Detroit's Latest Italian Import

Urban regeneration in Detroit begins with public space in a form of street market - one that sells plenty of fruits and vegetables.

1 minute read

July 24, 2011, 5:00 AM PDT

By Jeff Jamawat

On her visit to Turin, Italy, this week, city planner Kathryn Lynch Underwood met with local officials to learn more about the underpinnings of the "Torido model" before she transplants it to Detriot later this year.

Andrea Rossi for La Stampa newspaper reports, "[W]ith her came a group of about ten managers, experts and market operators. The first thing they did was taking a plunge in the heart of the Porta Palazzo market. Then they gathered in an office, to be briefed in detail on Torino's 45 local markets by the city's administrators in charge of local commerce and public spaces."

"Our challenge is to bring about density in a depopulated city center. Detroit is a dispersive city. Markets can help in creating new densities, to repopulate the heart of the city, and to rebuild the sense of community," Underwood explains in the article.

FULL STORY: Detroit copies Torino’s public markets to support its regeneration

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 in Putting People First

Community / Economic Development Europe United States Michigan Detroit Public Space View More

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