Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press

Together, bicycles and the sense of freedom they provide make for great gifts.

In fact, President Barak Obama recently said “his all-time favorite gifts were a 10-speed bicycle… and a basketball.”

The Greater Grace Temple recently gave away 250 bicycles to children and the Free Press has some heartwarming coverage.

Earlier, parents and children heard Bishop Charles Ellis III, pastor of Greater Grace, conclude the service with memories of his first bike.

“Not everybody had their own bike, you know? We’d ride three and four on a bike. Remember that?” Ellis said, drawing laughter.

“A bike is so important to a child. … We thank God that, even in this bad economy, we’re able to bless others,” he said.

As noted in the article, the poor economy meant they were only able to giveaway 250 as opposed to the typical 500. Through the year, the church has given away a few thousands bicycles to Detroit children.

Greater Grace Temple is the same church was wrongly mocked a year ago by some bike advocacy web sites after they prayed for Detroiters’ survival.

When the N.Y. Times reported:

Bishop Ellis encouraged the congregation to pray, not that Congress would ‘do the right thing’ and approve loaning money to the car companies, but that Detroiters would ‘make it’ through these tough times.

Sites like Copenhagenize then said they were “Praying that the Big Three carmakers will get their money from Washington.” That was apparently the story they wanted to tell.

And unfortunately they probably won’t cover this church’s bicycle giveaway program.

If not, then you’ll want to join or renew a membership with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. It’s tax deductible too!

Here’s an older Streetsblog post and video about a New York City blizzard and how the snow helped redefine the streets for the better — albeit temporarily.

Photo by CDAD

Detroit’s been downsizing for the last 50 years. It’s not a question of whether to downsize or not, but a question of managing it or letting it continue happening organically.

The topic has been discussed and studied, especially during the past year, some of which we covered. Groups like Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) and the WARM Training Center have been at the forefront.

After the election of Mayor Dave Bing, there didn’t seem to be much talk on this topic. The priority and focus were primarily on city finances.

That’s beginning to change.

The Mayor spoke about downsizing at a recent Community Development Conference. This will receive more attention beginning in 2010.

From CDAD:
“We don’t have the luxury of targeting specific areas within our city, Bing told the crowd. There’s been a lot of effort given to those who have the least-but everybody is hurting. Good neighborhoods are slipping-and they need help too.” Bing noted that Detroit is currently using about 50% of its 139 square miles, and stated that within six to twelve months, Detroit will have a long-term land-use plan for the city of Detroit.

Mayor Bing stated that the development and execution of a long-term plan for the city will require community involvement. “We must be open to the community-be very inclusive and get help with our priorities,” Bing stated.

Also included in the conference were round table discussions on various topics related to the reshaping of Detroit. In my role as MTGA Detroit Greenways Coordinator, I led discussions on non-motorized transportation and greenways.

Can Detroit be Saved?

Mayor Bing also reiterated similar comments in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Bing is brimming with other ideas to make Detroit more livable. One challenge he faces is how to successfully downsize. “We have a city that still has a footprint from when we had almost two million people. In the 2010 census, we’ll be lucky if we’ve got half of that population with the same footprint and infrastructure.”

He wants to tear down buildings and dilapidated homes and convert thousands of acres to “parks and greenspace.” He also wants to privatize public services to save money and create a new cosmopolitan environment that will attract middle-class and affluent families that have fled to the suburbs.

As noted at the CDAD conference, greening the city’s abandonments and brownfields would give Detroit one of the highest ratios of greenspace-to-residents among large U.S. cities.

Not just Bing

This summer, then city council candidate Charles Pugh asked us what role greenways can play in the downsizing of Detroit.

Now as council president, Pugh addressed CDAD members on downsizing.

“The city of Detroit needs a clearer vision as to where we’re going in our city. We need to pack in and create more density where there is density, and decide what happens with the areas where there is lower density. We have to put out a vision for how we are going to reshape this city.”

This is exciting to hear as downsizing is not politically popular. You don’t have ribbon cutting ceremonies for closing things down and letting areas revert to more natural states.

Still, we would certainly welcome ribbon cuttings for more greenspace and trails.

From www.Copenagenize.com

The Detroit News recently had a Tom Greenwood column on winter commuting.

As the Free Press did this spring, the media made the mistake of asking an advanced cyclist about commuting when they should have asked someone a little more entry-level. Rather than make winter commuting approachable, they made it overly technical, very expensive, and time consuming.

The “first thing” is to get carbide studded tires? If the roads are so slick and icy that you might fall, most people will drive or take the bus. Besides those tires are very expensive which only deters newcomers.

Gore-Tex? No, not necessary. Most cyclists aren’t going to commute long distances and can wear cotton and a windbreaker/winter coat. Even blue jeans aren’t a bad choice on dry days.

Shoe covers? Why not just have flat pedals and wear normal winter boots. You don’t need to use cycling shoes. You don’t need to be clipped into pedals. It’s not a race.

In the end, it’s unclear whether this article is about winter bike commuting or selling bike-specific clothing and accessories.

Is it even remotely reasonable to expect those riding to the corner store or to the local coffee shop to switch into an expensive winter cycling-specific outfit? No, just jump on your bike (any bike) and ride.

This photo from Copenhagen is a nice contrast. That looks normal. We’re guessing she’s not running carbide studded tires. That doesn’t look like Gore-Text. Those fancy red boots don’t have shoe covers. Biking mittens? They look like winter gloves to me. Simple and effective.

And she’s not riding on the sidewalk.