Southwest Detroit sustainability planning
The Detroit Free Press published an interesting story on a Lawrence Tech (LTU) project which looked at making Southwest Detroit energy self-sufficient.
That planning involved creating energy as well as reducing current usage by encouraging more energy efficient transportation. In other words, more public transit, more walkability, more greenways, and more bike lanes.
Other tactics suggested by the team include creating more public transit and more green infrastructure, like the planned extension of the RiverWalk west of downtown.
Still other aspects of the project include mapping sites where higher-density, mixed-used development might create a more walkable urban environment.
The LTU team is working with the Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative, a coalition of more than a dozen community nonprofit groups. Kathy Wendler, president of the Southwest Detroit Business Association, said the LTU project dovetails with other greening projects under way, like the bicycle lanes and energy-efficient street lights planned along West Vernor.
This project was funded by a grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund. According to the article, previous grants “supported a bike-sharing program in Atlanta.”
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Tags: bike lanes, Ford, Lawrence Tech, Southwest Detroit
March 22nd, 2011 at 1:14 am
Detroit future awesome~!
March 22nd, 2011 at 10:14 am
[…] that cycling activists are pushing the state of Illinois to formally monitor dooring crashes. M-Bike.org outlines a plan developed by college students to make Southwest Detroit energy self-sufficient […]