An urban oasis. A family destination. A comeback.

This month, the Challenge Detroit Fellows focused on one of Detroit’s most prized locations, the Detroit Riverfront. The Detroit Riverfront has undergone an incredible transformation in the last decade, evolving from a private, underutilized space with an industrial history to several miles of safe, engaging, interactive public space with plans to continue to grow in the coming years.

The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, stewards of the Riverfront and the adjacent Dequindre Cut, were our partners and guides as we spent five weeks exploring all that the Riverfront has to offer and, in turn, sharing our insights on how to further the impact of this revolutionary public space in Detroit. To fully understand the scope of the project, we delved into the past and present of the Riverfront through an in-depth tour. Any tour would be incomplete without a visit to the River Walk starting at Rivard Plaza, with its charming waterscapes and whimsical carousel, and continuing to Milliken State Park, Detroit’s first State Park and home to countless native plants and birds. Continuing down the Walk we visited the Dequindre Cut, a multi-use trail created along the route of the former Grand Trunk Rail Line. Not only does the Dequindre Cut offer just over a mile of walking/running/biking track, it is also home to a host of murals and green space.

To grasp the gravity of how the Riverfront has impacted Detroit, our adventure took us beyond the physical space and to the people of the community. We were given the unique opportunity to see the Riverfront through the eyes of its stakeholders: volunteers, partners, neighbors, nearby residents, users, and staff. Their experiences, combined with our own, painted a clear picture of what the Riverfront truly is: a place for everyone.

Through these interactions, we found the secret of the Riverfront to be too well kept…not everyone knows how much is offered just a moment’s walk away from the city center. Additionally, too few know that the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy is responsible for bringing the Riverfront to life. Therefore, we were tasked with activating the space during our challenge, building awareness for the Conservancy as the “face behind the space,” and creating materials to make the Riverfront more accessible to visitors and users.

During the course of our five weeks with the Conservancy, we helped carve out a unique identity for the Riverfront through the interactive mural we painted, the ideas for engagement we presented, and even the most intimate conversations we had. For example, we connected with one gentleman living nearby who hadn’t realized this important city asset even existed. We soon realized why our work would be so critical to building awareness for the Riverfront.

In addressing our goal of creating materials to make the Riverfront more accessible to visitors and users, we split into four groups that each focused on a specific piece of the Conservancy’s programming and overall vision for the Riverfront:  Arts & Culture, Environment & Education, Family Friendly, and Health & Wellness. The teams collaborated to produce materials that promote the variety of programming and other activities available on the Riverfront. First, we produced an enhanced, innovative map that lists program and activity offerings along with location, time duration, and other helpful details. Second, as another creative, interactive option, we designed a deck of playing cards that feature various themed itineraries for spending time on the Riverfront. Deal yourself a hand and you have a full day of activities on the Riverfront to enjoy!

All of the work on this project for the Conservancy was done with the overall goals of promoting the Conservancy as the “face behind the space” and helping to make the Riverfront a more attractive and accessible destination for everyone to enjoy. We hope that our ideas will help the Conservancy attract neighbors, visitors, and everybody in between. A summer in Detroit isn’t complete without a trip to the Riverfront, so come on down and see for yourself how vibrant, engaging and educational the Riverfront can be. It won’t take long before you realize it’s the place to be!

This blog was contributed by Max Kurek and Anna Balzer