Envisioning Detroit as the World’s Greenways Capital A 50-year Vision of the Detroit Greenways Coalition
Prepared by The Greenway Guy and Anthony Taylor
December 2016
DetroitGreenways.org – P.O. Box 32013, Detroit, Michigan 48232
[email protected], (313) 649-7249
October 21, 2016
Dear Friend and Reader, The Detroit Greenways Coalition envisions a city that embraces bicycling and greenways as it builds toward a healthy and community focused future. This report is the culmination of our effort to demonstrate a future that encourages the inclusion of greenways and non-motorized transportation into long-term planning efforts. It is a shared vision for a network of first-class greenways that provide non-stop bicycle travel across the city of Detroit. The concepts in the report are futuristic, but they enhance and better define this vision by adding specific design ideas and renderings for what can be achieved during the next fifty years. The final results were achieved through a very intentional and inclusive process that brought forth many Detroit voices, including some that were new to planning efforts and some that do not ride bicycles. We wanted the results to be based on input from a diverse group representing all facets of the Detroit we live in. Detroit has a unique opportunity to realize this vision given the abundance of wide streets, abandoned rail corridors, and other open and underutilized space – not to mention a growing interest in bicycle use and greenways among residents across the city. Reaching this future vision not only offers many benefits to Detroiters and encourages a healthy future, but it would make us a global leader that inspires other cities across the globe. Fifty years may seem like a long time away, but with the rapidly increasing development of bicycle infrastructure across Detroit we need to set the table for the future. This report provides ideas and designs that can be incorporated into today’s projects such as the Inner Circle Greenway and the protected bike lane network. An important role of the Detroit Greenway Coalition is to be the keeper and advocate for this long-term vision. We are also committed to having inclusive engagement process where Detroiters shape this vision and their own future. Though we are known as the “Motor City” that helped put the world on four wheels, we also have an untold history as a great bicycling city. That history continues today with the burgeoning bike club culture and events like Slow Roll. By implementing this vision, we can become a model for other cities – and help put the world on two wheels as well as four.
Al Fields President
Todd Scott Executive Director
Our Vision is a strong, healthy, vibrant City of Detroit and surrounding region where a seamless network of greenways, green spaces, blue ways and complete streets is an integral part of people’s active lifestyle including day-to-day transportation and recreation.
Table of Contents, Envisioning Detroit as the World’s Greenways Capital
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................1 2. PROJECT PURPOSE........................................................................................................................2 3. PROJECT ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................................................2 4. VISIONING SESSION PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................................3 5. VISIONING SESSION OUTCOMES............................................................................................4 5.1 SUMMARY OF INTERESTS SHARED ............................................................................4 5.1.1 Education .................................................................................................................4 5.1.2 Transportation / Mobility.....................................................................................5 5.1.3 Health.........................................................................................................................5 5.1.4 Safety..........................................................................................................................5 5.1.5 Jobs .............................................................................................................................6 5.1.6 Food............................................................................................................................6 5.1.7 Fun ..............................................................................................................................6 5.1.8 Social Acceptance .................................................................................................6 5.1.9 Other Interests.......................................................................................................7 5.2 WHAT’S NEEDED TO BECOME THE #1 BICYCLING CITY? ................................7 5.3 THE GREENWAYS NETWORK WILL RADICALLY IMPROVE LIVES IF ..........8 5.4 SUMMARY OF PARTICIPANTS’ ANSWERS TO SURVEY QUESTIONS .........10 6. DRAWINGS......................................................................................................................................10 6.1 BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A RAILROAD CORRIDOR .....................11 6.2 BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A MULTIPURPOSE STREET................12 6.3 BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A GREENWAY ON A STREET WITH NO VEHICLES......................................................................................................................13 6.4 BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A SPOKE ROAD ........................................14 6.5 BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR AN ARTERIAL ROAD.............................14 7. MAP OF ROUTES ..........................................................................................................................15 8. SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS ...................................................................................................16
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APPENDICES A. CONNECTING SILOS—OPINION PIECES TO GUIDE GREENWAYS PLANNING FOR EQUITABLE OUTCOMES................................................................................................18 A.1 LESSONS FROM THE HISTORY OF DETROIT AND CHARTING A JUST FUTURE by Naim Edwards and Anthony Taylor .................................18 A.2 RESIDENT-‐CENTERED REDEVELOPMENT by Anthony Taylor..................19 A.3 AFFORDABLE HOUSING / LAND CONTROL by Linda S. Campbell ............19 A.4 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT by Marissa Mewitz ...............................................21 A.5 EDUCATION by Carmen N’Namdi.............................................................................23 A.6 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE by Guy Williams......................................................24 A.7 FOOD by Naim Edwards ...............................................................................................25 A.8 HEALTH by Myra Tetteh...............................................................................................26 A.9 SUSTAINABILITY by Toni Henry and Cassandra Verras................................27 B. PROJECT ADVISORY TEAM....................................................................................................29 C. ADDITIONAL VISIONING SESSION PARTICIPANTS .................................................29 D. PROJECT WORKING TEAM ....................................................................................................30 E. IN-TAKE QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS COMPILED....................................................31 F. POST-PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS COMPILED .....................................33
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1.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Detroit has the potential to become the world’s greenways capital, the number one bicycling city, and a model for equitable redevelopment by taking advantage of its unique assets. These assets include underutilized roadways, railroad corridors, and passionate people. The first step is the creation of a clear vision. The Detroit Greenways Coalition has taken the first stab at presenting a 50-year vision for a network of greenways by creating five hand drawings of greenway examples, and a map showing approximately how far apart these greenways should be. A video of visioning session participants and this written report accompany the drawings and map. The drawings reflect the interests of Detroit residents and activists who participated in visioning sessions. Greenways will connect neighborhoods and destinations by repurposing open land and transportation right-of-ways. They will include green spaces for activities and allow for a bicycle transportation network. This bicycle transportation network in the greenways will be made up of Bicycle Thruways allowing non-stop bicycle travel such as with bridges, underpasses, and right-of-way priority. This is how Detroit can leap frog beyond current practices like protected bike lanes on opposite sides of a roadway, instead offering supercharged protected bike lanes with both travel directions side-by-side, thereby increasing the feasibility of providing the best intersection treatments anywhere. Visioning session participants believe that a network of greenways here could and should improve many aspects of their lives, and planning them must be residentdriven. For example, greenways should make neighborhoods safer, provide inexpensive transportation, catalyze public art and learning, offer everyone something healthy and fun to do, usher in a growth industry with new jobs, and increase pride and community. Yet all these benefits will not happen unless the bicycle thruways are well used and safe. Bicycling needs to become a cool thing to do. This will require a culture shift that can be helped along by programs and education, in addition to Slow Roll and other rides that are already making bicycling popular. Visioning session participants believe in zero displacement of people by greenways, and they want biking to be “speedy like a freeway.” Therefore bicycle thruways must use straight-shot public corridors, not zigzag through vacant land parcels or displace people to create new linear routes. Primarily road and railroad corridors must be used.
Planning and building the envisioned greenways and getting people out to use them will take many years and a level of resident engagement and empowerment perhaps not seen before, and the energy to make it happen is growing.
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2.
PROJECT PURPOSE
“A sunflower represents longevity. That’s what I want to see for the city, rays of hope and prosperity.” Charlotte Blackwell The purpose of this project is for the Detroit Greenways Coalition to create, with resident input, a clear 50-year vision for the world’s best network of bicycle thruways traveling through beautiful green spaces, neighborhoods, and commercial areas. A guiding value for the project is social equity. More specifically, the network of greenways is being proposed to improve the lives of Detroit residents, including the current generation, their kids, and kids’ kids.
