A Successful Public Space: Campus Martius in Detroit 15
The Market Square, the Town, and the Planet
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 9 May 2013.
[1] NOTE: When this was published, the title was changed to read “A successful public place,” which is not the same thing.
In my previous article (14) I wrote about qualities that make a public space successful. This time I’ll look at one such place.
Campus Martius Park in Detroit is part of the city’s downtown revitalization plan. Before renovation, the 2.5-acre area was “a stretch of concrete ... with heavy vehicular traffic.”
The revitalization process began with the city setting up a task force, which included Detroit 300, the organization which still manages the park. Six important design firms were asked to submit designs, and the winning one was presented to the city in 2001. Following this there was an extensive visioning process, in which a consultant from the Project for Public Spaces took part, to ensure that the final design met public needs. This community engagement was crucial in the success of the square.
Funding to the amount of $20 million came from the city and from private sources.
The fact that the project was managed by Detroit 300, a private, not-for-profit organization, rather than by the city council is credited with speeding up the process; so is the strong support of the mayor and council.
Construction began in 2003 and was completed by November 2004.
The new Campus Martius is a huge success: it has exceeded expectations in every way. It looks beautiful and it works well. It contains many flowering and shade-giving trees, two recessed lawns, botanical gardens, gravel paths, a fountain, and seating (walls, benches, steps, and moveable chairs) for 2000 people. There is a skating rink in winter. There are two retractable stages for special events. There is a café with indoor and outdoor tables, and wireless Internet. There is a year-round schedule of events amounting to 250 activity days. This includes music events and movie nights, and there are mid-day music performances as well.
Detroit 300 Conservancy continues to operate and manage the park, organizing the maintenance and programming, and raising funds to cover ongoing expenses.
One of the ways to evaluate the success of a public space is to look at how it’s used. Campus Martius Park, considered one of the top ten public spaces in the U.S. and Canada, is a magnet. It draws people from the suburbs and attracts out-of-town visitors; about a million people per year use it. The surrounding district – characterized by mixed-use buildings – has become attractive to businesses: when the revitalization of the square was announced, Compuware relocated its headquarters to the area, moving 3,500 employees from the suburbs downtown. The whole immediate area has been revitalized with dozens of restaurants and lots of shopping. There’s abundant parking nearby but the revitalized area also invites walking and lingering. It also attracts more residents to the area: hundreds of new condos and apartments have been created nearby. People want to work and live near such a vibrant public space. It has improved safety in the area; all studies show that a well-used, populous open space is safer than an under-utilized one.
Stratford and Detroit are very different, and it’s impossible to apply all the details and features of one revitalization project to another. But we can learn from the example. For instance, the involvement of experts was a major factor in the success of the square’s makeover. As the website of the Project for Public Spaces suggests, “Community Wisdom + Expert Knowledge = Good Community Design.” Stratford is doing this in its development of the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. There are people who know how to manage a process like this, what questions to ask, how to move through the stages and then how to point the way towards making everything a reality and a success.
We in Stratford are now in a position to move our project forward. Although no two projects are exactly alike, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel: there are examples out there of what can be done and, most importantly, of what works.
For more information about Campus Martius Park: www.campusmartiuspark.org and httpwww.planetizen.com/toppublicspaces// and scroll down to #3.
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer. She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 9 May 2013.
[1] NOTE: When this was published, the title was changed to read “A successful public place,” which is not the same thing.
In my previous article (14) I wrote about qualities that make a public space successful. This time I’ll look at one such place.
Campus Martius Park in Detroit is part of the city’s downtown revitalization plan. Before renovation, the 2.5-acre area was “a stretch of concrete ... with heavy vehicular traffic.”
The revitalization process began with the city setting up a task force, which included Detroit 300, the organization which still manages the park. Six important design firms were asked to submit designs, and the winning one was presented to the city in 2001. Following this there was an extensive visioning process, in which a consultant from the Project for Public Spaces took part, to ensure that the final design met public needs. This community engagement was crucial in the success of the square.
Funding to the amount of $20 million came from the city and from private sources.
The fact that the project was managed by Detroit 300, a private, not-for-profit organization, rather than by the city council is credited with speeding up the process; so is the strong support of the mayor and council.
Construction began in 2003 and was completed by November 2004.
The new Campus Martius is a huge success: it has exceeded expectations in every way. It looks beautiful and it works well. It contains many flowering and shade-giving trees, two recessed lawns, botanical gardens, gravel paths, a fountain, and seating (walls, benches, steps, and moveable chairs) for 2000 people. There is a skating rink in winter. There are two retractable stages for special events. There is a café with indoor and outdoor tables, and wireless Internet. There is a year-round schedule of events amounting to 250 activity days. This includes music events and movie nights, and there are mid-day music performances as well.
Detroit 300 Conservancy continues to operate and manage the park, organizing the maintenance and programming, and raising funds to cover ongoing expenses.
One of the ways to evaluate the success of a public space is to look at how it’s used. Campus Martius Park, considered one of the top ten public spaces in the U.S. and Canada, is a magnet. It draws people from the suburbs and attracts out-of-town visitors; about a million people per year use it. The surrounding district – characterized by mixed-use buildings – has become attractive to businesses: when the revitalization of the square was announced, Compuware relocated its headquarters to the area, moving 3,500 employees from the suburbs downtown. The whole immediate area has been revitalized with dozens of restaurants and lots of shopping. There’s abundant parking nearby but the revitalized area also invites walking and lingering. It also attracts more residents to the area: hundreds of new condos and apartments have been created nearby. People want to work and live near such a vibrant public space. It has improved safety in the area; all studies show that a well-used, populous open space is safer than an under-utilized one.
Stratford and Detroit are very different, and it’s impossible to apply all the details and features of one revitalization project to another. But we can learn from the example. For instance, the involvement of experts was a major factor in the success of the square’s makeover. As the website of the Project for Public Spaces suggests, “Community Wisdom + Expert Knowledge = Good Community Design.” Stratford is doing this in its development of the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. There are people who know how to manage a process like this, what questions to ask, how to move through the stages and then how to point the way towards making everything a reality and a success.
We in Stratford are now in a position to move our project forward. Although no two projects are exactly alike, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel: there are examples out there of what can be done and, most importantly, of what works.
For more information about Campus Martius Park: www.campusmartiuspark.org and httpwww.planetizen.com/toppublicspaces// and scroll down to #3.
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer. She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website