EVER GREEN: An Enduring System of Parks and Greenways in Detroit Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning Urban + Regional Planning Program University of Michigan, Ann Arbor April 2012 Cover Images Top Left: Dequindre Cut http://www.detroitriverfront.org/dequindre/ Top Right: Maheras Gentry Park http://detroit1701.org/Maheras%20Park.html Bottom Left: Clark Park Youth Ice Hockey http://detroithockeynews.blogspot.com/ Bottom Right: YMCA/Detroit Leadership Academy http://hypnoticbuzz.com/children-new-playground/85136/ EVER GREEN: An Enduring System of Parks and Greenways in Detroit Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning Urban + Regional Planning Program University of Michigan, Ann Arbor April 2012 Eric Dennis Isaac Gilman Ting Ma Amanda Peterson Brent Schleck Stephanie Simon Michael Vos Acknowledgements Acknowledgements We want to thank the following individuals for contributing their time and expertise to this plan: • Brad Dick, Director, General Services, City of Detroit • Tim Karl, Chief of Landscape Architecture, General Services, City of Detroit • Khalil Ligon, Project Director, Lower Eastside Action Plan • Alicia Minter, Director, Recreation Department, City of Detroit • Joe Rashid, Coordinator, Detroit Parks Coalition • Rebecca Salminin-Witt, Director, The Greening of Detroit • Todd Scott, Detroit Greenways Coordinator, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance • Tom Woiwode, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan We thank the Detroit Food and Fitness Collaborative for funding the publication of this plan. We thank other city staff and organization leaders who provided insight through interviews. We also want to thank the faculty advisors, instructors Margaret Dewar and Libby Levy, for providing guidance and support throughout the creation of this plan and for their continued dedication to the University of Michigan’s Urban and Regional Planning Program and the City of Detroit. i ii Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary, ix Chapter 1. Why Detroit Needs a Parks and Greenways Plan, 1 Chapter 2. Detroit’s Existing Parks and Greenways System, 7 Chapter 3. Existing Management, Planning, and Funding System, 17 Chapter 4. Benchmark Principles for Detroit’s Parks and Greenways, 29 Chapter 5. Applying Benchmark Principles for Detroit’s Parks and Greenways, 33 Chapter 6. Strategies to Create an Enduring System of Parks and Greenways in Detroit, 51 Chapter 7. Implementing Ever Green’s Strategies in Southwest Detroit, 85 Chapter 8. Implementing Ever Green’s Strategies in Detroit’s Lower Eastside, 109 Appendix A. Map Sources, 131 Appendix B. Focus Group Meetings, 137 Appendix C. Maintenance Costs for a One-Acre Park, 147 Appendix D. Park User Survey Example, 153 Appendix E. Adopt-A-Park Agreement Form Example, 155 iii iv List of Figures List of Figures Chapter 1 Salsingar Playground funded by Wayne County, 25 Chapter 6 Figure 1.1 City of Detroit adopted budgets by Figure 3.8 KaBoom playscape construction at the Figure 6.1 “The new system”: A range of department from FY 2007 through FY 2012, 3 Paul Robeson Academy, 25 management models, 52 Figure 1.2 Campus Martius ice skating rink, 4 Figure 6.2 Tilden School students clean up Dakota Figure 1.3 Bikers on the Detroit RiverWalk, 4 Chapter 4 Place Park in Seattle, 57 Figure 4.1 Widespread benefits of a strong parks Figure 6.3 High schoolers work with Friends of the Chapter 2 and greenways system, 31 Parks in Chicago, 57 Figure 6.4 First Detroit Red Wings outdoor practice Figure 2.1 Municipal parks and recreation centers – Clark Park, 59 with greenways, 8 Chapter 5 Figure 6.5 Skating at Motown Winter Blast 2012, 60 Figure 2.2 Park condition, 2006, 11 Figure 5.1 Existing greenways and service areas, 37 Figure 6.6 James T. Hope Playfield, 60 Figure 2.3 Gap between park maintenance costs Figure 5.2 Planned greenways and their service Figure 6.7 Grand Circus Park in downtown and estimated budget allocated for maintenance (of areas using service radii that reflect population Detroit, 62 all city-owned public spaces), 2011-2012, 12 density, 38 Figure 6.8 Capitol Park, 62 Figure 2.4 Current and proposed greenways, 13 Figure 5.3 Prioritized planned greenways, 39 Figure 6.9 Conservancy models, 63 Figure 2.5 Detroit RiverWalk, 14 Figure 5.4 Milwaukee on street greenways with Figure 6.10 Pittsburgh’s Cliffside Park, 64 Figure 2.6 Lafayette-Elmwood Park greenway, 14 service area coverage, 40 Figure 6.11 The Detroit RiverWalk in front of the Figure 2.7 HOPE community park, 15 Figure 5.5 Priority census tracts for adding Renaissance Center, 66 Figure 2.8 Campus Martius park, 15 recreational amenities, 42 Figure 5.6 Priority areas for additional mini and Figure 6.12 Fort Wayne, 68 Figure 6.13 William G. Milliken State Park, 71 Chapter 3 neighborhood parks indicated by red outline, 43 Figure 6.14 The Great Lakes