The main product of this project is a set of five professional drawings showing what a network of greenways in Detroit could look like 50 years from now. Along with the drawings is a map showing the approximate spacing between the greenways. These greenways will include bicycle thruways. Bicycle thruways are bikeways that offer bicyclists the opportunity to travel without stopping, similar to freeways for cars. The greenways in the future Detroit network of greenways are wider corridors that include bicycle thruways, green spaces, and many other amenities as called for by visioning session participants. The second product of this project is a three-minute video showing visioning session participants sharing their thoughts. This written report is the third product of the project. It explains the drawings and the stakeholders’ interests that informed them. Perhaps more important than these three products is the excitement generated among the participants and their commitment to realizing this vision. People who view the drawings, watch the video, or read this report are encouraged to keep in mind that many individuals and groups are doing exciting things to improve the lives of Detroit residents. Their work relates to transportation, greening, social equity, community benefits, housing, food, jobs, education, land planning, public art, sustainability, and more. This project is not meant to be the final word on what Detroit can be in the future. Instead this is a vision of the Detroit Greenways Coalition, informed by residents, that suggests synergies and potential collaborations for making Detroit the World’s Greenways Capital with benefits for all involved. 3.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
“We’re thinking 50 years ahead of time so nothing is taboo, nothing is far-fetched, it’s a beautiful thing. 50 years! We can do it.” Ashia Phillips Project activities began with a kick-off meeting of a Project Advisory Team in June 2016. In July five different small groups of Detroit residents and advocates participated in three-hour-long
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visioning sessions. Prep assignments for session participants included viewing the Streetfilms video Metamorphosis of New York City Streets and a clip of Mayor Duggan explaining the City’s vision for 20-minute neighborhoods (where everything one needs is a 20 minute walk or bike ride from home), and future additions to the Inner Circle Greenway. Facilitators explained to session participants that they were to create a 50year vision. This allowed participants to overcome challenges like the current design of roads and bridges, finding money to build and maintain the greenways, current low levels of bicycle usage in the general population, and other obstacles. Session participants were shown photos of bikeways from the United States and around the world and asked to rate them on three criteria: fast, safe, and pleasant. Participants were told to assume that walking is as important as bicycling and all bikeways will be planned with proper pedestrian accommodations as well. Participants were asked what assets are needed for a city to become the number one bicycling city. They were then asked which of those assets Detroit has and finally, participants were asked to complete the sentence “Greenways here will radically improve lives if…” Artists were hired to create the drawings of greenways. The artists attended the visioning sessions to witness first-hand what participants want. After the visioning sessions the artists created draft drawings of bicycle thruway examples for various types of corridors in Detroit. The visioning groups met again to offer comments on the draft drawings. After these sessions, the drawings were revised based on feedback from participants. 4.
VISIONING SESSION PARTICIPANTS
Members of a Project Advisory Team attended the first visioning session. People invited by the members of the Project Advisory Team attended the second visioning session. The third visioning session was attended by invitees of Ashia Phillips, CEO of D-Town Riders, and a fourth session included invitees of Focus: HOPE. The fifth session was for teenagers and young adults who have been trained as bicycle mechanics or otherwise been employed or trained by Back Alley Bikes or Southwest Rides. For the most part, the advisory team members and other visioning session participants identified themselves as bicyclists. Many of them see bicycling playing an important role in their lives, like keeping them feeling young and healthy, providing them with a career, giving them Project Advisory Team with project contractors. mobility around the city and connecting them to other people and their neighborhood. These individuals already had an understanding of
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how better bicycling infrastructure can improve many aspects of their lives and the lives of all Detroiters. Although a few non-bicyclists participated, overall the session participants were a sample of Detroit residents with an enthusiasm for bicycling. Participants identified themselves using words like bicyclist, activist, urban planner, artist, educator, Detroiter, urban farmer, transportation planner, and sister. Forty percent do not own cars and ninety percent own at least one bicycle. Project Advisory Team members are listed in Appendix B. All other visioning session participants are listed in Appendix C. Compiled in-take and post-project questionnaires are shown in Appendices E and F. 5.
VISIONING SESSION OUTCOMES 5.1
SUMMARY OF INTERESTS SHARED
Vision session participants from all five visioning sessions expressed similar hopes for a network of greenways and the future of transportation in Detroit. They drew connections between the transportation system and other parts of their lives, including education, health, safety, jobs, food, and social benefits. 5.1.1
Education
Involving school children in the process of planning a network of greenways is the best way to make sure that the system will serve them and offers them first hand learning experiences about civic engagement. School kids biking in organized groups with an adult, or “bicycling school buses,” was an idea people were excited about for safe and convenient transportation to school. Other ideas were shared, such as making bikes more widely available, training in bicycle maintenance, and physical education classes around bicycling. Local schools to allow shorter travel distances were desirable. Another suggestion that came up several times was educating drivers about bicyclists’ rights and how to behave around them.
“As a kid I walked to school, it was around the corner, that has changed.” Myra Tetteh
“It’s all connected to education. With a better transportation system, it would be easier to move around the city to find the schools…so people aren’t switching buses or late for their first and second hours.” Emilia Bauer
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5.1.2
Transportation / Mobility
Participants want transportation systems that make it easy to get around without a car by linking walking, biking, and transit systems with easy transfers between modes and connections to all neighborhoods. The 20-minute neighborhood model was discussed. “The Inner Circle Greenway will change this neighborhood as a quick way to link to other neighborhoods. This is the new Detroit, how we get around.” Jeff Jones 5.1.3
Health
Participants talked a lot about the role that bicycling and walking plays in keeping a person healthy. People talked about the role biking has played in their own lives. “The only way to avoid effects of aging is to move.” Cassandra Spratling
5.1.4
Safety
People were concerned about crime and safety while bicycling, as well as not being hit by a car. “I see our future as a biking city and a safe city.” Marissa Mewitz “It’s all dangerous. We just had three individuals get hit and injured and two are still in the hospital.” Willie Faison
Greenways here will radically improve lives if… “I could go outside and not get jumped...” Bryan Herrera
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5.1.5
Jobs
Many participants brought up jobs and access to jobs. Opportunities were linked to bicycle transportation. Regarding the three biggest challenges facing Detroit residents: “Unemployment, unreliable transportation, and disconnected neighborhoods. I ride my bike almost everywhere; people stare when I go to other neighborhoods. All that can be fixed with a better transportation system. We need something that can cut through the neighborhoods and get to other cities. I bike 10 miles a day. Public transit could go past more commercial areas. I don’t think cars are that necessary in the city.” Dashon Spate
5.1.6
Food
Participants talked about food justice where everyone has access to healthy foods. One of the ways suggested to make that happen was to have “places to harvest food in your own neighborhood.” Edible landscapes were suggested where greenway users could stop to pick fruit, berries, or fresh herbs. “To get healthy food, people have to get in their car and drive.” Myra Tetteh 5.1.7
Fun
A network of greenways that provides fast, safe, and pleasant bicycling throughout Detroit was seen as something holistic that reduces stress, creates social bonds, is fun, and symbolizes freedom. “It gets easier, your wind gets better, everything just gets better. The whole time at work, I’m thinking I can’t wait to get back on my bike. It’s tranquil and freeing, it takes stress away, it’s a healthy thing, you meet a lot of people, your friends list grows. Someone is always inviting you to do something you’ve never done before, you’re not inside sitting home on the couch, you’re out.” Willie Faison 5.1.8
Social Acceptance “You get the booby prize if you don’t have car, it has to become the attractive thing to do” Carmen N’Namdi There was discussion about the question “If you build it will they come?” Most participants started out saying yes. After more discussion many people changed their minds by saying that Detroit has a ways to go for bicycling to become the
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normal and accepted thing to do. Many ideas were shared about how to make bicycling the thing to do in Detroit, like designing the next generation of bikeways with a cool design like Star Trek, something that people will travel to Detroit to experience. One participant hoped biking would become “contagious.” Greenways here will radically improve lives if…“The hearts and spirits of the people that might use the system are changed in a way that gets them to gravitate toward the system, the system means something to them, ‘It means something to ME!’” Joseph Simpson 5.1.9
Other Interests
Public art was identified as an opportunity to create both inspirational and functional greenways, such as using sculptures or murals to help people find their way around the system. Participants want their future Detroit to be greener, both in terms of beautiful plants and artworks as well as solar and wind energy and local farms to grow food. Stronger communities were seen as important benefits of a network of greenways, a city where people are outside being active, interacting with others and having fun exploring activities near home or with easy connections. The chance to have new experiences was mentioned, “Kids get to explore, people get to see art and other things.” Other themes included pride, balance, innovation, and creativity. 5.2
WHAT’S NEEDED TO BECOME THE #1 BICYCLING CITY?
