Oak Park cuts the ribbon on its 9 Mile Redesign
Last week, I had the opportunity to experience a couple great examples of how Southeast Michigan’s leaders are prioritizing the use of public space. From a pocket park at the end of a neighborhood street to large swaths of land conservation, Southeast Michigan is adding to its network of open space.
On Tuesday, I visited Oak Park for the ribbon-cutting of its new complete streets redesign of 9 Mile Road. This is a transformative project that connects Oak Park’s portion of the corridor to recent nonmotorized improvements in Ferndale, and lays the groundwork for future expansion of the walking and biking network into Southfield. This project received TAP funding from SEMCOG and MDOT, as well as support from Oakland County, the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation, and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
The redesign features bike lanes, green infrastructure, and pocket parks along 9 Mile Road. The pocket parks are unique in that they were formed by closing off two side streets at the intersection of 9 Mile Road, transforming potentially dangerous intersections into destinations for kids to play. It was rewarding to see the kids racing down Seneca Street to a park that is now just a short walk from their home.
This temporary sign at the new pocket park in Oak Park is a scaled-down version of what is to come
While Tuesday was a chance to celebrate the fruits of all the work that went into Oak Park’s complete streets project, Wednesday was about supporting larger land conservation efforts and the similar kinds of long-term relationship building and collaboration that go into them. At the Six Rivers Land Conservancy Conservation Luncheon and Networking Event, attendees from business, civic, conservation, philanthropic, and environmental organizations gathered at the Detroit Athletic Club to learn about exciting projects to preserve the natural heritage of our region. Keynote speaker Sam Cummings, board member of the Natural Resources Trust Fund, stated the importance of quality places, “You have to create place that matters.” We couldn’t agree more.
Whether surrounded by parks and recreation leaders from across the state, or seeing the young girl race toward her new park, last week was a great week for parks, recreation, and conservation!
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