2025 National Planning Excellence Award
Heavyweight Impact: The Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Planning Study for Inclusive Neighborhood Growth
Detroit, Michigan
The Joe Louis Greenway connects 23 Detroit neighborhoods and three neighboring municipalities through nearly 30 miles of trail, but its impact goes far beyond recreation. Led by the City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department, the Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Planning Study set out to leverage the greenway as a catalyst for neighborhood redevelopment, create economic opportunity, and strengthen community ties. The study asked, "How can the greenway improve the lives of the people who live around it?"
National Planning Excellence Award
Heavyweight Impact: The Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Planning Study for Inclusive Neighborhood Growth
Detroit, Michigan
Additional Partners: Thanks to the many local voices that helped shape this plan: neighbors, employees, businesses, community organizations, institutions, city staff and leadership, and the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership. The project team: Interface Studio, Mass Economics, Noell Consulting, Sidewalk Detroit, Spackman Mossup Michaels, Smithgroup, and the members of our Community Leadership Team.
Community Engagement
Funding for the planning budget came through the allocation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Planners worked alongside a 13-member Community Leadership Team, residents, and local advocates to shape priorities. More than 40 public meetings and 200 stakeholder sessions created space for dialogue on housing, mobility, and connectivity, and economic opportunity, ensuring the plan reflected community priorities and partnership opportunities alongside policy recommendations.
The engagement approach created space for knowledge exchanges and centered discussions on "by who and for who" in shaping recommendations. Events like the daylong Vacant Land Summit, with 250-plus participants, strengthened networks to support future resource sharing and joint advocacy.
Planning Outcomes
The study produced five neighborhood area playbooks, backed by market and land use data analysis and aligned with existing city programs to create a framework to guide redevelopment and investment along the greenway. Each playbook is specific to the area and provides a tailored strategy unique to the needs of that neighborhood. This approach connected neighborhood-level priorities to broader policies and investments, creating a clear framework for action.
Additionally, the study identified 10 Greenway Opportunity (GO) Areas that highlight targeted investments to boost housing, enhance streetscapes, and create vibrant, welcoming gateways to the Joe Louis Greenway.
The study redefines what can be achieved through infrastructure planning, turning the greenway into a tool for neighborhood justice, addressing long-standing challenges of disinvestment, environmental harm, and housing instability.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The five neighborhood area playbooks codify local priorities and provide actionable strategies specific to each neighborhood.
- The study identified direct support programs to pilot alongside the first phase of greenway construction, including whole-home rehabs, landlord repair, and industrial beautification grant programs.
- Vacant land activation strategies inform policy and interim beautification efforts.
- Planning an informed launch of a public-private partnership to raise $30 million for a pilot neighborhood development fund.
- Ongoing engagement and collaboration empower Detroiters to shape their neighborhoods from within.
Jury said: "The study's methodology, resident engagement, and neighborhood area playbooks are empowering communities across 23 Detroit neighborhoods."
Top image: Greenway activation photo courtesy of the Heavyweight Impact: The Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Planning Study for Inclusive Neighborhood Growth team.
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