SCA Detroit's Schcari Wade says making a difference for Detroit is "important because I live here." / Photo: Digging Detroit
The new hiking/biking trails at Rouge Park on Detroit’s west side began in 2004. Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA) members Harvey Santana (who just won the state representative Democratic primary for the 10th district) and Todd Scott (myself) helped kick off the project. REI gave a generous grant to the project and volunteers helped build the trail.
It wasn’t completed, and after a change in project leadership, everything stalled.
Detroiters Chris Frey and Jason Friedmann re-started this project and by partnering with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), have really taken this to the next level.
Digging Detroit posted an excerpt from the SCA’s Conservation Quarterly, The Green Way. It’s called SCA Crews Drive Motor City Makeover and here’s a portion of it.
Many SCA stories are about changing a student’s life. Others focus on changing the fortunes of a national park. This one is about changing the mindset of an entire city.
It’s August. A blazing sun stokes the temperature into the 90s. The heat index is well into the triple figures. The mosquitoes are omnipresent and voracious.
Welcome to Detroit, where a crew of local high school students is cutting a new trail through Rouge Park. The soil is dry and hard as a half dozen teens spread out, Pulaskis in hand, to grade a stretch they cleared the day before.
…
SCA Detroit is part of a nationwide, community-based SCA program that provides outdoor summer jobs to underrepresented youth. Some 80 students participate in the Motor City alone, and they have much in common. The majority are in their second or even third summer with SCA. They constantly refer to the camaraderie spawned by their diligent teamwork. And a common theme runs through their reasons for being there.
This is a clearly a great story on so many fronts.
These kinds of projects show what you can do with Detroit if you’ve got vision. And, baby, the future’s so bright…
This beauty opened in May 2009. It is formerly a Grand Trunk Western Railroad line on the city’s East side. Hence it is located below street level, giving it that peaceful, serene air. I hate to compare anything in Detroit to Chicago, but here goes. It felt similar to that lovely green stretch along Lakeshore in Chicago, where everyone strolls, jogs and bikes to distraction. It’s what “real” cities need.
Yes, it is great.
And it’s pleasantly surprising how quickly people from all over the area have learned about this trail, except for Time Magazine.
One favorite example is when Lt. Governor John Cherry opened the Detroit Greenways map and immediately asked, “Now where’s that Dequindre Cut?”
It’s just from Atwater to Gratiot, but with a bit more state money, Lt. Governor, we could extend it around the entire city.
The Michigan Citizen has an excellent story on some of the pedicabs or rickshaws operating in the city of Detroit. Pedicabs weren’t allowed in Detroit until some entrepreneurs worked with city council to change the ordinances.
After 12 years of traveling with the military, Walker brought back a new perspective on entrepreneurial opportunities. The one he settled on has increased the level of charm throughout Detroit while addressing some complex issues with transportation and the environment. This old method of transportation seems forward-thinking in today’s increasing emphasis on alternative sources of energy.
“This is one of those rare opportunities to start a business right out of the box,” [Terry L.] Walker says. “But ultimately, it adds to the quality of life.”
Detroit Greenways
The Time Magazine blog recently gave coverage to the growing trails and greenways scene in the city of Detroit — something we’ve been bugging them about for a long time. It also gives much deserved mention to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the group that really kicked off the greenway movement in this area.
Recently, I met with the Tom Woiwode, director of the GreenWays Initiative for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. We took a tour of this project, which is connecting the city, Mexicantown, Corktown and part of Dearborn’s Salina business district. It is one of the first projects these groups have ever worked on together. And, chances are, it won’t be the last.
“It’s always been about the community,” Woiwode emphasized. “You start connecting these groups, and you’ll connect the community.”
And on a related note, an upcoming Detroit City Council agenda includes a resolution to apply for a half-million dollar grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. That grant is “to acquire the Right-of-Way (ROW) needed for the construction of Dequindre Cut, Phase II Project.” Yes, that’s the Dequindre Cut extension from Gratiot to Mack Avenue. One doesn’t apply for such grants until you have a willing seller, so this is positive news.
Detroit’s “Big Bikes”
Detroit makes stuff, so it’s no surprise we have some nice big bikes. Really nice.
1. Tell us about the project you’re bringing to Maker Faire.
A wonderfully impractical assemblage of bicycle, go-cart, and golf-cart pieces and parts, drainage pipe, steel tubing, and patio chairs. This four-wheel vehicle allows four passengers to travel in minor discomfort at speeds approaching a brisk walk, for relatively short distances, on completely flat terrain.
There’s also a video of the BigDog roaming Vinsetta Boulevard in Royal Oak. The new bike looks lighter and faster than the Dog Sled.
