International Placemaking Week highlights Detroit's parks, gathering spaces
Detroit is in the spotlight this week as hundreds of planners and designers from around the world arrive to study how the city is using public spaces to bring people together.
They are here for International Placemaking Week, an annual conference that highlights how parks, plazas and gathering spaces can shape cities. Organizers say Detroit offers a powerful real-world example.
From the Detroit Riverfront to Campus Martius and even some of the city's alleyways, Detroit has become home to spaces designed for people to gather, connect and spend time. That is why this week, planners and designers are walking the city and taking notes on what the Motor City has to offer.
The week kicked off Wednesday morning at the Harmonie Club, where city leaders, including Mayor Mary Sheffield, reflected on how investments in parks, third places and downtown development helped reshape Detroit over the last two decades.
"Detroit knows what it means to overcome challenges," Sheffield said. "We have experienced economic hardship, population loss and even the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. But through resilience, collaboration and strong partnerships, we have continued to rise higher as a city. Our story is proof that placemaking is about much more than buildings."
Among the visitors is Ryan Smolar, who flew in from Los Angeles. Though he now lives across the country, Smolar says the trip feels like a homecoming because his family immigrated to America through Windsor and into Detroit.
"I heard a lot about the Heidelberg Project, which I haven't seen before, and I can't wait to revisit Campus Martius, because it's one of the best projects in the country," Smolar said.
David Cowan, chief officer of public spaces for the Downtown Detroit Partnership, says the conference has been more than a year in the making. He says while Detroit has a lot to show off, there is also plenty to learn from visiting cities.
"How people gather, what motivates them to want to spend more time in a space, how do we keep people after five p.m., and how do we make sure they are part of the economic decisions that go into placemaking," Cowan said.
More than 15 other cities competed, but Detroit emerged as this year's featured partner. Nate Storring with Project for Public Spaces says Detroit's unique story helped set it apart.
"Detroit is such an epicenter for great public spaces, especially ones that are really rooted in community and involve all sorts of stakeholders in their design and planning and management," Storring said. "It's such a great example for folks around the world to come and experience firsthand."
The conference runs through Saturday, with events happening across downtown and neighborhoods throughout the city.
