Campus Martius gets international praise, adds directory and free parking for ice rink

Campus Martius was recognized this month as one of the top twelve public spaces in the U.S. and Canada by Project for Public Spaces (PPS), an international nonprofit that specializes in working with communities to build public spaces.

The nonprofit judges the winners on things like the space’s accessibility, it’s uses and activities, it’s comfort and ability to improve image, and it’s ability to facilitate sociability in the community. Kathy Madden, senior vice president of PPS, says Detroit had to overcome immense odds in designing Campus Martius, and did so with a bottom-up strategy that allowed input during the beginning stages of plan formation.

“There are so many beautiful buildings in Detroit, many are better or equal to those in other cities. We wanted the character of the square to enhance the city’s historic beauty,” says Madden.

Campus Martius is also linking people to nearby restaurants, cafes and bars by featuring a directory on the north face of Au Bon Pain and in the skate house. The directory will have a large-scale map of Downtown and list places and their phone numbers.

The Detroit 300 Conservancy has also announced there will be free, validated parking for all patrons of The Rink from Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Compuware Parking Garage.

For more information on the top 12 public spaces visit: http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/december2005/us_canada_squares?referrer=newsletter_contents

For more information on Campus Martius visit: www.campusmartiuspark.org

Source: Kathy Madden, senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces; Bob Gregory, executive director of The Detroit 300 Conservancy