Is Detroit going to create any new large parks? (Hamtramck: condo, houses)

[OyCrumbler]

As more people move in downtown and surrounding regions and large parcels in the city have had their buildings leveled, is the city planning to create any new large parks? If so, where are the plans? Is there a site or thread agglomerating new parks and greenspace for the city?

[craig11152]

I have no knowledge one way or another but I believe the city struggles financially so adding parks when you can't afford it would be irresponsible.

[usroute10]

No, not really. Like Mr. Craig said, the city does not have the financial resources. We can't even operate and maintain the bathrooms at our largest park, 1,200-acre Rouge River Park.

There is Hantz Woodlands, which is a 140-acre site on the east side where a private developer was able to acquire 1,500 properties from the city to create an urban farm/urban forest. It is in its infant stages.
Hantz Farms | Introduction


There is a concerted effort though to redevelop the riverfront from industrial use to public park land. It was announced earlier this year that:
1. the Riverwalk promenade will be extended another 1/2 mile eastward to link to Belle Isle

2. Milliken State Park & Harbor will be expanded

3. 3 other plots of land, totaling 8 acres, that were originally reserved from private condo development, will now be public parkland

4. 2 new greenways will be created to connect the riverfront to near eastside neighborhoods
Detroit’s Riverfront Is Planning To Be “For All Detroiters"


5. On the less-resurrected west riverfront, Riverside Park will undergo a 5-acre expansion, as well as the addition/renovation of athletic facilities, playgrounds,, an amphitheater, a sledding hill, open space, and re-opening of the boat launch.
http://www.thehubdetroit.com/detroit...iverside-park/



The (limited) natural beauty of the Detroit landscape is gone. When the city rapidly expanded after 1900, the small hills were leveled and the creeks and streams were buried underground to become sewers. It would be hard to re-create those landscapes - They still live on in the larger parks in the city - Belle Isle, Palmer, and Rouge.

[animatedmartian]

According to the city's master plan, there's no official plans to turn any vacant neighborhoods into a large park or open space. At least not for any recreational use.

At the very least, some areas will be allowed to return to nature, that is, if there are no occupied houses and all the vacant buildings have been cleared, natural forests can grow and perhaps some historical streams, rivers, and lakes will be returned. Though, there's only a handful of really small areas where this might happen, like parts of the lower east side or Brighmoor.

In occupied neighborhoods with a lot of vacant land, it's more likely the vacant land would be used for community gardens, urban farming, and other green uses. There's usually already recreational parks in those neighborhoods that just need to be renovated and maintained.

Some areas, like the area from the GM Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant to Detroit City Airport, will be used to expand industrial activities. Some of the vacant areas nearby might be used as buffers between the industrial areas and occupied stable residential neighborhoods.

[zthatzmanz28]

There are a few big parks that need fixing--

Chandler Park
Rouge Park along outer drive

Currently there are 308 official city parks, but there are also a variety of play fields, greenways and plazas that offer services and amenities to residents and visitors.

Large open area that provides active and passive recreation for entire city. Accessible by car or public transit. Size is greater than 250 acres and the service area is city-wide.

Palmer Park

The Best 10 Parks in Detroit, MI

[Retroit]

When a city has so much vacant land, parks don't seem so imperative. It is only after a city is all built up that people long for greenspace. Detroit has a history of being short-sighted.

[DTWflyer]

We finally got Belle Isle back on the right track.

The Riverfront and Milikan State Park work well.

The biggest next step would be to fix and clean-up Rouge Park.

[OyCrumbler]

To clarify, I understand that the city doesn't actually have the funds to divert into creating large new parks. I was thinking more along the lines of setting out plans for the future as large parcels return to nature unattended. A bit like setting aside land for parks / natural preserves for the future and planning based on that.

Originally Posted by usroute10

No, not really. Like Mr. Craig said, the city does not have the financial resources. We can't even operate and maintain the bathrooms at our largest park, 1,200-acre Rouge River Park.

There is Hantz Woodlands, which is a 140-acre site on the east side where a private developer was able to acquire 1,500 properties from the city to create an urban farm/urban forest. It is in its infant stages.
Hantz Farms | Introduction


There is a concerted effort though to redevelop the riverfront from industrial use to public park land. It was announced earlier this year that:
1. the Riverwalk promenade will be extended another 1/2 mile eastward to link to Belle Isle

2. Milliken State Park & Harbor will be expanded

3. 3 other plots of land, totaling 8 acres, that were originally reserved from private condo development, will now be public parkland

4. 2 new greenways will be created to connect the riverfront to near eastside neighborhoods
Detroit’s Riverfront Is Planning To Be “For All Detroiters"


5. On the less-resurrected west riverfront, Riverside Park will undergo a 5-acre expansion, as well as the addition/renovation of athletic facilities, playgrounds,, an amphitheater, a sledding hill, open space, and re-opening of the boat launch.
Detroit demos, moves forward with transformation of Riverside Park - The Hub Detroit



The (limited) natural beauty of the Detroit landscape is gone. When the city rapidly expanded after 1900, the small hills were leveled and the creeks and streams were buried underground to become sewers. It would be hard to re-create those landscapes - They still live on in the larger parks in the city - Belle Isle, Palmer, and Rouge.

This is a great and informative post, thanks!

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

To clarify, I understand that the city doesn't actually have the funds to divert into creating large new parks. I was thinking more along the lines of setting out plans for the future as large parcels return to nature unattended. A bit like setting aside land for parks / natural preserves for the future and planning based on that.

Another thing they should do is set aside areas for commercial districts. Most other cities have large areas (several square miles) of warehouses, distribution centers, minor manufacturing, etc. With all the recently vacated land, Detroit could easily replicate them with some planning.

...and bring in a heck of a lot more revenue than parks.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Another thing they should do is set aside areas for commercial districts. Most other cities have large areas (several square miles) of warehouses, distribution centers, minor manufacturing, etc. With all the recently vacated land, Detroit could easily replicate them with some planning.

...and bring in a heck of a lot more revenue than parks.

Agreed. Bringing blue collar jobs back to the city (especially low skill ones) would be much more beneficial.