[deja vu]

Originally Posted by LMich

Yeah, it does look disjointed, for sure. For once, they seem to have an awfully optimistic view of retail in the center, but the only way that'd materialize is if 1). you undo Northland or 2). you include far more housing than what I see rendered in the concept to support said retail. I, too, would like to have seen much greater attention paid to residential infill. This looks really great if you're working in the office towers and civic center, but it almost doesn't address actual Southfield residents' access to the town center, which is who you'd pull on for support of the retail in the downtown. At the end of the day, it looks like an outdoor mall on Civic Center, as opposed to something connected to the neighborhoods.

All that said, anything is better than what is there, now. I understand they should have done this years ago, but Southfield is still a huge retail draw for northwest Detroiters, so I don't quite buy the prevailing opinion that it's "too late." I think a reinvigorated town center, here, wouldn't necessarily compete directly with the demographic who frequent the retail and nightlife along the upper Woodward corridor communities. There is a really big opportunity, here, to cater to the middle-class black suburban demographic in this area of the region, and make it their premiere suburban spot in a way you couldn't even do with the gentrifying Midtown and downtown Detroit. I've always seen this area as a missed opportunity - maybe, it's because my family frequented this area a lot as a child as far as retail was concerned - but, it's better late than never.

I completely agree. Better late than never. Almost anything would have to be better than the asphalt jungle that 'Center City' Southfield currently is. It has the potential to be a much more engaging urban destination than it currently is if certain factors, as you outlined, are addressed.