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New East Riverfront Development


rbdetsport

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Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of people in Riverfront try and go downtown without a car, unless they work downtown (which most don't). I think the typical Riverfront resident is typified by the guy who told me not to walk past 125th Street in Manhattan (after I told him I was going to Columbia next fall.) I mean, come on.. Manhattan can't be worse than most of Detroit.

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Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of people in Riverfront try and go downtown without a car, unless they work downtown (which most don't).

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That's what I figured. Riverfront is nothing more than a vertical suburb. Figuring out how to walk downtown from Riverfront can be a challenge, considering the pedestrian unfriendliness of the area. I know of a few sidewalks around there that just sort of end, forcing you to walk in the street.

I wish they would demolish Cobo & move it elsewhere, fill in the Lodge south of I-75 & build a boulevard in its place, and then restore the street grid. While they are at it, they can fill in I-375 & put a cap over I-75 between 375 & the Lodge.

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Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of people in Riverfront try and go downtown without a car, unless they work downtown (which most don't). I think the typical Riverfront resident is typified by the guy who told me not to walk past 125th Street in Manhattan (after I told him I was going to Columbia next fall.) I mean, come on.. Manhattan can't be worse than most of Detroit.

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Not even close to being like Detroit. I spent 2 months a few summers ago in an apartment on Riverside Drive near 122nd street. Which is a mere 2 blocks from Columbia.

Alot of people in Manhattan stereotype the upper West Side especially more so since the area I was in was so close to Harlem. It's all the same as many suburban residents saying Detroit is a scary place.

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rbdetsport where did you find that image with all the yellow buildings?

I think moving Cobo would do wonders for revitalizing downtown and the riverfront. It would open up that whole area for redevelopment and give Detroit the opportunity to make there riverfront better and put it up there with some of the other large cities in America.

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rbdetsport where did you find that image with all the yellow buildings?

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At the U of M Taubman College Website. Here is the address.....

http://www.caup.umich.edu/charrette/past.html

..... it's under 2003: Reflecting the Riverfront

Do you like the website? I think it is great how they did all of those projects for Detroit and other cities. Also Zissou, do you like the way the riverfront is designed in that?

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I'm looking forward to my next few years in the architecture school when I'll get to do projects that deal with the Detroit. Last semester they put together a proposal for the Hudsons site.

EDIT: I like U of M's vision for the empty areas near the Belle isle bridge. Imagine this:

Slide3_jpg.jpg

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There are a lot of great ideas on there and many of the projects look professional. I was suprised however by several projects that looked like they were done in one night and rushed. I like the riverfront visions and the ideas for Cobo.

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"Cobo become World's largest Big Box Retail."

Yeah right..... Take Cobo down if a new convention center is built and expand the riverfront parks. I love their ideas for the East Riverfront. I like the Belle Islanders the best. Actually, I like all of them after going through them probably for the hundreth time.I wish the city would take on these plans and revise some of it. Then make it happen. These plans are better then what is happening right now. Harbortown totally shut out some of these plans though.

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  • 5 months later...

Here's some good news about the East Riverfront development between the completed portion of the RiverWalk east of the RenCen and Franklin Street:

"General Motors Corp. has chosen a developer for its 13-acre River East project along the Detroit River just east of the GM Renaissance Center."

"The GM property to be developed is bounded by Franklin Street to the north, Rivard Street to the east, the Detroit River and RiverWalk to the south, and Beaubien Street to the west."

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=7755

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...=74&docid=22196

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

Hopefully more specifics on the planned development will come out soon. Maybe we can find out more if anyone has contacts at the mentioned firms.

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Sounds like good news. I just hope they don't rush to get their plans done because they need to be high quality. I think I like this firm because they have had experience in building residential high-rise (SkyLofts). I want to see a destination district built like in one of those renderings. How bout a district with some 20 story towers, with mostly 10 story, and 5 story buildings. Mix in some 8 and 15 story buildings just for some variety. AND WE NEED GOOD ARCHITECTURE!

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Actually, skyloft is quite an exaggeration of Morningside's work. They've never built anything over 8 stories which makes me nervous as far as any height that will be achieved in this area. However, their work is exceptional, high quality architecture that is already visible in work they've done here in Michigan. I have faith we will end up with a really good product, but I'm hoping to see a little added height. Possibly 2 at minimum, highrise towers approximately 15-25 stories set back from the riverfront, surrounded by several midrises, 6-10 stories. Then surrounded by some lowrises that also form a promenade along the river, appealing to a human scale.

I can say that this project will be a huge jumpstart for development in Detroit. Despite East Riverfront being its own community of retail, entertainment, and living, we can hopefully see more people coming to the downtown to shop, eat, and even work. I only hope that someday I-375 will be eliminated to allow pedestrians to walk to the downtown more easily.

I'm also curious to find out how this development will deal with the possible future of light rail. I'm kind of getting off subject on this one, but the bottom platform on the RenCen's people mover stadium was built to accomodate A POSSIBLE future expansion of a transit system. Of course GM in its own interests would want their headquarters to be a hub. I'm not saying that they explicitly built it because they were set on having a rail line attaced to this station, but it was constructed for the reason that their was a possibility of expansion. A lot of people want to treat it as a true or false statement... arguing it is for that purpose, or merely as an overflow space for people coming right out of the center, when really the answer is maybe. That's why I brought this up in this thread. I feel that a new community may have a supportive effect for new mass transit.. hopefully.

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So then I basically expanded Detroit's urban core to this:

eastmap.jpg

Ground floor retail in every building. There would probably be more varied floor heights since large apartment and condo blocks can see inhuman unless done well. Usually the upper levels are set back. Anyway, that's my version, probably won't happen, but I can still dream.

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