Participants came up with a list of assets they believe are needed to become the #1 bicycling city in the world and then identified which of those assets Detroit already has. Here are the things Detroit has going for it to become #1:
• • •
Available land Flat terrain Connected grid of underutilized roadways
•
Slow Roll and other bicycling groups as a social movement to making bicycling the cool thing to do
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• • •
Organized and active cycling community Support among elected officials (or at least a good start at this point) Available railroad corridors • • •
Green spaces for beauty Time to build (Soon to be) Pictures to spark the imagination of the public and create the critical mass of support needed to realize the vision
5.3
THE WORLD’S BEST NETWORK OF GREENWAYS IN DETROIT WILL RADICALLY IMPROVE LIVES IF…
Participants shared ideas about how a network of greenways could radically improve the lives of Detroit residents, and what things need to happen so that these outcomes can be realized. Much of what they had to say is summarized above, such as better health through exercise (and breathing cleaner air), access to jobs, local schools accessible by biking and walking, safer public spaces outdoors including safety from security personnel, a greener and more sustainable city, and equitable access to healthy foods. Additional ideas painted a picture of the kind of city people wanted for future generations. People want fast, safe, and pleasant bicycle transportation to get from point A to point B, a system so enticing that exposure to it compels people to take advantage of it and give up their car keys. Equitable Outcomes Many ideas related to equitable outcomes where shared, such as: • Zero displacement of people by greenways • Access for everyone especially the elderly • Positive impacts for everyone especially in historically redlined areas • Reducing fear/antagonism between communities • The poorest Detroiters are equally connected to not just the greenways but to jobs • Poverty is less concentrated • There are benefits for people who don’t ride bikes • Alternative activities help people fall away from the crime scene • People treat each other with respect • The network of greenways entices people to stay in Detroit as well as gives them the opportunity to do so (better access to jobs, healthcare, etc.). That includes getting started right away before it’s too late to benefit and retain Detroit’s current population in all neighborhoods
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Social Benefits Social benefits were also mentioned, such as friendships, confidence, zero deaths from traffic (especially for bicyclists and pedestrians), pride in becoming a model for the rest of the world, being less stressed out, stronger communities, family-friendly, and fun. Desired Features Other comments described desired features of the network of greenways. The greenways should be speedy like the freeway system with smooth riding surfaces, wide lanes for bike trailers, trikes, and cargo bikes, always having separate lanes for biking and walking, Wi-Fi, and perhaps shelter from rain like an overhang. In addition to the basic bicycle thruway infrastructure, people want bike racks, bike lockers, shade trees, edible landscapes, seating areas, birds, flowers, lights, phones, cameras, signs to find your way, and bicycle service stations with everything you need like air pumps, drinking water, repairs, charging stations for electric bikes, wheelchairs, bicycle stereos, and bathrooms with showers. Operation and maintenance ideas included snow removal, glass sweeping, and open 24/7 every day of the year. Destinations and Activities Some of the destinations and activities people want the network of greenways to take them to include restaurants combined with farms, bars, farmers markets, play areas, yoga, outdoor movies, and food vendors. The process of planning and constructing the greenways should be characterized by innovation, creativity, balance, no piecemeal approach (“we have to go all in”), sensitivity around the disruption of the construction process, and with neighborhoods involved in planning. Programming Ideas Programming ideas in response to the concern that “If you build it they might not come” included bicycle libraries to check out a bike for free, public and private employers offering incentives for their employees to bike to work, police on bicycles, more bike clubs so everyone has a group to explore the city with, and insurance for bicycles. Participants felt there should be an education process that allows people to buy in to see
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how the network of greenways could improve their lives. There should be community engagement so that people who live along given greenways are involved in the maintenance of their greenway. 5.4
SUMMARY OF PARTICIPANTS’ ANSWERS TO SURVEY QUESTIONS
In response to an in-take questionnaire, visioning session participants shared the following words about the current state of the transportation system in Detroit: terrible, dismal, disconnected, motorcar, auto, poor, progressing, underfunded, awful, and limited. In the in-take questionnaire 58% of participants responded that they want to be living in Detroit in 10 years, and 72% responded yes to the same question in the post-project survey. In the in-take questionnaire, 88% answered “yes” when asked if they thought the future of Detroit was bright, while 96% responded yes to this question in the post-project questionnaire. In the post-project survey, 42% believed that between one quarter and one half of their neighbors would want to live right on a greenway where the roadway was removed and the alley refurbished. When speaking for themselves, 59% would want to live right on such a greenway as opposed to living one block or more away. Twelve percent agreed and the remaining 88% agreed strongly that the pursuit of fast, safe, and pleasant bikeways in Detroit is important. When asked why, most participants mentioned some combination of health, safety, living green, making it easier to get around, and inclusivity/equity. Twenty-eight percent agreed and the remaining 72% agreed strongly that Detroit has the potential to become the #1 bicycling city in the world. When asked who should be involved with planning and building the bikeways, the most common theme was residents. Other parties mentioned included the City of Detroit, those with vested interests, cyclists, non-cyclists, rich and poor, health professionals, educators, and others. 6.
DRAWINGS
Each of the five drawings shows a fictional greenway that could be implemented in a particular type of corridor in Detroit, like a busy road, a railroad corridor, or a quiet residential street. Each drawing also shows at least one example of how an intersection could be treated to allow bicyclists to travel without stopping on a bicycle thruway. None of the drawings are meant to be placed at a specific location in Detroit. The decision to avoid identifying specific locations was made because far more community engagement is needed before showing specific treatments for any specific location. To do otherwise would be disrespectful and likely result in backlash by those who have not
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felt connected to the project or believe the project would not benefit them. Such an outcome could derail the visioning for a network of greenways in Detroit and take everyone’s eyes off the ball of imagining the kind of city they want. In all of the drawings, the bicycle thruways include seven-foot-wide travel lanes for each direction of bicycle travel to allow riding two abreast or for passing without going into the oncoming lane. Walking lanes are always separate. A common characteristic in the drawings is solar-powered lighting with light poles also serving as artistic sculptures, identifying each particular bicycle thruway and helping people find their way. Another common characteristic of all the drawings is a wide variety of non-motorized vehicles (bicycles, trikes, cargo bikes, bike trailers, pedicabs, long bikes, and more) and a wide range of ages, abilities, and fitness levels of bicyclists and pedestrians. In each drawing a different example is shown for an intersection treatment that offers bicyclists nonstop travel. Lanes for both directions of bicycle travel are shown right next to each other rather than on opposite sides of a corridor because the intersection treatments are far more practical when the bike lanes are adjacent. Two additional options to provide nonstop travel through intersections beyond those shown in the drawings include: (1) a “green wave” of traffic lights specific for bicyclists on the bike thruway which allows cyclists to enter all intersection on a green light so long as they travel at the speed that the timed lights are set to accommodate; (2) uncontrolled intersections where everyone slows way down and uses their own judgment regarding how to proceed--best done with alternative pavement treatments or murals on the pavement to indicate that the intersection is not business as usual. 6.1.
BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A RAILROAD CORRIDOR
The railroad corridor example assumes a right-of-way width of 60 feet to 90 feet. Some locations where this example could potentially be implemented include the Conrail segment of the planned Inner Circle Greenway, extensions of the Dequindre Cut bikeway, and the Beltline Greenway and extensions of it. The bicycle thruway in the Railroad Corridor example drawing offers nonstop bicycle travel at the distant intersection with the bicycle thruway dipping down to pass underneath a bridge carrying car traffic overhead. The elevation change that allows for the grade-separated crossing is split between the bicycle thruway traffic (bikers must ride down and up hills that represent a six foot elevation change while motorists drive up a hill on the bridge that rises about five feet above grade). The intersection in the foreground of the larger drawing shows reuse of an old railroad bridge to cross over a freeway.
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Some additional features in this drawing that respond to visioning session participants’ aspirations include recreational opportunities (a basketball court), a bio-swale (a planted trench that collects stormwater), a mural on a building by a local artist, covered bicycle parking, and repurposed industrial buildings along the old railroad corridor. 6.2
BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A MULTIPURPOSE STREET
The Multipurpose Street example shows a road that formerly had car traffic going each direction and a parking lane on each side of the road. The Multipurpose Street example changes the road to keep two car travel lanes alongside a strip of green space and a bicycle thruway. Sidewalks are retained on both sides of the road. This drawing assumes that there is not a high demand for parking here, and/or that Detroit residents and political leaders make a decision to prioritize bicycle transportation over the use of public roadway space for the parking of private vehicles. A variation on this example is to retain one lane of parking with a one-lane one-way street for cars, which would still free up enough space for a strip of green space and a bicycle thruway. Segments of multipurpose street bicycle thruway may be combined end-to-end with segments of bicycle thruways on streets with no traffic, stitching together a particular corridor based on community interests and physical conditions block by block. The bicycle thruway in this drawing offers nonstop bicycle travel at an intersection with cars by prioritizing the bikeway traffic. In the background of the larger drawing a bicycle traffic circle offers nonstop travel at the intersection of two bikeways. Cyclists on the bicycle thruway do not have to stop; the motorized traffic that crosses the bicycle thruway must stop and cross when safe. In response to concerns about bicyclist safety around cars that might not stop, the cars must drive up and over an elevated sidewalk surface and an elevated bikeway surface that serve as speed bumps. A sculptural gateway that the cars drive under as they cross the bikeway is another way to communicate that this intersection is different and that motorists must look both ways and proceed slowly. The self-driving cars of the future will be more likely to properly stop and yield to the bicycle thruway, offering even greater safety for bicyclists. Additional features in this drawing that respond to visioning session participants’ aspirations include a produce market, a farm, edible landscapes, solar powered lighting, and a multi-family housing development that is net zero energy.
