Detroit’s New Waterfront Porch

Detroiters’ Spatial Imagination, Energy and sustainability, Essay, John H. Hartig, Middle Density, Politics and economics

Architecture&nature, Climate change, Detroit, detroiters, Detroiters’ Spatial Imagination, Ecological design, Ecological urbanism, Economy, Ecosystem, Environmental, Environmental degradation, Industrial revolution, Lake, Landscape Architecture, Pollution, Post-industrial Landscape, Project, Recovery, Research, River, Sustainability, Transportation, Urban planning, USA, Waterfront, Watery Territory, Wetlands

The book titled Waterfront Porch: Reclaiming Detroit’s Industrial Waterfront as a Gathering Place for All, is the story of building the Detroit RiverWalk as part of a strategy to reconnect people with nature, help revitalize the city and region, and help foster a more sustainable future. Detroit was the epicenter of the Fur Trade Era, an unparalleled leader of ship building for 100 years, the “Silicon Valley” of the industrial age, and the unquestioned leader of the Arsenal of Democracy. Today, Detroit is once again demonstrating its creativity, innovation, and work ethic in building the Detroit RiverWalk, and leading the nation down a more sustainable path. For more information about this story of building a new Waterfront Porch for all people and wildlife that will give hope and provide further evidence that Detroit has a bright future, visit: http://msupress.org/books/book/?id=50-1D0-4543#.XMeS-2hKjIU

Waterfronts are magical places where the water meets the land and people can reconnect with their waterways. But during the industrial revolution, many communities made waterways their backdoor. Detroit was no exception with its Detroit River. For two centuries, the Detroit River – a 32-mile connecting channel that links the upper Great Lakes with the lower Great Lakes and a shard resource between the United States and Canada – was perceived as a working river that supported commerce and technological progress.