Greater Corktown Neighborhood Framework Plan

Led by the City of Detroit, the Greater Corktown Neighborhood Framework Plan is an initiative to promote inclusive growth in Detroit’s oldest established neighborhood while preserving the community’s unique character, cultural heritage and integrity.

Informed by months of engagement and research into past planning efforts and the history of the neighborhood, the Framework recommends long-term strategies around equitable urban and landscape design (including ecological and cultural corridors); improved streetscapes and connectivity; historic preservation; planning and zoning to ensure zero residential displacement; and mixed-use housing development and rehabilitation. Though collaborative focus workshops, drop-in open houses, and pop-up information sessions throughout the neighborhood provided opportunities for residents and business owners, the team developed proactive strategies around affordable housing; the community benefits ordinance; and alignment with resident aspirations and needs. As part of implementation planning, the team also examined district and site-based financing; federal, state, and local funding; and opportunities for private and philanthropic partnerships.

Several catalyst projects are also proposed in the Framework, building off existing investments—including a proposed community hub and neighborhood park at the former Owen School site and a flexible, multi-purpose promenade and open space at Roosevelt Park, for which SCAPE created high-level concept design, programmatic ideas, and a native species planting palette.

In 2021, the City of Detroit received a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement affordable housing across Greater Corktown as a direct result of the plan.

Learn more:

• Visit the City of Detroit’s project page.
• Read the final report.