-making venue of downtown Detroit.
The place-making strategies are expected to be in full swing by Spring-Summer 2013. Metro Detroiters, get ready to experience downtown Detroit with its place-making strategies and vision the Detroit as a place for opportunity.
Author: Michelle Abd’Elaziz, Reporter on Urban Planning, representing GreeningDetroit.com
