World Water Day and Detroit

In honor of World Water Day today, what better time than now to learn some fun facts about the Detroit River.


A View of the Detroit River 

With 72 miles of shoreline, the Detroit River is both an international boundary and the home of 21 islands.

The river covers 39 square miles and is partially responsible for its city's namesake, which means "city of straits" in French. In fact, the river itself is actually a strait - it is the connector between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie.

Waterborne commerce at the Port of Detroit topped 19 million tons in 1998. The majority of imports during that year were iron ore, cement, coal, and steel. Most of what leaves the port of Detroit for other countries is petroleum.

The website for Friends of the Detroit River - www.detroitriver.org - has some great aerial shots of the river around Belle Isle, as well as lots of information on ways to help preserve and maintain it.

Want to know what's going on at the river at this very moment in time? Visit the Live Detroit River WebCam courtesy of the Great Lakes Maritime Institute's website.

40by40.com

Motor City Blight Busters, Inc. - the Detroit non-profit group aimed at reducing poverty within the city - recently announced the undertaking of an incredible project: the rehabilitation of 40 run-down homes in time for Superbowl XL, which comes to Detroit next February.

According to its website, Motor City Blight Busters - currently run by founder John George - is accepting donations of vacant and abandoned houses in Detroit. Once a property is handed over, George and his crew will work their magic to transform the houses into safe, livable homes for low-income families.

According to this March 4 story from Channel 7's website, George's mission is two-fold: he hopes to assist in the clean-up of Detroit in time for Superbowl XL, and to provide better living conditions for area citizens that desperately need it.

So far, the group has 2 donated properties. With the sheer number of abandoned homes in Detroit, though, I don't anticipate it'll be long before MCBB has the full forty.

Visit 40by40.com for contact information, tax deductibility of donations, and for a running tally of donated houses.

James Scott fountain in Detroit

James Scott fountain

The James Scott fountain on Belle Isle is an excellent example of the many unknown treasures of Detroit. Located on Belle Isle, the fountain's marble facade becomes visible to travelers as they head west on the island from the MacArthur Bridge.

Created from a $500,000 bequest to the city from its infamous bachelor, James Scott, the gorgeous marble piece was designed by Cass Gilbert, the man also responsible for designing the main branch of the Detroit Public Library.

The James Scott fountain was completed in 1925 and is truly one of Detroit's most beautiful pieces of history. The fountain was constructed purely of white marble and contains several small bowls suspended over the fountain itself. Small statues depicting turtles, lions, the greek God, Neptune, and cherubs were created and intricatly placed at different places throughout the piece's structure.


Lions and cherubs adorn the top tiers of the fountain

Plans Unveiled for East Detroit Neighborhood Makeover

An unkept neighborhood on Detroit's east side plagued with abandoned homes, high levels of crime, and broken-down cars littering its streets will have a chance to shine once again if the plans of four development companies are carried out.

According to this story published in the Detroit News' Online Edition on March 10, two local and two out-of-state companies plan to buy the land that the Fox Creek neighborhood sits on and will develop over 3,000 new homes over the next decade within the area that lies adjacent to Grosse Pointe Park.

Once a clean, vibrant community, suburban flight over the past 50 years has left Fox Creek largely in shambles. The four development companies - American City Vista, Kimball Hill Urban Centers, Phoenix Communities and U-SNAP-BAC - hope the $257 million project will restore the community to its better days.

Both Phoenix Communtes and U-SNAP-BAC are Detroit companies.

New Interactive Map Helps Navigate Detroit

The Southeast corner of Detroit's CBD

Have trouble getting around downtown Detroit? Aren't sure how to get where you're going? Fret no more. The creative geniuses at Technology Productions have spent many long, sleepless nights studying every nook and cranny of Detroit's Central Business District to provide Detroiters and tourists with a new, free, interactive mapping system of Detroit, complete with landmarks, parking areas, entertainment venues and more.

Launched just last week, TP's brainchild - located on the web at mapdetroit.com - puts online map-kings like Map Quest and Yahoo! Maps to shame with its clean design and intricate graphics.

According to this article in the Detroit Free Press, the CBD mapping service was created without any sponsors or financial backing as a service to the city, and to showcase its abilities to other municipalities and venues in need of online interactive mapping systems.

If you get lost every time you venture downtown (read: my suburban friends), check the site out: its user-friendly, clean design and helpful tips make navigating around downtown Detroit a breeze.