Innovative Downtown Design Ideas

Urban Farming

• Cities such as Detroit experienced a huge economic downturn during the 21st century recession, suffering massive unemployment, business failure and income loss. One way Detroit compensated for the economic downturn was to encourage the development of community gardens. Community groups, government organizations and individuals alike contribute funding and time to plant community-accessible gardens in empty lots, apartment rooftops, city parks and other under-used places. Vegetables and fruits are planted, tended and gathered by local residents, resulting in fresh, free produce for cash-strapped families. Community gardens also enhance the appeal of urban areas by bringing nature's beauty into the heart of the city.

Natural Resources

• Another innovative downtown idea is to include the natural ecosystem in the design. Greenways help wildlife continue their normal habits and patterns with less disruption. Animal crossings include specially designed tunnels and bridges to give them a safe path over or under roads and bridges. Planting trees, flowers and shrubbery alongside streets, sidewalks and buildings helps lower pollution and increase oxygen while improving the aesthetic value of downtown areas.

Rain Gardens

• Rain gardens protect a city's watersheds by improving water preservation, diminishing flooding and filtering polluted stormwater through a natural filtering process. Rain gardens also lower a city's expenditures by reducing the amount of overflow running into existing water management systems, resulting in less need for maintenance and additional infrastucture. Rain gardens are built by creating a depression in the ground that serves as a ponding area where water gathers before slowly seeping into the earth, where it is naturally filtered. The ponding area is covered with a layer of organic mulch and appropriate plant species to aid the removal of debris, metals and other toxins from the water. A grass buffer strip slows the water as it enters the ponding area and filters out larger particles.

Transit

• Automobile exhaust accounts for a large portion of carbon emissions. Cities can reduce their carbon footprint by creating and implementing multimodal transportation systems which connect local and regional areas, offering more appealing and user-friendly options for public transportation. Intelligent transportation systems and services reduce vehicle congestion and improve safety while increasing productivity through coordinated traffic signal systems, traffic management centers, automated fare, smart cards and real-time traveler information systems. Bike paths and bike rental stations provide safety and encouragement for downtown residents to reduce automobile use and get more exercise when traveling shorter distances.