Restoration Initative, 71 Figure 3.1 Role of park, greenway, and recreation Figure 5.7 Potential closings for mini parks and Figure 6.15 Sustainable South Bronx’s BEST center actors in managing Detroit’s inventory of neighborhood parks indicated by service area program, 74 parks, greenways, and recreation centers, 19 overlap, 44 Figure 6.16 Sustainable South Bronx, 74 Figure 3.2 Dolores Bennett Park adoption by Figure 5.8 Possible priority areas of the city for new Figure 6.17 Palmer Park outreach materials, 75 Lakeshore Engineering Services, 20 parks: areas with high population density and low Figure 6.18 LEAP’s Facebook outreach, 76 Figure 3.3 The Dequindre Cut, 20 levels of service, 46 Figure 6.19 Applying proposed strategies to Harnik’s Figure 3.4 Considine Little Rock Family Center, 21 Figure 5.9 Cleveland skateboard park, 47 “Seven Factors of Excellence”, 77 Figure 3.5 Process for greenway planning and Figure 5.10 Gas Works Park: Seattle, Figure 6.20 A network of municipal and non- implementation in Detroit, 22 Washington, 48 municipal players, 78 Figure 3.6 2009 total spending on parks and Figure 5.11 Boulder garden: Jackson, Wyoming, 48 recreation per resident in various U.S. cities, 24 Figure 3.7 Baseball diamond improvements at v List of Figures Chapter 7 area buffer, 2006, 112 Figure 7.1 Southwest Detroit study area with Figure 8.4 Community park 4.5-mile service area existing parks and greenways, 86 buffer, 2006, 114 Figure 7.2 Mini parks with 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 mile Figure 8.5 Current greenways with 1/2 mile, 3/4 service area buffer, 2006, 88 mile, and 1 mile service area buffer, 2006, 115 Figure 7.3 Neighborhood park with 1-mile service Figure 8.6 Priority and conceptual greenways, 116 area buffer, 2006, 89 Figure 8.7 Thomas Mollicone Park, 118 Figure 7.4 Community park 4.5-mile service area Figure 8.8 Butzel Park Athletic Field, 118 buffer, 2006, 90 Figure 8.9 Stockton Park Play Equipment, 120 Figure 7.5 Current greenways with 1/2, 3/4, and 1 Figure 8.10 Mt. Elliott Park , 120 mile service area buffer, 2006, 91 Figure 8.11 Owen Park, road access to Figure 7.6 Priority and conceptual greenways, 92 riverfront, 121 Figure 7.7 New playground equipment at the Figure 8.12 RiverWalk facilities in Gabriel Richard renovated Lafayette Playlot, 94 Park, 121 Figure 7.8 Weiss Park ADA-compliant playscape, 95 Figure 8.13 Erma Henderson Marina, 122 Figure 7.9 Baseball diamond at Riverside Park in Figure 8.14 Erma Henderson walking path, 122 view of the Ambassador Bridge, 97 Figure 8.15 St. Jean Boat Launch, 123 Figure 7.10 The General George S. Patton Figure 8.16 Harding Street Canal, 123 Recreation Center after 2006 renovation, 99 Figure 8.17 Hurlbut Memorial Gate, 124 Figure 7.11 Military-Regular Park was closed and remains an empty lot owned by DRD, 101 Figure 7.12 Patton Park off street greenway, 102 Figure 7.13 The Alleyway Project provides passive recreation opportunities in addition to public art, 104 Figure 7.14 Springdale Green Playlot is a non- municipal park created by UNI, 105 Chapter 8 Figure 8.1 Lower Eastside study area, 110 Figure 8.2 Mini parks with 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 mile service area buffer, 2006, 112 Figure 8.3 Neighborhood park with 1-mile service vi List of Tables List of Tables Chapter 2 Table 7.2 Recreation centers in the Southwest Table 2.1 Park classifications and descriptions, study area , 91 2006, 9 Table 7.3 Greenways in the Southwest study area Table 2.2 Acres of parkland per 1,000 residents by (total > 5.0 miles), 91 city for cities of similar population density, FY 2010, Table 7.4 Non-municipal parks in the Southwest 10 study area, 93 Table 2.3 Existing amenities in Detroit parks, 2006, Table 7.4: Greenways in the Southwest Study Area 10 (Total > 5.0 Miles), 93 Table 2.4 Maintenance cost of current system, 12 Chapter 8 Chapter 5 Table 8.1 Municipal parks in the Lower Eastside Table 5.1 Strategies addressing goals, 34 study area, 111 Table 5.2 Recommendations addressing goals, 34 Table 8.2 Recreation centers in the Lower Eastside Table 5.3 Ever Green service radii for parks and study area, 113 greenways, 35 Table 8.3 Greenways in the Lower Eastside study Table 5.4 Amenities within 1/2 mile of greenway, 36 area (total >3.0 miles), 115 Table 5.5 Number of census tracts and population by level of service, 45 Table 5.6 Estimated cost for new systems, 49 Chapter 6 Table 6.1 Strategies addressing goals, 53 Table 6.2 Recommendations addressing goals, 53 Table 6.3 Annual costs per acre for mini parks maintenance for a park adopter, 55 Table 6.4 Capital costs for maintenance tools and equipment, 55 Chapter 7 Table 7.1 Municipal parks in the Southwest study area, 87 vii viii Executive Summary Executive Summary Quality parks and greenways can stabilize neighborhoods, bolster economic development, and enrich quality of life.