by Brad Chranko

It is no secret that in many areas of the country, Detroit's reputation has been plagued by negative images. A native of Chicago, I held a dim view of Detroit myself before moving here 3 years ago. Since then I have realized that Detroit is not an unsafe city, but it does considerably lack in providing pedestrian amenities and linkages.

When a person visits a city for the first time, without any preconceived notions, he or she will usually form an impression of the area by looking at the sidewalks and spaces surrounding its main avenues. If the sidewalks are full of hustle and bustle, with pedestrians, bicyclists, and activity, the person will feel secure about entering the scene. If the sidewalks are empty, the visitor will not feel comfortable and may form an unpleasant view of the city. In Detroit, the latter usually is the case. There are a number of reasons why this is a problem for Detroit, but the good news is the problem could be easily rectified with a few key changes.

One element that impedes pedestrian movement in the City is its wide, intimidating streets. Historically, streets have been public spaces which serve a variety of functions. Streets in Detroit, however, have evolved through the years to serve the public strictly as automobile channels, thus shortchanging the residents and visitors who prefer to walk. In successful urban areas, street spaces allow the inhabitants to ride bicycles, visit street vendors, stroll, window shop, people watch, enjoy street entertainment, chat with strangers or acquaintances, etc. These activities draw people into the urban environment. Detroiters, however, are deprived of all of these activities that make the urban experience special. Instead, a sterile environment dominated by the automobile is the norm. Improving these wide, underutilized roadways could be accomplished fairly simply. Lanes could be utilized for purposes other than the automobile, such as bicycle or mass transit lanes. In some cases, widening the sidewalks, thus narrowing the streets, could transform the area from a daunting sea of cement and cars to a humane and manageable space.

Of course the street and sidewalk exist in complementary relation to the city's structures. When an uninterrupted series of these structures come up to the street, they form what is known as the "streetwall." A successful streetwall gives character and presence to a good urban street. In its heyday, Detroit had many great streets—formed by structures built during a time when city officials believed that the design of public spaces preceded the design and programming of individual buildings. This established a relationship between the buildings, the street, and the activities on the site. Solid designs prevented buildings from floating in space; in other words, there were no "gaps" in the streetwall.

During the last decade Detroit development has favored the development patterns of the suburbs. Strip malls and restaurants have parking lots that open to the main street, rather than from behind as in many urban areas. This type of development disrupts the natural flow of sidewalk traffic. For instance, parking lots that open onto the main street need "curb cuts," or driveways which pedestrians must cross. These drives interrupt the momentum of the passing pedestrian and add greater danger to their travel.

Recent developments in Detroit seem to show little concern about the affects they have on adjacent spaces. Unfortunately, city government seems to accept this attitude. At a time when there are developments and businesses extremely interested in the city, Detroit needs to take the upper hand in influencing urban design and development. Every building needs to be subordinate to the overall blueprint—that is, its scale and architectural vocabulary must harmonize with the existing system of public spaces. Poorly defined urban spaces affect pedestrian activities to the point where they eliminate any pedestrian activity whatsoever; the area becomes lost space.

The train of thought of successful urban designers in other cities (and in Detroit many moons ago) is that every house or building is a small city and that each city is a big house. Just like a room in a building needs furniture and other amenities, as an urban space is defined it needs content. Handsome "street furnishings" are key to helping define the space; they add character and encourage people to enjoy the space.

Signage, lighting, and land bridges are very important types of "street furnishings." Attractive signage for pedestrians projects a friendliness to a city's inhabitants, making them more comfortable when navigating around the area. It also links the various nodes of activities in the city.

At night, nothing is more important than lighting. The lights that now line the streets of Detroit are for, you guessed it, lighting the way for automobile traffic. This leaves the sidewalks dark, thus virtually non-usable during nighttime hours. Having two lights on the same pole, one lighting the street and the other the sidewalk, would make the pedestrian way user-friendly at all times.

Land bridges, which are public spaces like a park or square over freeways, would give the city a chance to recreate linkages that were torn up during the construction of highways during the 1950s. Several locations that badly need them are the New Center Area, connecting it across the Lodge; Wayne State University, over the Lodge connecting it to its athletic fields and residential units; and Mexicantown where I-75 splits the commercial corridor in half. The tiny bridges that exist now are intimidating, lack character, and do not link areas well.

The benefits of implementing just a few of the aforementioned solutions would be tremendous and would have a very significant impact on the overall ambiance and economic vitality of downtown. The catalyst effects will be felt in nearly every sector of the city. These solutions are very simple and not new. Other cities use these strategies and are successful. Funds are available for these solutions from the federal government in the form of ISTEA funding and from the state government's Michigan Transportation Enhancement Program. It is time for the city to take action and stop catering solely to the automobile. Car travel is not the single, best way to travel in our city. Walking, bicycling, roller blading, and public transportation are complementary alternatives. Until Detroit realizes this, the city will continue to be viewed by visitors and residents as second-rate.