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6.3
BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A GREENWAY ON A STREET WITH NO VEHICLES
The width of the greenway on a street with no vehicles is about 60 feet. This type of bicycle thruway can be implemented on any low-traffic residential street where alleys offer an alternative route for people to drive cars to their properties, or along “end of the block” streets that do not have houses fronting onto them. The bicycle thruway in this drawing offers nonstop bicycle travel by closing off the intersection at the cross street in front of the school. Before converting this street to a bicycle thruway, car traffic used to cross the corridor where the bicycle thruway now runs, but cars on that cross street now encounter dead ends and small parking areas. Other intersections may offer cars the chance to cross the bicycle thruway where they come to a stop sign with an additional sign saying, “cross traffic does not stop,” indicating that the bicycle thruway has right of way priority. The project budget would likely need to include upgrades to alleys, hopefully using permeable paving, and perhaps selected upgrades to private infrastructure where garages face the wrong way. There may be other investments required to modify private property and retain car travel functions that project planners and community members feel should not be borne by individual property owner, but instead paid for by the bicycle thruway project budget. The concept of removing a roadway to replace it with a bicycle and pedestrian pathway has been done with great success in Detroit for a small segment of Pallister Avenue that is just north of New Center. It has also been done in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Milwaukee Avenue and on 37th Avenue North, and there are three additional locations in Minneapolis where residents are requesting it or where community members are being engaged to explore it. During test street closures in Minneapolis in 2016, residents on the block that was completely closed to car traffic appeared more supportive than residents on blocks where only a partial closure to motorized traffic was tested. Vision session participants were warm to the idea of including in the project budget the cost of providing one bicycle per person for each household along the route of a greenway on a street with no traffic as a way to create goodwill and populate the greenway with users. Additional features in this drawing that respond to visioning session participants’ aspirations include a bike service station with charging stations, solar powered lighting, a biking school bus, and biking in all seasons.
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6.4
BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR A SPOKE ROAD
This example is for roads that radiate out from downtown like spokes in a bike wheel, including Fort, Michigan, Grand River, Woodward or something parallel, Gratiot, and Jefferson. The assumed right-of-way width is 120 feet to 150 feet. The bicycle thruway in this drawing offers nonstop bicycle travel by bridging up and over a series of cross streets. Also, T-shaped intersections that prohibit car traffic from crossing the bicycle thruway are shown in the distance in the larger drawing. Other features in this drawing that respond to visioning session participants’ aspirations include a bicycle service station (shown lower right), streetcars on the roadway, a subway entrance lower left, a small farm, a pocket park with a water feature, an amphitheater that is accessible from the bicycle thruway, mixed density housing, and renewable energy throughout. Visioning session participants were thinking 50 years ahead, so the cars on the roadway were assumed to be self-driving and operating at constant speeds and constant distances from one another, thereby allowing a much greater through-put per travel lane as compared to existing conditions. This allows for only one travel lane in each direction for cars, a turn lane in the middle, and streetcars sharing the car travel lanes. One lane of parking is retained. 6.5
BICYCLE THRUWAY EXAMPLE FOR AN ARTERIAL ROAD
This arterial road example is for busy east-west and north-south streets in the Detroit roadways grid. The assumed right-of-way width is 90 feet to 120 feet. Two examples of applicable roadways are McNichols and Greenfield. The bicycle thruway in this drawing offers nonstop bicycle travel by continuing atgrade (cyclists do not need to bike up a hill) while the given cross street dips down to pass underneath it. Other features in this drawing that respond to visioning session participants’ aspirations include a bicycle manufacturing plant on the left (see the bicycle sculpture on the building), an amphitheatre for community events shown on the lower right, a combination of rehabbed older buildings and new construction, and reuse of an architectural ruin in the form of old building archways shown on the far side of the amphitheater. In response to concerns about bicyclist safety when sharing space with
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motorists, protected bike lanes with pavement lit from underneath are shown on the roadway that crosses under the bicycle thruway. Similar to the spoke road example drawing, this drawing shows a road for cars with one travel lane for each direction, and two additional lanes that are for different purposes depending on the cross section, such as a turn lane, a parking lane, a bus stop turn-out, or a lane of green space as an additional space buffer between car traffic and the bicycle thruway. 7.
MAP OF ROUTES
Each of the lines on the map represents a bicycle thruway that could be part of the primary network of bikeways in Detroit. Each of these routes would offer a bicyclist the opportunity to travel without stopping from one end of the route to the other, just as the backbone of the motorized traffic network includes interstate freeways that offer nonstop travel for motorists. This conceptual map of bicycle thruway routes shows the approximate distance between parallel bicycle thruways that offers a minimum level of connectivity between all districts in the city. Freeways for cars in Detroit and most U.S. cities are roughly parallel to one another and spaced every few miles apart. Parallel bicycle thruways should be spaced somewhat closer than car freeways to offer proper service. Other bikeways that do not necessarily offer nonstop travel, such as one-way protected bike lanes on opposite sides of roads, or local greenways snaking through vacant lots, can fill in the rest of the bikeways grid and offer the last mile of service for cyclists to reach their destinations.
The lines on the map are about three blocks wide, indicating that no decisions have been made regarding which specific roadway should be used. The value of the map is to show approximate spacing of routes more than to suggest specific routes--even the placement of the wide route lines is subject to change. Additional community engagement and study done synergistically by public and community partners is needed to finalize route decisions. The map is color-coded to show which corridors are candidates for each example treatment shown in the drawings. For any specific corridor that is studied in the future, the bicycle thruway type may change after closer examination of local conditions. Although they are not shown on the map, shorter local greenways that snake through vacant lots or use existing roadways have been proposed for several neighborhoods in Detroit. These local greenways have been proposed by community groups, the City, or others, as a way to repurpose vacant lots, provide local routes for walking and biking, and serve other community improvement purposes. Such local greenways are
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complementary to the network of bicycle thruways for offering mobility to and from all corners of the city. 8.
SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS
One hundred percent of visioning session participants agree or agree strongly that Detroit has the potential to become the #1 bicycling city in the world. Given that Detroit and other cities are installing protected bike lanes at a rapid pace, protected bike lanes are a current-day design approach rather than a leap forward. Protected bike lanes alone will not likely make Detroit the #1 biking city in the United States, and even less likely the world. What can set Detroit apart is the implementation of something no one else has, an entire network of bicycle thruways offering nonstop travel. In order for the network of greenways to be safe and successful for any purpose, whether transportation, recreation and fitness, food production, or public art enjoyment they must be well used by a constant flow of people. In order for them to be well used, they must provide fast, safe, and pleasant passage rivaling the level of service that the roadway system offers for motorists. No matter what objective one hopes to achieve with greenways, it is best achieved if the greenways are highly successful for bicycle transportation. This project does not suggest a system cost, but rather presents a vision from residents about what they want to see. With approximately $1.8 billion being spent on I-94 upgrades within Detroit alone, obviously there is money to be spent on transportation infrastructure in Detroit. This is really an issue of transportation funding priorities. Vision session participants placed a high value on zero displacement of people for the construction of greenways. If private land will not be taken through eminent domain to construct the network of greenways, existing publicly owned land or land purchased from willing sellers must be used. Publicly owned land in Detroit includes a significant number of separate vacant residential and commercial parcels as well as roadway corridors. But participants also called for bikeways that are fast and speedy like a freeway. Building a network of greenways so enticing that people choose it over other transportation options means that the routes cannot take people out of their way as they travel from point A to point B. The use of individual
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vacant land parcels rather than entire intact corridors results in circuitous routes rather than straight lines across the city. This means the network of greenways will require using linear public rights-of-way. The greenways must therefore follow the routes of roadway corridors and perhaps former railroad corridors. Fortunately Detroit has many roadway corridors with traffic volumes that could be accommodated with fewer lanes, freeing up the space for bicycle thruways alongside of, or instead of, motorized traffic. As City planners and traffic engineers ponder repurposing roadway lanes from cars to bikes and green space, there might be a temptation to hold back to maintain extra capacity for the possible growth in motorized traffic. However, by forgoing the creation of the world’s best bicycling infrastructure, the opportunity to accommodate increased travel demand with non-motorized modes is lost. If the city’s population doubles from about 700,000 people to 1.4 million, and 50% of trips taken by the new larger population are taken by bicycle (not far-fetched when looking at some European cities where bicycle mode shares are at or above 50%), then no new roadway capacity is needed for cars. In fact, the acreage needed to accommodate new users is put to more efficient use if people travel by bikes because they take up less space than cars, at least until such time as selfdriving cars may use roadway lanes more efficiently. The only way the network of greenways in Detroit will happen, be highly used, and improve many lives is if Detroit residents and their advocacy organizations see its benefits, whether they are bicyclists or not, and fight for it. Recreational cycling is not likely to be the rallying cry that will get it done. Instead, safer outdoor environments, improved health, better access to jobs and schools, artistic expression, having fun, and other benefits are likely to be what touches the hearts and minds of most residents. It is critical for the general public to continue learning about the vision for a network of greenways, understand how it will benefit them, and make it their own.
