Walking Detroit

Abstract

Suburban Sprawl has crippled Detroit. Dependence to the automobile has accelerated the migration of citizens to the surrounding suburbs. Through this exodus, Detroit has deteriorated into a collection of abandoned buildings and parking lots. This departure has caused residual effects within all aspects of the city. Residential vacancies have increased and for those that remain concerns of safety have amplified. Businesses have lost their customers and had to either close or depart from the city. Breathing life back into a rapidly decaying city requires the attention of the architectural community, as it can help to create interest and uniqueness within a city. In order to breathe new life into Detroit it needs to be more than just a city, it needs to become a destination. The creation of a walkable community will be the vehicle in which Detroit will be redefined as a destination. Creating optimal pedestrian traffic is established by three key components; the five-minute walk, narrow & versatile street, and mixed-use developments. The five-minute walk is a measure of the time it takes to move from the edge of a city to the center of the city. Narrow & versatile streets allow for a network of streets that provide numerous paths to the same destination. They also slow down traffic and encourage walking, as streets are safer and more pleasant. Mixed-use developments, refers to having multiple function occurring within the same building or complex. Utilizing these developments create higher density, and help to remove dependency to the automobile with many functions being within walking distance. Initializing the concepts of a walkable community, a language of walking will be establish and will be redefined in areas that have forgotten this vernacular. The Goal of this thesis is to establish an architectural framework that will help redefine Detroit with an emphasis on pedestrian activity. It will explore the creation of spaces that bring identity back to the pedestrian and provide a solution for Detroit as a collection of decrepit buildings and deserted parking lots.