Woodward Avenue, Detroit : a pedestrian zone for a changing downtown retail street

Abstract

The thesis studies the changing direction of Detroit's central downtown shopping street, Woodward Avenue. During the last two decades, Woodward Avenue has lost most of its retail market to suburban shopping centers. The downtown shopping district needs a physical design improvement, as well as economic help. Currently, there are various ongoing and proposed projects to help the Woodward Avenue shopping district: a Woodward Avenue pedestrian mall with trees and street furniture, a subway with Woodward A venue stations, and an enclosed shopping center. While these projects have the potential to greatly influence Woodward Avenue, they need to be lightly integrated with the existing street to truly help the business district. Perhaps most important, the proposed shopping center should be an active ingredient of the streetscape, rather than an introverted entity. The thesis design proposal attempts to integrate the various projects into a system of related improvements which reinforce the street.