Detroit Seeking a New Vision for its East Riverfront

According to an article by John Gallagher, "a new city [of Detroit] panel this week will hear from seven teams of experts that hope to win a commission to fashion a new vision for the east riverfront." Gallagher describes the east riverfront—connecting downtown to Belle Isle—as ripe for new development.

Once selected, the winning team will finalize a presentation to be made this summer. Gallagher describes the scope of the planning exercise:

Among the issues the winning team must grapple with are how to overcome parking shortages in the district as more people visit the RiverWalk; how to make it easier for residents north of Jefferson Avenue to cross the nine-lane roadway to get down to the waterfront; how to include greenways and bicycle paths in the district; and figuring out the proper mix of residential units, retail, and commercial space.

Gallagher also reports that several of the seven finalists represent local architecture and planning firms, including Hamilton-Anderson Associates, McIntosh Poris, the Detroit office of Gensler, and the engineering firm Giffels Webster. Also on the list of finalists are national firms like Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Maurice Cox, Detroit's planning director, and Mark Wallace, CEO of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy are included on the committee that selects the winning team.