A new pedestrian plaza opens in downtown Detroit

Detroit hasn’t been known for being very pedestrian-friendly in the past. In fact, it was recently named one of the most dangerous cities for pedestrians in the country. In the last couple months, we’ve seen more mobility options in the Motor City including the QLINE and the MoGo Bike Share. An esplanade opened from Campus Martius to Larned last month, and now a large pedestrian plaza is open in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on Woodward.

The plaza has tables and chairs, lights, planters, colorful sidewalk painting, and of course, food trucks. It will be open for 90 days this summer as a trial to see how well it works for pedestrians and with traffic. It should create a better connection from downtown to Hart Plaza and the Riverfront.

Last fall, the city also blocked off part of Randolph and a very wide, multi-road intersection downtown for tables, chairs, and some planters. It has us thinking about what other areas of downtown might be served better for pedestrians than for cars. Any good ideas out there, Curbed readers?