As the network of greenways is built, programming will be required to introduce more people to the greenways and help them enjoy and benefit from them. Visioning session participants understood that bicycling in Detroit isn’t mainstream, even though Slow Roll and a lot of bicycling groups are making it more and more the cool thing to do. The challenge of making bicycling in Detroit a mainstream “normal” behavior remains and many approaches are needed to address it. For example, if organizations have a mission related to health and that mission goes beyond access to health care by including prevention and healthy lifestyles, they may find the network of greenways to be a gold mine of opportunity. Perhaps they will be the groups most likely to organize group bike rides for new riders. Maybe it will be arts organizations that involve people with community-based public art or events in the greenways. Perhaps schools will be a leading force by pursuing grants for physical education that includes bike rides, bicycle availability to students, bike storage within schools, repairs, and training. Churches are already hubs of community activity that includes bike rides. Perhaps churches can involve their members in being champions for the network of greenways in Detroit.
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APPENDICES A.
CONNECTING SILOS--OPINION PIECES TO GUIDE GREENWAYS PLANNING FOR EQUITABLE OUTCOMES A.1
LESSONS FROM THE HISTORY OF DETROIT AND CHARTING A JUST FUTURE By Naim Edwards, Agroecologist and Program Manager, Voices for Earth Justice, and Anthony Taylor, Cultural Wellness Center
From the displacement and continued erasure of the indigenous Anishinaabe peoples to the rampant water shut-offs and evictions of people of color and who are poor, Detroit has been a frontier of exploitation and innovation. Since the early 18th century, when the French began stealing the land from the Odawa, Detroit has experienced white supremacy and racism. As we, the people of Detroit, recover from forced bankruptcy under emergency management, we prepare to chart a just and restorative future. An important part of that future is the development of the Detroit Greenways – a network of bike routes and lanes for non-vehicular transportation that will connect us to one another and the resources we need more efficiently. Unlike the freeways and Poletown Plant, the Detroit network of greenways will not displace anyone from their home. The construction will not come with false promises of jobs and benefits that never come to fruition. Rather the development and design of this citywide network of greenways will be 100% influenced by residents in the city from all walks of life who value every person and their right to a home and a livelihood. The network of greenways, from construction to ongoing maintenance, shall be built and maintained by the residents of Detroit. It will create jobs for people of all skill and education levels; and moreover, the greenways will create opportunities and improve the quality of life for Detroiters throughout the city, allowing people access to more resources close to home. It will serve to restore and connect communities marginalized by a history of oppression. This project will help foster a Detroit we know can exist: a city where people feel safe and secure and can travel with ease from one place to another - a city where you can access food, healthcare, education, and jobs regardless of your class or access to a car. The Greenways will create an infrastructure for a Detroit that does not need to depend on corporate incinerators, or industry, or fossil fuel plants to generate jobs and revenue. Rather than function as a land grab, the Greenways will return land to public control, and curb the massive dispossession, eviction, and out-migration of people from Detroit. Our air and water will be cleaner, and our people will be happier and healthier.
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A.2
RESIDENT-CENTERED REDEVELOPMENT By Anthony Taylor, Cultural Wellness Center
There is reason to be highly optimistic about inclusive and equitable redevelopment. That said, we face challenges and complexities as we re-imagine and redesign our cities. Given the revolutionary nature of new movements--from the public interest design movement, urban farming, Black Lives Matter and policies emphasizing non-racism and equity--one would think that current urban design approaches would be a radical departure from the past, but we are not there. We must fully acknowledge the impacts of institutional racism and racist public policy, before we can shift thinking and practices. In the past, citizens and specifically African American people were excluded and often victimized by municipal leaders who were supposed to work on behalf of the public good. The current development of urban infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, bikeways and parks, and green space needs to be redesigned to promote greater racial equality in the use and benefits of urban space. Redeveloping urban neighborhoods needs to include strategies for strengthening and maintaining social networks and community participation. Even the most visionary development pioneers acknowledge that the real result of great urban design is not only high quality public spaces, structures and amenities, but healthy active people and community identity. Only Detroit residents, workers, artists and entrepreneurs can contribute these elements, and only if they are formally acknowledged as equal partners and given true opportunities to guide the process of rebuilding their neighborhoods and recasting their destinies. We must create a new framework for engagement. The new framework of engagement will be creative, two-way and flexible. A one-size-fits-all approach to unique situations will not cut it anymore if we want to allow for all possibilities. Effective approaches do not emerge unless the goals being pursued reflect the changing needs of the residents. Indepth engagement should recognize the complex cumulative effects of different forms of racism on communities of color and their desires for living well. A.3
AFFORDABLE HOUSING / LAND CONTROL By Linda S. Campbell, Building Movement Project / Detroit People’s Platform
We have to imagine the city that we are trying to create as a place that welcomes lowincome and working class families. The construction of greenways should be part of our vision for reclaimed and expanded public space. These public spaces should be welcoming and support both the recreational and health needs of low-income households, particularly children. The physical infrastructure should be safe and accessible, accommodating families and individuals of all ages and abilities.
