Walkability expert strolls through Midtown, New Center and points out progress

MDOT funded a walkability audit in Midtown and New Center this month.
Dan Burden, senior urban designer with Glatting Jackson, led several Detroit enthusiasts on a walking assessment of the two neighborhoods on Sept. 22. A walkability audit is a physical walk-through of your community where you assess the different attributes of your community from a walker’s point of view. Throughout the tour Dan pointed out several walkable areas and well-planned developments in the two neighborhoods.  Here are some highlights:

• He found the new infill to be very impressive, especially on Ferry St.  Additionally, the new residential structures that were building built, although new, still captured the historic nature of the area.  With the first floor elevated, pedestrians are unable to see through the windows and into people homes.  Dan noted that these communities were doing a better job of building housing than many around the country.

• He also complimented the development of Peck Park where the fronts of homes where facing the park area.  By doing this the area is able to achieve a greater sense of community.

• He loved the Josephine F. Ford Sculpture Garden at the College for Creative Studies. Communities need green, attractive places such as this to encourage pedestrians to walk through their space.

• Another interesting location Dan pointed out was the “bump-out” at the corner of John R and Warren in front of the Science Center. A bump-out is where the sidewalk is extended forward at an intersection, moving the edge of the walk out to the line set by the row of parked cars. This improves safety for pedestrians by allowing them to cross the street where they are not hidden by the parked cars along the curb.

• And he praised both communities on the work they have done and the positive direction they are moving in.

Source: Annmarie Borucki, grant manager, UCCA