Curbed Cup 1st round: (5) Lafayette Park vs. (12) Hamtramck

The Curbed Cup is our annual award for the neighborhood of the year. We’re starting with 16 neighborhoods (with some close ones combined), and we’ll vote over the next few weeks until we’re down to one. Polls are open for 24 hours. Let the voting commence!

Lafayette Park

If you want to be close to everything that’s going on downtown, but live in a quiet community, Lafayette Park is the neighborhood for you. Situated just east of downtown, between the Riverfront and Eastern Market, Lafayette Park has townhomes, co-ops, apartments, plenty of greenery, and of course the Mies van der Rohe townhouses. This past year, DuCharme Place opened, offering the first new construction in decades in the neighborhood. Plans were announced for a small-format Meijer and more apartments along East Jefferson. Should this idyllic neighborhood move on to the next round?

Hamtramck

Photo by Michelle & Chris Gerard

We know. Hamtramck isn’t technically a Detroit neighborhood. But as a city within the city, it’s an integral part of Detroit. It’s a diverse community with a strong Polish and Bangladeshi history. Does any other neighborhood have its own Disneyland? While Gilbert and Gores wait to hear about their soccer team, Detroit City FC attracts thousands to their games in Hamtramck. This year, restaurants continued to open along its busy commercial corridors, and some Detroit-based businesses moved into bigger locations in Hamtramck. Many trying to buy more affordable homes in Detroit are able to find good houses here. Should it make it to the next round?