Biking in the Motor City: How Detroit, Michigan is Returning to its Roots

The following post comes courtesy of Global Site Plans' The Grid. CNU and Global Site Plans recently teamed up to syndicate Grid content, as its contingent of writers presents a view on the opportunities and issues of urbanization all across the world. CNU will carry select posts from the Grid direct on the CNU Salons.

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Maybe one of the biggest surprises you’ll find in Detroit is the presence of a great bike culture. This is surprising for two main reasons:

1. Detroit is the Motor City: a major part of your associations with Detroit deal with the auto industry here, and the impacts of the industry’s elite on transportation and infrastructure in the city; streets in Detroit are built for a single use – travel by automobile, right?

2. Detroit is an extremely poor city, so poor the State of Michigan has placed it under Emergency Financial Management; Detroit can’t possibly be investing in bicycling infrastructure, right?

Wrong on both counts (sorry)! First off, the Motor City is slowly transitioning to be the Motorless City. While the automobile industry dominated the outward growth of the city in the early 20th century, driving a car is becoming increasingly less popular in the sprawling city. While it would be difficult to traverse all of Detroit’s 139 square miles on a bike, residents not so keen on buying gas and paying for auto insurance are tuning up their bikes. This, along with abundant vacant land through which to build bike trails, sets up the perfect opportunity for the Motor City to rebrand itself. A new set of Detroiters with asustainable mentality are moving in, bringing with them a penchant for artsy brews of coffee and bicycling.

Detroiters maintain that this new bike culture is good for neighborhoods and economic growth. Bike tour agencies are cropping up around the city allowing residents and tourist alike to discover neighborhoods and architecture they would otherwise drive right past. Not only is bike transportation replacing automobile travel, visiting bicycling enthusiasts are impressed by Detroit’s investment in bike infrastructure. The Dequindre Cut project, which links downtown with the Eastern Market district with separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians, has gained notoriety recently as an example of superb bicycling infrastructure. The Detroit Future City plan, released this year, notably includes increased “green” infrastructure, including parks and bike lanes. With such notable improvements and continued goals, Detroit is on track to become another Portland, Oregon or Davis, California.

What do you think is key in a city’s attempts to become more bike-friendly?

To read the original post, written by Meg Mulhall, visit Global Site Plans.