Eastern Market Neighborhood Framework and Stormwater Management Network Plan
The Eastern Market Neighborhood Stormwater Management Network Plan is a comprehensive framework that invests energy and resources into the infrastructure of Detroit’s residential East Side. MVVA’s plan calls for a combination of private and public landscape interventions to transform vacant blocks in the Eastern Market neighborhood into a modern commercial and mixed-use hub, drawing on the neighborhood’s historic character as a center for food-related businesses. Expanding the market district would directly increase the number of job opportunities available in central Detroit. To accommodate the needs of modern food businesses and provide space for new connective greenways that facilitate stormwater management, the existing block structure needs to be reconfigured, a process that involves decommissioning streets and consolidating city-owned parcels.
Proposed Street Plan
Block Plan with Stormwater Management Areas
Four Greenways with Stormwater Management Areas
A Connected Green Network
MVVA worked with environmental engineers from LimnoTech to develop a neighborhood-scaled water budget that balanced the desire for new development against the need for landscapes large enough to handle the neighborhood’s stormwater. The new block structure presents opportunities for reducing runoff through the use of shared linear green spaces, small parks, green roofs, cisterns, and porous pavements. This green stormwater infrastructure will help business owners comply with the newly adopted City of Detroit Stormwater Ordinance. The plan will also adapt to increases in runoff caused by climate change and the construction of hardscape.
Schematic plan for the Saint Aubin Greenway
In addition to providing stormwater management, the greenways will lead to greater connectivity in the Eastern Market neighborhood. MVVA’s plan presents design guidelines for the greenways, including a new pedestrian path network, shallow swales, and linear tree groves. Natural features drive the design, with a network of shared linear landscapes that make the neighborhood more cohesive, accessible, and connected to the urban fabric of greater Detroit.
