The Woodward Corridor project is focused upon the new Light Rail that will be installed along Woodward Avenue. Accompanying the rail itself is development along the corridor that will occur before, during, and after construction. The detroitSHOP studio was tasked with studying the corridor and proposing designs for various developments.

 

The past section contains research about Detroit's past and studies of other cities. The latter part looks at eighteen cities; brief histories, development strategies, and basic statistics. These aided in understanding what was & wasn't successful and what could be applied to Detroit's situation.

 

The present section contains analysis of the Woodward Corridor's assets, focusing on the eleven nodes the rail will stop at. These nodes each have different needs and character and were a framework around which much of the design was approached.

 

 

The future section contains the design work put forth by the students of detroitSHOP. The studio was broken down into four groups whom each had a different approach towards their designs. The designs of each group are intended to work together to produce a cohesive plan.

The urban strategy for our group (myself and three others) was 'The Three Woodwards'. We recognized that with the addition of a rail infrastructure to the existing vehicular infrastructure of Woodward Avenue, there needed to be a pedestrian infrastructure added as well. This pedestrian network would serve to connect not only north and south along the corridor, but east and west to Cass Ave and John R St. This would draw people from the periphery to the corridor and encourage them to integrate the rail into their transit.

 

The catalyst for our design was a model built by Matthew Unternahrer. By depicting built form and underutilized space, we saw the beginnings of a network that weaved throughout the corridor.

Using the model as a base, we went across the entire corridor, marking off which open spaces were most opportune to run the pedestrian path through. Some of the time the path took advantage of existing sidewalks and parks, other times it would pass through an empty site or parking lot.

 

Each mode of transit is a unique experience for the user, even if the start and end points remain the same. Our three Woodwards result in three narrative threads: vehicular, pedestrian, & rail. Each thread contains three acts: departure, destination, & return. This is the framework that allows the experience to be scripted.

 

 

The corridor can be broken down with various wayfinding models, the language that guides the user along the journey.

Thus, for the pedestrian network to function best, it needs to be treated as a street -- sans vehicles -- that connects the districts and landmarks. It should also be branded to be easily recognizable. We named it Promenadetroit [promenade + detroit] and use a foot as the D where they join.

The foot can be further modified to act as a variety of visual cues, including as frame for signage.