The Legacy of Bicycles in Detroit Michigan: A look at greenways through time Todd Scott Detroit Greenways Coalition
[email protected] Gwen Gell Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning University of Michigan
[email protected] Greenways are constantly evolving and changing infrastructure. Greenways are trails accessible to non-motorized forms of movement which provide ecological, transportation, and connective functions within an urban area. For the purposes of this piece, the term “greenways” also includes bicycle infrastructure on roadways. As a city’s land uses change, new administrations come into power, and the economy fluctuates, greenways and bicycle routes shift. This brief report highlights the change in greenways overtime in an effort to illustrate the story of non- motorized transportation in the City of Detroit. Detroit’s topography is favorable to bicycles. The expansive flat land makes for a pleasant experience biking thought the city. While there has been an increase in ridership and bicycle infrastructure in recent years, the known legacy of bicycles began prior to the automobile and contributed to the development of the Motor City. Timeline Pre-1700 Established Native American networksi throughoutii the regioniii were the first greenways in Southeast Michigan. Early surveyors map the trails created and used by the Anishinaabe, Wyandot, Iroquois, Fox, Miami, and Sauk tribesiv. The present-day grid patterns of the region follow these original Native American pathways. 1701 Cadillac establishes Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit - this is considered the ‘founding’ of the modern City of Detroit 1851 The first velocipede is for sale in Detroit 1868 On December 18th, on Jefferson Avenue, the Detroit Journal reports the first velocipede ride in Detroit.