"A good downtown needs more than stadiums and skyscrapers. It also needs all the sidewalk-level stuff that, down on the human scale, engages people and makes them want to come back for more," according to an article by John Gallagher that explains the "stick" concept to the Detroit audience.
The latest example of "sticky" street amenities opened in Detroit month, writes Gallagher: "a short pathway or 'esplanade' running down the median on Woodward Avenue from Campus Martius south to Larned."1
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Designed by a Philadelphia-based firm called Groundswell Design Group now working in Detroit, the esplanade's concept reflects the advice from Fred Kent, head of the New York-based Project for Public Spaces, engaged by Gilbert’s Quicken Loans in 2013 to improve the downtown experience for workers, residents and visitors.
Kent earned fame in urban planning circles for preaching “lighter, quicker, cheaper” — the idea that streetscape improvements can create an impact for a lot less money and time than we might think.
The sandy beach created each summer at Campus Martius sprang from Kent’s suggestions. And Project for Public Spaces has long celebrated movable street furniture — simple folding chairs and small tables scattered about that can be easily moved as people mix and match them to create their own personal spaces.
Campus Martius is filled with movable chairs and tables, and so is the new esplanade. Then, too, the artwork that will adorn the new walkable area will rotate in and out over time. LED lighting in overhead “gates” at the south end will create visual interest at night.
It's part of creating an ever-changing place re-created daily by the users themselves.2
