Placemaking Corridors: Oak Park’s Nine Mile Redesign

Placemaking in communities helps to re-imagine and re-create downtowns, public campuses, and even transportation corridors. Creating new amenities in these areas – which often lack safety, desirable business locations, and comfortable spaces for people – can promote wellness, increase safety for all road users, enhance safety, and foster economic vitality.

The City of Oak Park has accomplished just that through its Nine Mile Redesign project, SEMCOG’s 2023 Regional Showcase Award winner. SEMCOG’s members recently had the opportunity to take a tour and experience the fruits of this impressive initiative.

The project supports the continued evolution of Oak Park’s East Nine Mile area into a diverse business community while also encouraging safe active and passive recreation. The Nine Mile Redesign reduces the number of traffic lanes, lowers speeds, and adds several corridor enhancements, including:

• Enhanced pedestrian crossings;
• Bike lanes;
• Back-in angled parking;
• Streetscape amenities, including public artwork;
• Green infrastructure;
• Connector and Linear Parks, and
• Pocket Parks between commercial properties.

Let’s Take the Tour

The Connector Park is located on the southern side of Nine Mile, to the east of Scotia, which borders the Linear Park to the North and Troy Street to the South. This small pass-through park acts as an extension of the Linear Park, connecting a neighborhood to the Nine Mile Corridor. This park is a great place to relax, featuring play elements for children, benches, a shaded picnic table (wheelchair accessible), pedestrian-scaled lighting, and beautiful landscaping.

The Linear Park is a half-mile stretch from Scotia to Rosewood on the southern side of Nine Mile Road. It includes a new multi-use path and is home to one of the City’s five MoGo bike share stations. There is a lot to take in walking along the corridor including:

• Play elements for children to spin, jump, and bounce their way through the park;
• Benches, picnic tables, and swings to relax in the shade;
• Beautification efforts, including pedestrian-scaled lighting, new foliage, and landscaping;
• Green infrastructure, including bioswales, rain gardens, and native plantings; and
• Unique public art installations to enjoy.

Pocket parks are a great way to spruce up an area immediately adjacent to local businesses that otherwise would be underutilized. The Sherman Street and Seneca Street Pocket Parks are nestled between commercial properties along Nine Mile Road. Both parks boast shaded benches, outdoor game opportunities, and space for food trucks and musical acts at special events. These small gathering spaces have created a new vibrancy in the neighborhoods and spurred business activity in Oak Park.

Collaboration is key

The Nine Mile Redesign was truly a collaborative effort. Oak Park elected officials partnered with staff; residents; the business community; and numerous neighboring communities, including Oakland County, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Southfield, Farmington Hills, and Farmington. Oak Park staff conducted an extensive public input and education effort to ensure residents’ ideas and concerns were incorporated into the planning process.

The City worked with many grantors to make this project possible, including the Michigan Department of Transportation, Oakland County, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and SEMCOG.

When transportation corridors are enlivened with intentional placemaking strategies, the results can be immense. The City of Oak Park has accomplished this through its innovative Nine Mile Redesign project. SEMCOG members enjoyed touring and learning about this impressive project. Thank you to Mayor Marian McClellan and numerous Oak Park staff members for a first-hand look at the city’s impressive new assets. Congratulations Oak Park!

In the News: Oak Park’s Nine Mile Improvements

Oak Park’s Nine Mile Redesign project has been making headlines for its innovative approach to placemaking and community revitalization. Recent articles by Oakland County Times and the Michigan Association of Planners underscore the project’s success in creating safe, vibrant spaces.