  Jsmyers Member Username: Jsmyers Post Number: 1629 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 209.131.7.68 |
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/ 0418/p20s01-ussc.html?s=hns Transit and Non-motorized transportation are important topics to Detroit that are leaders are finally starting to adress. | ||
Southwestmap Member Username: Southwestmap Post Number: 454 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 64.79.90.206 |
That is an interesting article, but I take issue with Mike Smith's observation that Detroit did not flourish in its era of mass transportation. It was precisely then, in the era of the streetcar and Interurban, that Detroit was a flourishing vital city. I was just looking at a snapshot of my older brother as a toddler. He was standing outside on Cadillac Blvd. in 1945 or so, in view of a really flourishing little retail destination on the corner of Cadillac Blvd. and Kercheval: a meat store, a candy store, a doctor's office and other pretty little storefronts are clearly visible in the photo. That is a picture of a flourishing city 9certainly as juxtaposed to the city now)in the era of mass transportation availability. So, I beleive that Smith's fundamental observation, that Detroit was/is the model for cities like Los Angeles in wrong. Detroit was a great city for mass transportation and because of it - but somewhere we lost the way. | ||
Eastsidedog Member Username: Eastsidedog Post Number: 253 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 12.47.224.8 |
Interesting very frank article about the city. The mention of how places like Nemos and Agave function explains a lot about Detroit and how it manages to be a city of islands. Slows is another good example of an island even though they don't have a large convenient parking lot. Restaurants do OK as islands but I've thought for a long time that small retail shops might actually thrive in the city if some sort of district was created. There are so many funky little shops that have come and gone that stood alone in seas of nothingness. If they were clustered together they would do so much better. My vote is for a Broadway retail strip.  My only beef with the article is how it fails to mention that a 1/3 of city residents don't even have cars. | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 705 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.76.202.10 |
Cute article. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 3671 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 67.160.138.107 |
Good article. The reporter tells it like it tis in Detroit. Nobody walks. He forgot to mention that the onliest reason Nemo's has shuttles is because they offer parking and are a vestige of the past when patrons walked to Briggs Stadium. He also forgot to mention that muchnewer car cities than Detroit have recently built huge light rail programs like Salt Lake City, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon. jjaba, on the Dexter Through. | ||
Gianni Member Username: Gianni Post Number: 227 Registered: 05-2004 Posted From: 209.104.144.90 |
Another island: Avalon Bakery and the little strip it has helped sustain on Willis. Who could have imagined that a high end bakery (I like to tell my Italian suburban relatives that they have the best Italian bread this side of Toronto) would thrive in that location? And most everyone drives there. A friend who worked for the UAW once said jokingly when someone suggested walking that "the UAW insists that we drive whenever possible." Detroit. City of Islands. It has a nice ring. (Message edited by Gianni on April 19, 2006) | ||
Eastsidedog Member Username: Eastsidedog Post Number: 255 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 12.47.224.8 |
Gianni, I second you on Avalon's island location. More proof that Detroit is a city of islands. How easy my grocery shopping would be if Avalon, and Farmer Jack moved to Eastern Market! ugh! |
