Day 10: Dodge Fountain - Detroit, MI

Eric Fredericks • Wednesday July 11, 2007

In keeping with the Midwestern theme, today we visit Detroit. Yes, Detroit. Probably not a place you’d expect to be high on the walkability radar—and you’re right about that—-but there are a few things worth seeing.

Pictured here is the Dodge Fountain in Hart Plaza downtown. The angle is a bit tricky on this fountain. I didn’t have a lot of time to shoot comfortably because the people around the fountain were becoming a little too persistent in trying to get me to interact with them. I don’t like strangers to hold my cameras unless in the right situation, but I have the feeling this situation was not going to be favorable. At any rate, I still think it’s a cool photo and reminds me that even in the worst places, there are always great places to go.

The Detroit Riverfront is quite beautiful, situated on the Detroit River, just across from Windsor, Ontario. It looks like they’ve added even more attractions since I was last there in 2003. I know there’s been a lot of revitalization and lofts constructed near Comerica Park as well.

While Detroit had many beautiful buildings and monuments to see, there is one very sad fact that I have to point out. The day I was there, a beautiful Saturday fall afternoon, there were no people. At least not the amount of people I would expect to see in a downtown. It’s really uncomfortable to be in a place with huge buildings and no people. The only place I saw people was the MGM Grand Casino, and so I went there. I don’t enjoy gambling that much, but I think I did win $10 throwing some change in the slots.

I went to visit someone the next day who lives about an hour outside of Detroit. I told him that I went walking around downtown taking photos by myself the previous day. He was shocked. “I can’t believe you went walking around there by yourself. You’re very lucky you didn’t get shot or killed,” he said. He reminds me of this every time I see him. My rebuttal: “Well, there was no one even there to shoot me.” So, there you have it. I really didn’t feel that uncomfortable and would likely walk around for photos again. I’m probably a little more adventurous than most people, though. I enjoyed my day there. I would suggest doing a little research beforehand to find out just how dangerous it really is.

You can see my photos of Detroit here. You may be pleasantly surprised.

This article is a part of the Exploring the Walkability of America in 30 Days photo series.

More Urban Living Lofts Planned for Revitalizing Detroit

Eric Fredericks • Friday October 14, 2005

Detroit may not be the ideal place to live in America. The metropolitan area faces a super-divide, with some of the richest suburbs and poorest inner-city neighborhoods in the country. But, downtown Detroit is slowly starting to turn the corner. I had the chance to walk around downtown about two years ago and was actually impressed by what I saw. They are really trying to revitalize the downtown. There are some gorgeous buildings, breath-taking views, and beautiful art pieces downtown. The connectivity is not bad either. The problem that I noticed: there were no people! I was walking around on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon and there should have been tons of people. This made downtown feel a bit eerie. Hopefully this is going to change soon.

One reason this may change is because of Detroit’s commitment and encouragement of downtown living. The city has established Neighborhood Enterprise Zone designations that gives incentive for new developments, including sharply reduced property taxes for up to 12 years. Two loft projects currently underway downtown are benefiting from these designations, Grinnell Place Lofts and Research Lofts. Both of these projects are industrial to residential conversions which often make for great lofts. Grinnell Place is located very close to Tiger Stadium and Research Place is near the expanding Wayne State University. Apparently there are numerous urban living lofts in the vicinity of Comerica Park and they have been quite successful, although I did not get to that area on my last visit. (Source: Detroit Free Press via Planetizen ) >>Continue Reading This Article>>