[christiesplits]

I'm visiting family in Windsor and I'm hoping to squeeze in four to five hours in Downtown Detroit on a Saturday afternoon. I will be on foot and taking the Windsor tunnel bus across the river. Any itinerary suggestions for someone interested in urban planning and architecture? Thanks!

 

[ShonTron]

That's not a lot of time, but you can make it work if you stay downtown.

If nothing else, ride the People Mover first (it's only $1 to ride!) then check out what interests you from that view. A lot of buildings are closed on weekends, but be sure to visit the Guardian Building, whose banking hall is now a retail concourse. The GM Headquarters (Renaissance Center) is open too. Eastern Market is great to visit on Saturdays, but you will be pressed for time if you do that as it is just beyond the downtown core to the northeast.

 

[Tuscani01]

I highly recommend this tour:

https://www.urbanadventures.com/Detroit-s-Rise-Fall-Renewal

The guide purchased a loft downtown and is super proud of his city. He has an office in one of the older office buildings and brought us inside for a tour of it too. The theme of the tour should be right up your alley - with a focus on planning/architecture, and he does stick to it throughout.

The tour is 2 hours and the cost includes a ticket for the People Mover and a beer at the end.

I also second the Eastern Market recommendation from above. If you hit up the tour and rush the beer, you should be able to make it to the market for a bit before heading back towards Windsor.

 

[junctionist]

See two iconic works of public art in Detroit: the Monument to Joe Louis and the Spirit of Detroit. Walk through Campus Martius. It's a beautiful public square at the heart of the city.

On Saturdays in April, Pure Detroit has tours of the Guardian Building. They also have a tour of the Fisher Building on the same day, though it's further out in New Centre. Both are spectacular Art Deco buildings.

 

[DSC]

My partner and I took the free architectural tour last summer and really enjoyed it. Not sure it runs all year but look at http://detroit.curbed.com/maps/detroit-buildings-architecture-tour A do-it-yourself one. Yes, take the people mover and I suggest you go there from Windsor on the City's Tunnel Bus - it gets priority so is actually faster than driving.

 

[NorthWill]

Definitely would check out the motor history, if I were to be visiting Detroit, lots of automotive history there.

 

[adma]

https://www.eater.com/2016/5/8/11612056/detroit-coney-dogs-history

 

[AlbertC]

A tour with commentary by a local on the gradual rebound of Detroit's downtown in the past decade or so:

 

[AlbertC]

 

[AlbertC]

Train station vs. Packard plant: A tale of 2 symbols of Detroit

Both the train station and the Packard Plant were among the city’s draws for tourists seeking close encounters with Detroit’s commercial blight. But the iconic structures have taken divergent paths in recent years.

www.crainsdetroit.com

 

[AlbertC]

The nearly 100 year old United Artists building at 150 Bagley in Detroit is undergoing a $75 million revitalization:

One of Detroit’s last derelict skyscrapers gets the makeover treatment - constructconnect.com - Daily Commercial News

One of Detroit’s last remaining derelict skyscrapers is undergoing a $75 million conversion. The United Artists building, so named because it was attached to a movie palace by the same name, is being converted from its original office use to the city’s l

canada.constructconnect.com

 

[AlbertC]

More news of revitalization in Detroit:

Massive Detroit industrial ruin to be revitalized as mixed-use space - constructconnect.com - Daily Commercial News

One of Detroit’s major industrial ruins, the infamous Fisher Body Plant 21, built 1919 and lying dormant since 1993, will be resurrected as a mixed use residential and commercial complex on the city’s near east side. The major eyesore, which sits at the

canada.constructconnect.com

 

[Towered]

I wonder what's fueling this Detroit comeback...

 

[gabe]

I wonder what's fueling this Detroit comeback...

I would like to know too. Maybe it's because so many people got priced out of places like California, NYC, Vegas, Florida even southern Ontario? I know tech companies started moving there about a decade ago because of the cheap rents.

I had plan on visiting a friend who lives in Detroit last summer until i saw the insane hotel prices! Downtown hotels that used be $100 to $200 a night before the pandemic, shot up to to $300 to $400 a night. That's like 400 to 500 Canadian dollars! No way in hell i'm spending that in Detroit.

Housing market is also doing well.

This Midwestern city dethroned Miami as fastest-appreciating housing market: report

Detroit raced past Miami as the fastest-appreciating housing market, according to a new report from financial services company CoreLogic.

nypost.com

New details revealed on $3B development set to transform Detroit's New Center

Two of the six projects in the Henry Ford Health, Pistons and MSU development in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood could break ground next year.

www.freep.com

 

[Northern Light]

I wonder what's fueling this Detroit comeback...

Two Words: Dan Gilbert

His companies; notably Quicken Loans relocated to downtown Detroit some years ago from the burbs. His development group (Bedrock) has also been behind several renewal projects.

Here's just one story, following the 2021 announcement of 500M donated to renewing Detroit:

Gilbert announces $500M to revitalize Detroit neighborhoods

Quicken Loans Inc. founder said effort will focus the first $15 million on overdue property taxes homeowners owe

www.detroitnews.com

Beyond that, key factors include the Bankruptcy of the City of Detroit, which allowed it to shed a great deal of debt; Ford Motor company decided to rehab the long abandoned Michigan Central rail depot, and the large donation/bequest by the late Ralph Wilson to waterfront parkland as key items.

Michigan Central; before / after: (prior to any restoration)

Source: https://www.bridgemi.com/urban-affa...ing-passenger-trains-michigan-central-station

Current State: (restoration ongoing)

The Park:

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park Development | Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

The Story So Far...In early 2017 the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy (Conservancy) embarked upon a journey to transform West Riverfront Park into a dynamic gathering place for all Detroiters – and a unique destination for our region and beyond.Conservancy leadership asked the question:"How can we...

detroitriverfront.org

The City now has momentum; on top of that Gordie Howe will open in the not to distant future, with many associated renewal investments in the adjacent area.

Fair credit to the current Mayor (Duggan) who has focused, post-Bankruptcy on a lot of basics (all new LED streetlights, getting lawns mowed, and trash picked up); and to the voters of suburban Detroit, who have voted for a .mil rate (dedicated property tax) to enhance regional bus services.

***

For all of that, much of Detroit is empty; and much remains impoverished. Many announced developments have yet to materialize, and overall population of the area is only now stabilizing. Its a long road back from the abyss.