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The network of greenways needs to be something that we can use throughout the various seasons here in Detroit and serve to mitigate climate change impacts beyond simply reducing tailpipe emissions. The greenway network should contribute to a healthy green infrastructure. The network of greenways should be accessible across a variety of communities where people live, not just opportunity and choice neighborhoods where development usually occurs. Oftentimes housing that is available for low-income families is not located in neighborhoods of choice. Currently there is a critical need for affordable housing for low-income families in Detroit. The rent burden is one of the highest in the nation when you look at what incomes are. The private market can’t be counted on to make low-income housing available. There remains a role for government to provide housing subsidies for families, their health, and promoting communities that ensure a vibrant commons. This includes housing, public transportation, schools, and cultural institutions. Then there are our special needs populations, like our seniors, many of who are at risk of displacement in downtown and midtown. We want to make sure we integrate our seniors and not isolate them. We have to challenge those who are planning for future housing needs to plan for a diverse community that accommodates low-income and working class households, seniors, those with different abilities and students. It should be an obligation of government to make sure all residents are decently housed in neighborhoods where there are opportunities and where world-class amenities are available. This requires visionary leadership and a commitment to a healthy and sustainable future city. As a complementary strategy to government subsidies, land trusts could also help here in Detroit to make permanently affordable low-income housing available. Co-ops work well too. I like the self-governance model. Community, government, and nonprofit stakeholders should work together to develop land use strategies that ensure that available land parcels can be set aside to create permanently affordable low-income housing in desirable places throughout the network of greenways. It’s really about challenging our imagination about what we as human beings need to preserve and produce for each other, to overcome barriers. You have to be willing to bet on that kind of future, that we can create that kind of world for us all to enjoy. That’s the work of community land trusts and hopefully a future City of Detroit
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housing trust fund, to put in place the tools for those who come behind us and demonstrate we are that kind of community. A.4
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT By Marissa Mewitz
Because of the overwhelming amount of evidence of the positive impact Greenways could have on many social problems that Detroit faces, an economic development strategy focused around a network of greenways throughout Detroit is an idea worth taking seriously. Greenways can have a massive effect on the experience of a retail environment, and because of this can have positive effects for local businesses in Detroit neighborhoods. A greenway has the potential to make a neighborhood more walkable, and walkability has shown to increase the Net Operating Income of retail and office spaces by 70% for each unit increase in “walk score” (Pivo, 2011). Greenways therefore, should be incorporated into neighborhoods and retail districts so that residents naturally use the pathway and create this desired activity. The residents and business owners will need to work together to help city planners connect neighborhoods in ideal ways. Greenways should encourage active transportation by residents by following the commuting patterns of Detroiters. With a metropolitan-wide commuter shed, the greenway network of Detroit should be connected with metropolitan greenway networks and bus routes. The installation of a network of neighborhood-style greenways with enhanced greenery along with pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure could provide many jobs to Detroiters. In a study by the University of Massachusetts that investigated the impacts of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in eleven U.S. cities it was found that bicycle infrastructure created 11.41 jobs for every $1 million spent and pedestrian infrastructure created 9.91 jobs for every $1 million spent. (Brun, Jolley, Hull, Frederick 2014). Unemployed Detroiters will need to be actively recruited and trained to be able to install and maintain green infrastructure so that the maximum economic impact can go to the residents who need the most help. Urban Greenways provide a space to create carbon offsets, a potential commodity in a climate change world. Innovative cities in the U.S. including the city of Austin (Schadler, Danks 2011) and the entire state of California (American Forests 2016) have begun certifying and encouraging the use and creation of carbon offsets that help correct global warming through the invisible hand of the marketplace. Therefore, the installation of all the greenery should be carefully documented and tracked so that potential carbon impacts
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of the greenway can all be converted to tradable carbon offsets as the carbon trading market matures. A study from the National Urban Forestry Conference found that proper arrangement of landscape plants around buildings can substantially reduce both heat loss and cold air infiltration through walls and floors during the winter months (Dewalle 1978). Additionally, computer models from the U.S. Department of Energy have found that carefully positioned trees can reduce household energy consumption for heating and cooling by up to 25%. Three properly placed trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in heating and cooling energy costs annually (Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy 2016). The greenery along these routes should be designed by experts who can maximize the heating and cooling savings while also creating an attractive design that will enhance property values and maximize the benefits on retailers, and be efficient and cost effective to maintain. Horticulturists should be consulted so that greenway plantings focus on species of trees and other plant life that have the largest impact on the major air pollutants that Detroiters are exposed to so that cost savings in health care expenditures can be realized. Greenways have the potential to increase tourism in the city if they are developed and planned in such a way as to encourage tourism. Eco-tourism and Agro-tourism are new sectors of the tourism industry that are growing with the greater awareness of global warming and a desire to reconnect with nature within humans (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms: Linking volunteers with organic farms and growers 2016). Tourism brings in big money to Michigan, in fact in 2014, visitor spending of 22.8 billion generated 37.8 billion in total business sales as dollars flowing through the state’s economy (Sacks 2014). Therefore, the design of the greenways should also incorporate tourist activities, and help to build habitats that help to bring back endangered species to maximize the tourism economy for the neighborhoods of Detroit. Residents in greenway adjacent and in eco-district neighborhoods should be encouraged to explore options they have for participating in a tourist economy by creating agro-tourism programs in community gardens, starting adventure tourism businesses, or simply using AirBnB to add additional income to their households. A comprehensive network of greenways that create safe, green, and connected neighborhoods will greatly benefit the residents of Detroit and given the impact this style of greenway can have on many of the major issues Detroit faces, from a return on investment standpoint, neighborhood-style greenways are worth the considerable investment they will require. Works Cited: American Forests. (2016). Carbon Offsets and the Urban Forest | American Forests. Retrieved April, 2016, from http://www.americanforests.org/ourprograms/urbanforests/urban-forests-toolsresources/carbon-offsets-and-the-urban-forest/
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Brun, L. G., Jolley, J., Hull, A., & Frederick, S. (2014, October). Infrastructure Investment Creates American Jobs. Retrieved May, 2016, from https://s.bsd.net/aamweb/main/page/file/9d937012edb12326c4_7vm62z7l5.pdf Dewalle, D. R. (1978). Manipulating Urban Vegetation for Residential Energy Conservation. Proceedings of the National Urban Forestry Conference, 80(3), esf, 267283. Retrieved April, 2016. Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. (2016). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://www.eere.energy.gov/erec/factsheets/landscape.html Pivo, Gary, and Jeffrey Fisher D. "The Walkability Premium in Commercial Real Estate Investments." Real Estate Economics 39.2 (2011): 185-219. Web. Sacks, A. (2014). Http://www.michiganbusiness.org/cm/Files/Reports/Michigan-2014TourismEconomic-Impact.pdf. Retrieved March, 2016, from http://www.michiganbusiness.org/cm/Files/Reports/Michigan-2014-Tourism-EconomicImpact.pdf Schadler, E., & Danks, C. (2011, December). Austin, Texas: Exploring Urban Forestry & Carbon Offsets. Retrieved April, 2016, from http://www.uvm.edu/~cfcm/UCF/Austin_02022012.pdf World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms: Linking volunteers with organic farms and growers. (2016). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.wwoof.net/ A.5
EDUCATION By Carmen N’Namdi, Educational Consultant and Children's Author
It seems that our schools are finally beginning to make the connection between doing and learning versus merely sitting and listening about the new ideas that are embracing our 21st century neighborhoods. We can’t underestimate the impact of what children care about and how much they can learn from local projects if given the opportunity. Involvement is the key. So many of our nation’s cities have planted expectations that don’t allow residents to grow their own thoughts and ideas and be a part of the city’s imagination. The Detroit network of greenways would present itself as an ideal example of this, especially for children. Imagine: •
An illustrated book published by the Wayne State Press that shows and tells all about the children and their families who live and/or work around Detroit’s network of greenways. The book can follow the progress of the greenways vision through a storyline with illustrations of the children and perhaps their families who were part of the vision. Perhaps there can be a series of books, one each year, with each book building on the last one and making recommendations to guide
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the bikeways movement. Coloring books can be created as another way to involve children in learning about greenways in Detroit. •
The books can display “professionally made” signage showing where to throw trash, were to go if your tire is flat, if it rains etc. in the children’s own words along the greenways with their names and ages. Imagine the pride and the oversight they would inherit with such ownership.
There is much to be learned, like actually experiencing how an idea becomes a reality, if children learn firsthand that you can be focused and involved enough to actually make something happen. A network of greenways supports a creative culture within the school environment. It becomes the daily routine in exercise, camaraderie, critical thinking, and adventure, skill sets that can also segue into the classroom every morning. Students can have fast, safe, and pleasant passage from home to school by riding bikes together in groups with an adult along the future bicycle thruways of Detroit. They will arrive at school refreshed and ready to learn. Physical education classes can teach safe biking and get kids out for group rides, introducing them to a lifelong healthy activity. There can be bike maintenance classes to promote selfreliance and teach job skills needed in a growing industry. Perhaps the schools can issue bikes to students, one to each student, the way many schools provide a laptop computer to each student. A. 6
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE By Guy Williams, President & CEO, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice Providing infrastructure for improving fitness and enhancing freedom of mobility are some of the best solutions that greenways provide. In addition, using bikes for transportation helps people find and keep employment while at the same time decreasing vehicle miles traveled and decreasing air pollution. Everyone can contribute to making sure environmental justice is addressed by a network of bicycle thruways traveling through green corridors in Detroit. In order for the
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City of Detroit to play a significant role, there needs to be a systems approach to transforming transportation infrastructure. In Detroit, the cost of transportation is a high percentage of family income. Removing financial barriers to transportation goes a long way to ensuring an equitable city in general. The City will be establishing an office of sustainability that many organizations have been pushing for. Decisions now are being made to set it up and determine how to best structure the office. It can provide the organizational framework for helping the City be effective and successful in applying system change solutions for the long term. New leadership in the City’s Health Department is playing an active role in shaping strategies to achieve environmental justice. The Planning Department is increasing their staff capacity in order to help coordinate the big investments that are legally required for green infrastructure and looking for opportunities to maximize new design strategies to provide a higher quality of life. Among other organizations who can help achieve environmental justice goals, one of the best positioned is the Detroit Greenways Coalition. For several years, they’ve been involved at the neighborhood level with planning sessions and community listening sessions, and have worked with several neighborhood organizations to develop greenway segment designs. Ever since their inception, they have been focused on best practices and how those can be implemented in Detroit. Also, they have been a very strong advocate for policies that support positive non-motorized transportation in Detroit. Other important organizations involved in complementary activities around health and the environment are Conner Creek Greenway and the Inner Circle Greenway, as well as the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (Detroit URC), the Detroit Food and Fitness Collaborative (DFFC), and, of course, our own organization, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ). A.7
FOOD By Naim Edwards, Agroecologist and Program Manager, Voices for Earth Justice
Imagine biking or walking with a hungry child who keeps whining for applesauce. In most cases, if you’re lucky you will have packed applesauce ready to serve, but right now you’ve got nothing. Fortunately, you are with your child on Detroit’s network of greenways, and there just so happens to be a local cooperative selling small cups of applesauce for an affordable price. The only expectation is that members contribute in some form to the functioning of the cooperative. You may be even happier to know that the apples were grown organically in Detroit alongside the greenway by a small farmer who employs one of your loved ones.
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What a delight! The applesauce scenario is one example of the numerous ways the greenways can and will make people’s lives better. The Detroit network of greenways will increase access to resources by decreasing travel distance and providing locally sourced goods at affordable prices for all. There will also be a variety of opportunities for people to get involved with food production and sales on and around the greenways. Whether growing, preparing, marketing, managing, or selling food products, Detroit residents will play a significant role in the food system in their community. The Detroit network of greenways will present a significant stride in the food sovereignty movement. “Food sovereignty” is a term coined by members of Via Campesina in 1996, and declares that all people have a right to control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution, rather than the corporations and market institutions that have come to dominate the food system. Thus, the network of greenways will help bring forth food sovereignty in at least three ways: 1) it will put land in public control, 2) that land will be stewarded by local residents, and some proportion of that will be used for agriculture, 3) the people who grow the food and utilize the greenways will be able to access and share it in ways that will be controlled by the people of Detroit. Public control of the land will also allow us, Detroiters, to practice agroecology - a holistic approach to agriculture and food system development that prioritizes traditional knowledge, local technology, culture, and environmentally friendly food production techniques. This means that food grown in and around the greenways can be used to employ farmworkers, chefs, salespeople, and managers. The network of greenways can be a model for a food system where local residents grow, prepare, and sell food. This model creates opportunities for income and community in ways that strengthen the local economy and our relationships with one another. A.8
HEALTH By Myra Tetteh, Doctoral Student, Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan; Co-Chair of the Detroit Food and Fitness Collaborative Active Living Work Group; Chair of the Detroit Complete Streets Coalition; and Mayoral Appointee to the Detroit Parks and Recreation Commission
Obesity. Diabetes. Heart disease. Hypertension. Cancer. These debilitating illnesses are plaguing Detroiters at alarming rates. Chances are every – if not then most – Detroit residents are personally impacted by one or more of these illnesses. One thing that they all have in common is that a healthy diet coupled with adequate physical activity could stop the alarming rates in their tracks. However, too many of our residents are being held hostage inside their homes due to the lack of fast, safe, and pleasant opportunities for physical activity. The fact that these illnesses can be prevented, establishes the dire need to create opportunities that will in turn create a healthy quality of life for Detroiters. This is where the Detroit network of greenways comes in!
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Sit back and imagine the day where a fast, safe, and pleasant local greenway system can connect you to places where you work, play, and live without being solely dependent on a vehicle to get there! The Detroit network of greenways will bring about a future where all Detroiters and visitors will have a system that they enjoy for both transit and recreation. Through this interconnected system, inspired by the needs of Detroiters, the typical reasons for the lack of physical activity engagement will become a thing of the past! The system as envisioned by Detroiters focuses on the concerns of physical safety attributed to crime, lighting, and traffic. The Detroit network of greenways will allow every Detroiter to have access to physical activity opportunities, thus improving physical and mental health! Imagine the day when going outside is something to look forward to without fear or hesitation. Imagine the day when you can go outside for a breath of fresh air and inhale fewer fumes due to cleaner air. Imagine the day when you and your neighbors have a desire to be out and about watching for each other and making neighborhoods safer. Detroiters deserve these days to be a reality! For this to be made possible, residents, architects, urban planners, public health professionals, and policymakers must all share the same vision for the Detroit network of greenways. The ways of thinking in professional silos have to be a thing of the past! All policy and urban planning is public health policy and public health planning. The world is taking notice of Detroit and through this system, we have the potential to be a worldwide leader in the efforts to prevent illnesses and create a healthy quality of life through increasing opportunities for physical activity. A.9
SUSTAINABILITY By Toni Henry, Planner, Detroit Collaborative Design Center, Zachary and Associates, Inc., and Cassandra Verras, Planner, Zachary and Associates, Inc. and the Beltline Solar Company, L3C
The City of Detroit, through the installation of a citywide network of greenways, has the ability to meet many needs for residents, above and beyond transportation, including job accessibility, recreation, and increased environmental health. Each greenway improves quality of life through lessening air and water pollution that came about because of historical environmental injustices, which have contributed to health problems of Detroit residents who are predominately African-American and other people of color. Specific ways that the network of greenways can improve the environment and positively impact the quality of life for all residents of Detroit, and Southeast Michigan, are through stormwater management techniques and the use of renewable energy. Green Infrastructure (GI) or Blue-Green Infrastructure are terms that refer to the plants
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and land forms that direct the flow of stormwater, clean the air, and provide wildlife habitat. One of the functions of these landscape designs is to replicate predevelopment water flow patterns in which stormwater is absorbed back into the ground rather than being combined with sanitary waste in a sewer line. Replicating predevelopment water flow patterns is critical to the protection of the Great Lakes. Stormwater that is combined with sanitary waste often exceeds the capacity of the waste treatment facilities and is deposited directly into the Detroit River, untreated or partially treated. By incorporating stormwater management GI techniques to the network of greenways through bio-swales (plant-lined trenches that collect water), retention ponds, and soil remediation in the form of native plantings and trees, residents will gain benefits. These benefits include decreased strain on the combined sewer system which decreases the likelihood of sewer water backing up into basements, improved water quality of the Detroit River, and beautification of the landscape. Additional community benefits include decreased energy consumption and cost associated with treating the wastewater, and improved air quality when less electricity is generated at coal and garbage burning plants. Another way for the network of greenways to be sustainable is to use solar energy to power lighting that will make the greenways safer. Renewable energy can also power amenities like charging stations for mobility scooters and wheelchairs, electric bicycles, cell phones, and bicycle stereos, and to power lighting and sound systems for community events. Furthermore, the outdoor and public nature of the network of greenways provide a great opportunity to use information plaques to educate residents about the benefits of renewable energy and how it impacts their overall health. This is especially important in the City of Detroit where negative health trends involving the respiratory system are related to factories that emit air pollution, factories that could perhaps be cleaner if they used renewable energy.
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B.
PROJECT ADVISORY TEAM
Naim Edwards, Detroit District 1 Robert Davis*, Detroit District 2 Ashia Phillips, Detroit District 3 Donna McDuffie, Detroit District 4 Al Fields*, Detroit District 5 Reggie Spratling, Detroit District 6 Charlotte Blackwell, Detroit District 7 Darius Jackson, at-large Yvonne Rucker, at-large *Also serves on the Board of Directors for the Detroit Greenways Coalition Todd Scott, Executive Director, Detroit Greenways Coalition, served as the client’s liaison with the lead consultant and also participated in a visioning session. The following three individuals served as Vision Compatibility Guides: Erin Kelly, City of Detroit Jeffrey Nolish, City of Detroit Brian Pawlik, SEMCOG C.
ADDITIONAL VISIONING SESSION PARTICIPANTS (Apologies from The Greenway Guy for not having a group shot of the July 26 visioning session participants!)
Alex Allen Donald “DJ” Alvin Emilia Bauer Charlotte Blackwell Victoria Cardwell Robert Davis Naim Edwards Willie Faison Al Fields Henry Ford II Eric Fowlkes Bryan Herrera Darius Jackson Brandon Jamaal Johnson Jeff Jones Denise Kennedy Hubert Massey Marquitta Massey Donna McDuffie Marissa Jade Mewitz Carmen N'Namdi
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Ashia Phillips Tyler Reyes Kenia Rosa Yvonne Rucker Martha Schlesinger Joe Simpson Dashon Spate Cassandra Spratling Reggie Spratling Myra Tetteh Alvin Thomas D.
PROJECT WORKING TEAM
The Greenway Guy (Tim Springer), lead consultant Anthony Taylor, Cultural Wellness Center, subconsultant Jeffrey Gaines and Mike Giovanni of Albert Kahn Associates, project artists Akil Alvin and John Scollom, Digital Detroit Media Todd Scott, Executive Director, Detroit Greenways Coalition, as client liaison
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E.
IN-TAKE QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS COMPILED (FROM PROJECT PARTICIPANTS)
What race would you describe yourself as? African-‐American 11 Black 3 Human 4 Hispanic/Latino 3 White 3 Caucasian 1 American 1 Mixed 1 Age: 62, 57, 28, 27, 29, 47, 37, 33, 35, 46, 47, 27, 30, 67, 30, “over 50,” 60, 43, 57, 62, 30, 65, 47, 19, 15, 19, 14, 16, 60 Do you want to be living in Detroit 10 years from now? (Circle one) Yes 19 No 1 Maybe 13 Do you think the future of Detroit is bright? Yes 29 No 0 Maybe 4 Do you own a car? Yes 24 No 8 How many bicycles do you own? Zero 3 One 10 Two 7 Three 6 Four 2 Five 1 Seven 1 Nine 1 Ten 1 Twelve 1
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What one word best describes the current transportation system in Detroit? Unacceptable Lagging Mediocre Deplorable Doesn’t work well for most Underfunded Motorcar Congested Struggling Dismal Inconvenient Terrible Auto Awful Disconnected (2) Poor Insufficient Sucks! Improving Limited Inadequate Progressing Sporadic Inconsistent Terrible Not sure Changing Do you have high hopes for the future of the transportation system in Detroit? Yes 21 No 2 Maybe 10
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F.
POST-PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS COMPILED (FROM PROJECT PARTICIPANTS)
Please describe yourself (ex. writer, urban planner, transportation planner, bicyclist, restaurant server, activist—use as many descriptions as you want): • Retired food server, biker, skater • Community activist, Detroiter, Rider, Man in the City! • Bicyclist • Urban planner, bike adventurer & a Detroiter • Bicyclist, activist, community member • Detroiter, urban planner, urban farmer, trike maven, change agent • Activist, bicyclist, server, social person, environmentalist, networker • Writer, cyclist, advocate, Detroiter • Long time bicyclist, mechanic, and undecided activist • Cyclists, bike activist • Bicyclist, activist • Bicyclists—Back Alley Bikes rep. • Transportation planner • Educator • Resident, community leader/volunteer, homeowner, outdoorist • Bicyclist, artist, musician, gardener, ecologist, educator • Cyclist, student, activist, public relations • Advocate • Bicyclist • Writer, cyclist, college instructor, native Detroiter • Urban planner, community activist • Activist and cyclist • CEO of bike club, sister, bicyclist Do you want to be living in Detroit 10 years from now? Yes 18 No 1 Maybe 6 Do you think the future of Detroit is bright? Yes 24 No 0 Maybe 1 Do you have high hopes for the future of the transportation system in Detroit? (Circle one) Yes 23 No 0 Maybe 11
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I think the share of people in my neighborhood who would want to live on a car-free greenway where the roadway has been removed and the alley refurbished is about: 0% to 25% 6 25% to 50% 10 51% to 75% 4 76% to 100% 3 I don’t have an opinion 1 Speaking for myself only, if a new car-free greenway were created… I would prefer to live right on it 16 I would prefer to live one block away 9 I would prefer to have it in my neighborhood but not close to me 2 I would not like it to be anywhere near me or my neighborhood 0 I don’t have an opinion 0 The pursuit of a network of fast, safe, and pleasant bikeways in Detroit is important. I strongly agree 22 I agree 3 I disagree 0 I strongly disagree 0 I don’t have an opinion 0 If you Agree or Strongly Agree, WHY is this pursuit important? • It brings into question a lot of our socio-‐cultural conditioning & perspectives. What is sustainable & does not antagonize our supportive biosphere? • It’s important because not everyone has a car or is able to always have a car. Many people can’t afford cars so they need other fast, safe, easy ways to get around. • The demand is pushing for walkable communities. • Bikes are the most equitable & efficient mode of transportation. They are low cost, cheap to maintain, and come in enough varieties that everyone can become a cyclist. With this, the spillover effects are ONLY positive unlike all other forms of transportation. • Promotes safety, supports green living, promotes exercise. • I believe NMT is the solution to economic inequality in urban communities because it levels the playing field. • Safety, enjoyment, health, community, new infrastructure. • Health, quality of life, the environment! • I feel the pursuit is important because a bikeway that is not these three things will not be very successful.
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It allows full potential. I just love the idea of going from one neighborhood to another on my bike, Togetherness yea! • It will make Detroit a more desirable area for EVERYONE. • Will create a place where people want to live, work & play! • We have to learn to be comfortable w/ change. • Climate change & pollution would be mitigated/alleviated. Health would improve. • I strongly agree because I know that a network that’s fast, safe, and pleasant bikeways in Detroit can/will positively affect education, crime rates, and can create opportunity; this venture can create a new narrative for Detroit. • Healthy & inexpensive transportation that brings together a diverse community. • Health, environment. • It’s important for health of Detroit residents, physically and emotionally. • We have to take control of our future. “Green” in the way the world is going. As citizens we must make our environment work for us. • Because I am a cyclist and I ride for transportation as well as recreation and I need to be safe at all times. • Affordable transportation that supports health, cycling can generate new jobs and another layer of the local economy. Detroit has the potential to become the number one bicycling city in the world. I strongly agree 18 I agree 7 I disagree 0 I strongly disagree 0 I don’t have an opinion 0 If the world’s best network of fast, safe, and pleasant bikeways in pursued in Detroit, what groups or people should help drive the process of planning and building these bikeways? • The entire broad-‐based educated & open-‐minded citizenry. It will be difficult if antagonism is not quelled by information & open conversation. • People everyday, all different • Bicycle groups/organizations, community organizations. • Everyone with a vested interest. • The people who know what bike commuting in Detroit is like & the people who know how to make it better. The people who have no choice but to bike or stay home. • Gen X, Millennials. • Residents, city & state govt. • Locals drawn from a diverse pool of people from all walks of life. • •
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• •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
I think the current resident should drive the process—it will help us feel like we own it and it was made for us! I feel the residents whoever they may be, & especially the youth should be the driving force, as they are the ones who have to deal with/grow up with the bikeways. Developers / business owners / cyclists Many groups & organizations. It is an all hands on board project. Neighborhoods, “Green” organizations (Detroit Greenways Coalition, Greenworks), volunteers, construction org. Regular taxpayers, coalitions, interested partners, elected and public officials. Detroiters themselves, car industry, school children through their experiences in their schools and the way it’s integrated into their subject matter. Residents. All groups. Rich, poor, faith, inter-‐ethnic, “educated.” Educators (schools), cyclists advocates. City and Detroit Greenways Coalition/grassroots. Non-‐cyclists, health professionals. City planners, transportation officials, cyclists, health advocates. Community groups, civic leaders, developers, faith-‐based org., instit. and all levels of government. Neighborhoods & youth. Everyone. The City of Detroit (government) should be the organization that leads the charge to develop the cycling infrastructure in the city.
If you have any comments to help guide the vision for a greenways network in Detroit that you have not shared yet during this visioning project, please write them here. • My prayers are for what best serves the collective/community. I don’t want the limits of my personal vision/imagination to limit the fulfillment/expression of the project. • The discussion and sharing each other’s vision for what the no. 1 bike city looks like. I enjoyed the comments from everyone. • I’ve already talked too much. • I shared extensively. • Keep pushing it! Detroit is tough—you have to force your will! • Do interviews with residents passing by—just a pop up of a question or two! • Bikes going underneath bridges—bridge walls could have painted art on them and have decent lighting. • No. • Justice & fairness should be integrated. The process & development should alleviate poverty, racism, underserved… • I’d just like to say I wish I was 50 years younger to enjoy what I know will happen. I’m happy for grands yet to be conceived.
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•
Jobs is the problem when I think about how many work away from their home areas. Education & skills are the factors which dictate where they find jobs.
Please rate your experience in this greenways visioning project (circle one choice): very bad 0 bad 0 neutral 0 good 3 very good 22 Please share any thoughts you have about this greenways visioning project, such as what you didn’t like, what you did like, or suggestions for changes. • I very much appreciate the existence of this project. I think it will stimulate individual & collective reflection on what keeps us divided & ineffective. I hope that it trains us toward longer-‐range perspectives & leads to strengthening of healthy self-‐esteem & co-‐operative, mutual-‐respect. • Keep up the great work! The future is now! • I would have liked to see more really poor people who only bike to get around. There are many in our city. • Facilitators were great and helped to manage group dynamics. Can’t wait to see it implemented. • Loved the food. Tim was energetic and passionate. • We always needed more time! I enjoyed the people gathered at the table! • Great work with putting the vision to paper!! • I liked every idea. • Very well organized. • Looking forward to contributing what I can. • More local vegetables at gatherings : ) That’s all— • Great job! • I would have liked to have been more involved in the development of the routes. • Loved it!! • I like the ideal of having 20 min neighborhoods for our community.
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